Several Japanese intellectuals are urging Tokyo to withdraw its export curbs on South Korea.
The group, including well-known Japanese professors, scholars and activists, issued a statement on a website on Thursday, saying the export curbs are hostile measures, and that if South Korea retaliates, the ramifications would be catastrophic.
The statement went on to say that it is wrong to treat South Korea as if it were an enemy of Japan, when it actually is an important neighbor in the road to peace and prosperity in East Asia.