An annual report published this year by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against using the expression "sex slaves" to refer to the so-called “comfort women.”
Coming from an official government document, the statement is brewing controversy.
It was confirmed Monday that the ministry’s 2019 Diplomatic Bluebook stipulates that “sex slave” is not an accurate expression and therefore should not be used.
The report added that South Korea confirmed this position and did not mention the term when it concluded a bilateral deal in December 2015 seeking to settle the wartime sexual slavery issue during the Park Geun-hye administration.
Japan's previous Diplomatic Bluebook similarly refused to recognize the “comfort women” as sex slaves and advised against referring to them as such.
This time, however, it has dragged Korea into the argument.
Seoul generally uses a Korean term which translates as "Japanese military comfort women victims," which does not include the word “slavery.”
But this does not mean Korea concurs with Japan's claim that the victims were not in a state of servitude.