Thousands protest against Japanese restrictions
(3 Aug 2019) Waving banners and signs and chanting anti-Japan slogans, thousands of South Koreans took to the streets of Seoul on Saturday to express their anger at Japan's decision to downgrade South Korea's trade status amid an escalating diplomatic row. Huge crowds swarmed the streets in front of the Japanese Embassy carrying signs that read "Boycott Japan" and "No Abe," referring to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The protesters later marched to a nearby boulevard for a candlelight vigil, where they called for the Seoul government to end a military intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo. They also demanded the South Korean government fully discard a 2015 deal over compensating South Korean women who were forced to work in Japan's World War II military brothels. Police didn't immediately provide a crowd estimate, but organisers said about 15,000 people participated in the rallies. The protest came a day after Japan's Cabinet approved the removal of South Korea from a list of countries with preferential trade status, which would require Japanese companies to apply for case-by-case approvals for exports to South Korea of hundreds of items deemed sensitive. The decision followed Japan's decision in July to tighten controls on certain technology exports to South Korean companies that rely on Japanese parts to produce semiconductors and display screens used in smartphones and TVs, which are key South Korean export products. South Korea says the Japanese trade curbs could hurt its export-dependent economy and has accused Japan of weaponising trade to retaliate over bilateral disputes stemming from their bitter wartime history. The Japanese trade measures have stoked public anger in South Korea, where many believe Japan still hasn't fully atoned for atrocities committed during its colonial occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. An increasing number of South Koreans have been boycotting Japanese consumer goods and travel to Japan. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
