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Japan Urged to Redress its Past Crimes

KCNA

    Pyongyang, November 14 (KCNA) -- The Japanese government proposed solution to the "issue of abduction" as its basic guidelines of diplomacy towards the DPRK. Dismissing this as wrong, Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary observes: The most urgent task before it to settle the outstanding issue between the DPRK and Japan is not to solve the "issue of abduction" but redeem its past crimes. And herein lies a key to normalizing the DPRK-Japan relations.
    It goes on:
    The "issue of abduction" cropped up in the long-standing abnormal relationship between the DPRK and Japan. This issue, however, was already settled by Koizumi's visit to Pyongyang and the publication of the DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration last year.
    Japan's singling out the solution to the "issue of abduction" as the basic guidelines of its diplomacy towards the DPRK can not be construed otherwise than a premeditated and deliberate act to lead the hostile relations between the DPRK and Japan to an extreme phase of confrontation, indifferent to improving the bilateral relations.
    What is most important for normalizing the relations between the two countries is for Japan to liquidate its past.
    Yet, Japan has gone without compensating for its past crimes though more than a half century has passed since its defeat in the war. On top of this, it is keen on downplaying, embellishing and justifying them. Such reckless acts only stoke the Koreans' bitterness towards Japan. The Korean people are greatly enraged by Japan's fickle attitude towards the issue of redressing its past when comparing it with the German approach toward the compensation for its past wrongs. Japan keeps complicating the issue which admits of no argument as it had already been settled, shelving the most essential and fundamental issues in the relations between the DPRK and Japan. This is little short of building a higher barrier between the two countries.
    Japan's attitude is not in line with the wishes of the two peoples for improved bilateral relations and may adversely affect not only the bilateral ties but the efforts to ensure peace and security in the region.
    There is a political framework for improving the DPRK-Japan relations, ie the DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration.
    If the two countries respect the declaration whose core item is Japan's liquidation of its past and sincerely implement it, they can smoothly improve their relations and bring about positive results.