Japanese Ambassador to Korea Yasumasa Nagamine and Consul General in Busan Yasuhiro Morimoto return to their posts in Seoul and Busan on Tuesday.
Abe met with Ambassador Yasumasa Nagamine, who will return to Seoul later in the day after being recalled almost three months ago in response to Korean civic groups erecting a statue of a girl symbolizing the sexual slavery victims in front of its consulate in the southern Korean port city of Busan.
Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced to work in front-line brothels for Japanese troops during World War II.
"As South Korea is in political transition with a presidential election expected to take place on May 9th, we have decided it is necessary to put extra efforts into information gathering to prepare for the incoming administration", said Fumio Kishida Japanese Foreign Minister.
Kishida admitted that the recall of Nagamine produced "no results" over the removal of the statue, despite Tokyo repeatedly lodging protests and calling on South Korea to fully implement the 2015 deal. Tokyo condemned Seoul's inaction over the statue, citing the country's violation of both the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which obliged a host country to protect the dignity of a consulate, and the 2015 deal aimed at resolving the issue. "Given the current political situation in South Korea, it will be hard to have the statue removed anytime soon", a Japanese government source said.
"We are aware that the Japanese government has made a decision to send Ambassador Nagamine here tomorrow (Tuesday)", a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said.
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Three months on, a high-ranking government official said, "The situation has become one in which we can not be talking about which court the ball is in".
Nagamine was recalled on January 9 after the statue was erected by a citizens' group outside the Japanese consulate in Busan.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, the top government spokesman, said the government had no plans to resume talks on a planned currency swap, which was suspended as another punitive action Tokyo took in response to the erection of the statue in Busan. Tokyo's decision comes on the heels of a three-day naval joint exercise by the US, South Korea and Japan in a show of strength against Pyongyang.
He said Japan would continue to urge South Korea to implement the "comfort women" accord after Nagamine returns.
Meanwhile, tensions with North Korea are rising as the country appears to be readying for another nuclear test or missile launch. But on the other hand, it did not come as a blow to the South Korean civic group that erected the statue.
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