元徴用工訴訟「現金化なら深刻」　加藤官房長官

　加藤勝信官房長官は１９日の記者会見で、元徴用工訴訟をめぐり、韓国の裁判所が韓国企業に対し三菱重工業が持つ商品代金の債権差し押さえなどを命じたことに関し、「仮に現金化に至れば日韓関係にとって大変深刻な状況になる。これは避けなければならない」と述べ、日本が受け入れ可能な解決策を示すよう韓国側に求める考えを示した。
　加藤氏は元徴用工問題は解決済みであるとして「同問題にかかる韓国大法院（最高裁）判決および関連する司法手続きは明確な国際法違反だ」と重ねて強調した。（2021/08/19-12:36）

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato expressed concern Thursday over possible grave consequences for Japan-South Korea relations from a recent South Korean district court order concerning wartime labor.
   The court ordered the seizure and collection of monetary claims Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. has on a client South Korean company. A petition for such an order was filed early this month by South Korean plaintiffs in a lawsuit in which South Korea's Supreme Court issued a ruling in November 2018 that ordered Mitsubishi Heavy to pay compensation to Koreans requisitioned to work for the company during World War II.
   "The situation would be very serious for the Japan-South Korean relationship" if the South Korean plaintiffs obtain cash by collecting the South Korean firm's debts owed to the Japanese company, Kato told a press conference. Such a situation "must be avoided," the top Japanese government spokesman said.
   Kato indicated that the government plans to urge South Korea to present a solution acceptable to the Japanese side.
   Noting that the wartime labor issue has already been resolved, Kato said that the Supreme Court ruling and South Korean judicial procedures that have been taken over the matter were "a clear violation of international law."