KCNA Commentary on Japan's Denial of Its Past Crimes

Pyongyang, July 20 (KCNA) -- Japan's impudent behavior of totally denying its past crimes against humanity stands out in sharp contrast with the responsible attitude of many countries towards history.

Recently, France returned to Algeria the remains of its independence fighters who were arrested and executed for waging the armed struggle against France during its colonial rule over Algeria.

In recent years, France has made a positive effort to atone for its past crimes in such ways as admitting and apologizing for the crimes it committed during its colonial rule over other countries. It apologized again to Algeria along with the return of those remains, saying it would be an important occasion to reconcile the histories of the two countries.

This reflects the present international trend towards the promotion of reconciliation and development of new relations among countries through the settlement of the past.

Sincere atonement and reparation for the past crimes are an obligation due to the assailant, and a prerequisite for building a new future after bidding adieu to the disgraceful past.

But, Japan has denied its bloodstained history of aggression and plunder, the history of unethical crimes and refused to apologize and compensate.

Japan is persisting with the denial of the crime-woven history, describing Japan's colonialist policy as the one for "modernization" and its war of aggression, which inflicted untold sufferings on the Asian peoples, as "war for self-defense" and "liberation war".

Japan examined and approved many textbooks in which the most of crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists were deleted or obscured. Japan also got scenes of crimes during the colonial period registered as part of UNESCO world cultural heritage and even built an exhibition to justify the slavery, which is a mockery of the victims.

Japan's persistent distortion of its history aims at arming the rising generations with militarism to realize the revanchist ambition for reinvasion.

Japan's attitude towards its past crimes clearly shows its moral vulgarity and shamelessness. -0-