The Guardian view on Japan and South Korea: neither side will win | Editorial

The months-old dispute between the two countries is only growing. They may not be the only ones affected

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the row between Japan and South Korea is that it is not in the interests of either side, yet continues to escalate. The rest of us should also pay attention because the repercussions could be felt much further afield.

Simmering bitterness over the Japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945 bubbled up again with a row over the issue of the South Korean women who became "comfort women" (wartime sex slaves), and then last year's ruling by the South Korean supreme court that workers were entitled to compensation from Japanese firms for their forced labour during the war. Tokyo sees Seoul as reneging on a 1965 bilateral agreement settling wartime claims; Seoul believes that Tokyo has not done enough to address its colonial past and says the deal should not prevent individual victims from suing.

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