Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "We welcome today’s announcement by the Governments of Japan and the Republic of Korea that they have reached an agreement regarding the sensitive historical legacy issue of “comfort women.” They have made clear that by implementing this agreement they will "finally and irreversibly" resolve this issue.

"We believe this agreement will promote healing and help to improve relations between two of the United States’ most important allies. We applaud the leaders of Japan and the Republic of Korea for having the courage and vision to reach this agreement, and we call on the international community to support it. We look forward to continuing to work with both countries on regional and global issues, including advancing our economic ties and security cooperation."