Japan, South Korea reach $8 million deal over Korean Sex Slaves in WWII

Decades after South Korean women were forced to work as "comfort women" in Japanese military-run brothels, Japan's prime minister has issued an official apology in a landmark deal on Monday.

As a part of the deal, Japan has also pledged $8.3 million that will be used to help the survivors.

The deal is the first step that the countries have taken to start building their relationship. Relations between the two Asian nations have been haunted by the sex slave history.

"I feel we've fulfilled the responsibility of the generation living now," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, reported by the Washington Post. "I'd like this to be a trigger for Japan and South Korea to cooperate and open a new era."

South Korean President Park Geun-hye said after he met with Japan's foreign minister, Fumio Kishisa, "The most important thing is for Japan to diligently and promptly implement what has been agreed to restore comfort women victims' honor and dignity and heal their wounded hearts."

According to the foreign ministers from both nations, reported by the New York Times, Abe "expresses anew his most sincere apologies and remorse to all the women who underwent immeasurable and painful experiences and suffered incurable physical and psychological wounds as comfort women."

Both sides have also agreed to stop "accusing or criticizing each other regarding this issue in the international community."

South Korea did not agree to remove the bronze statue of a comfort woman, which sits in front of the Japanese embassy. Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-se stated that the nation is aware of Japan's stance in regards to the statue and will talk with the group, the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan that created the statue.

Reuters reported that the council has already criticized Yun's comments, stating, "We make it clear that the stature cannot be a condition for any kind of agreement or a tool. It is unacceptable for the government to talk about taking down or moving the statue."

Historians have reported that during World War II, tens of thousands of Asian women, with the majority of them originating from Korea, were coerced by the Japanese Imperial Army to provide sex to front-line Japanese soldiers. There are currently 46 Korean survivors who are now in their 80s to 90s.