KCNA Commentary Urges Japan to Atone for Past Crimes

Pyongyang, July 20 (KCNA) -- More countries honestly admit their past sins and make sincere apologies for them.

Shortly ago, the government of Belgium made public a road map for returning the cultural assets looted in DR Congo during its colonial rule over the country.

It specifies the issue of returning 800 pieces of cultural properties plundered by Belgium from a king of DR Congo and of probing the origin of 32 000 pieces on display in several museums of Belgium and returning them.

The return of cultural assets draws greater attention and support by the international community as it was initiated by the government of Belgium.

This shows the steady international efforts to atone for the past and usher in a new era of reconciliation and cooperation.

However, there is a dishonest country swimming against this global trend on this planet. That is just Japan.

Japan is a war criminal state that killed a lot of Koreans and other peoples in Asia and inflicted untold moral and material damage upon them during its wars of aggression in the last century.

The Japanese imperialists drafted and abducted more than 8.4 million young and middle-aged Korean people during their fascist colonial rule over Korea, drove them to theaters of wars and deadly labor sites for conquering Asia and killed most of them. Worse still, they forced 200 000 Korean women into sexual slavery, the worst-ever crime on record.

They also vandalized and looted cultural heritage of the Korean nation and plundered a colossal amount of natural resources and products from Korea.

Nevertheless, Japan terms its criminal aggression a "war of justice" for "protecting" Asians, while desperately dodging its responsibility for admitting, apologizing and paying for its past crimes even though more than 70 years have passed since its defeat.

Recently an explosive exploded at an exhibition hall in Nagoya City where things proving sexual slavery were on display. This was deliberate terrorism.

There are not a few countries with their inglorious past in the world but it is only Japan that flatly denies and publicly praises its crimes of aggression proven through an international tribunal.

Japan's dishonest behavior is little short of declaring the intention to repeat its criminal history, an intolerable challenge to justice and conscience of mankind.

At present, many countries are condemning the immoral and brazened country Japan as a "political dwarf" and "petty nation."

Foreign media commented that unless Japan takes an honest approach towards history, it will never take off its heavy load forever.

If it persists in such a bad behavior, Japan can hardly rid itself of the accusations and condemnation by the international community and political and diplomatic isolation.

Japan should understand that its desperate efforts to shirk the responsibilities for the atonement for its crime-woven past will only worsen its political position and make its future gloomy.

Atonement for the past crimes is the only way for Japan to live with dignity as a member of the international community.