Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reportedly called for South Korea to respond properly regarding the issues of Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery and lawsuits over Japan's forced wartime labor. 

According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Abe made the call on Monday during a meeting with outgoing South Korean Ambassador to Tokyo Lee Su-hoon at his office.

Abe reportedly asked Lee to convey Japan's positions to Seoul, calling for appropriate measures. He asked the envoy to relay the message to President Moon Jae-in as well. 

Japan's public broadcaster NHK quoted a Japanese official as saying that Abe expressed concerns over worsening South Korea-Japan relations and repeated his calls for Seoul to handle the matter properly.