A boycott on Japanese goods in South Korea has had an impact on casual clothing chain Uniqlo's sales in the country, the company said on Friday, highlighting the widening economic hit from a diplomatic row over Tokyo's wartime role.[TOKYO] A boycott on Japanese goods in South Korea has had an impact on casual clothing chain Uniqlo's sales in the country, the company said on Friday, highlighting the widening economic hit from a diplomatic row over Tokyo's wartime role.
Japan's decision last month to tighten controls on exports of materials that South Korea uses to make semiconductors and smartphone displays has prompted a consumer backlash in Korea, with consumers boycotting Japanese products from beer to pens. Relations between the two US allies are now at their worst in decades. The dispute is rooted in compensation for forced labourers during Japan's occupation and South Korea has repeatedly invoked its difficult history with Japan, which colonised the Korean peninsula during World War Two.
"We can confirm that there has been an impact on the sales in Korea," a spokeswoman for Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing said, declining to give figures.The company's recent decision to close a store in Seoul was unrelated to the boycott, the spokeswoman said, adding that the contract for the property had ended and the company decided not to renew.Japan cited security concerns for the curbs.
早く治りますように。一生懸命進出しても、政治に左右されるのは一番辛いでしょうね。