The Background to the Japan-Republic of Korea Agreement: Compromises Concerning the Understanding of the Comfort Women Issue

This article argues that behind the background of the December 2015 agreement between Japan and South Korea over the issue of comfort women lies the emerging common understanding about the nature of the issue of comfort women, particularly the issue of coerciveness, and the subsequent moderation in rhetoric in mutual security cooperation in view of the destabilization in the region, particularly due to the rise of China and the nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.