A South Korean court ruling that ordered the Japanese government to pay damages to a group of former “comfort women” over their treatment in Japanese military brothels became final Saturday as a deadline for Tokyo to appeal expired.The Japanese government had until Friday to appeal the first such ruling in South Korea, but it refused to participate in the case from the outset, citing sovereign immunity – a principle under international law that allows a state to be shielded against the…

This post was originally published on South China Morning Post.