KCNA on dangerous revival of Japanese militarism
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- 57 years have passed since the Japanese imperialists' defeat in the Second World War.
In this regard, the Korean Central News Agency on Monday issued a report condemning the Japanese reactionaries for rushing headlong towards overseas aggression while reviving militarism that faced the stern judgment of history and seeking to turn Japan into a military giant and a nuclear power.
The report reads in part:
The reactionaries of Japan are working hard to foster militarism and fever of reinvasion among its people above all.
Recently Japan adopted an unprecedented resolution on forming a special committee to build a "Memorial to the Second World War Dead". This reveals the Japanese reactionaries' criminal attempt to call back in real earnest the departed soul of those militarists who are entombed in the Yasukuni Shrine in central Tokyo, in the 21st century.
The shrine is now visited by the prime minister and cabinet ministers, dietmen and other Japanese of broad segments and the right-wing gangsters have gone the length of staging a military parade in uniforms of the imperial Japanese army.
Various right-wing reactionary groups of Japan are conducting noisy propaganda about militarism at the tacit connivance of the authorities. These groups reportedly number several hundreds and there are over ten large organizations, each grouping hundreds of thousands of members.
A particular mention should be made of the fact that they have distorted historical facts in the revised textbooks to embellish Japan's past history of aggression.
Meanwhile, many reactionary films have been produced and screened in Japan to prettify the past history of aggression and call back the departed soul of militarists.
In August 1999, the Japanese reactionaries legalized Hinomaru and Kimigayo, symbols of militarism, as the national flag and anthem.
They have also stepped up the moves to reorganize the self-defense forces (SDF) as regular armed forces and turn Japan into a military power and a nuclear power in a bid to establish its domination over Asia.
Over the past decades Japan has systematically increased military spending to develop the SDF into regular armed forces.
At present it is the world's largest nation next to the united states in military expenditure.
As a result, the military muscle of the SDF has been sharply increased.
Nuclear weaponization is the most important aim of Japan's policy to turn itself into a military giant, a policy intended to dominate Asia.
The reactionaries of Japan vie with each other in claiming that Japan should possess nuclear weapons in disregard of its "three non-nuclear principles" banning manufacture, stockpile and introduction of nukes.
According to recent information available from greenpeace activists, Japan has stockpiled 38 tons of plutonium and plans to possess 110 tons by 2020. Its future goal is to stockpile 400 tons of plutonium.
What merits one more attention in the build-up of the SDF is moves to militarize the space.
Japan launched into space H-2A no. 1, a large carrier rocket, in August 2001 and no. 2 on February 4 this year.
In this way it has secured a huge amount of plutonium enough to produce thousands of nuclear bombs and high nuclear technology. It possesses even large long-range carrier rockets, which is a great threat to peace and stability in Asia and the rest of the world.
The reactionaries of Japan are coming out in overseas aggression in real earnest while putting spurs to the establishment of wartime system to put the country on a perfect military and fascist system.
They are keen to pass through the diet at any cost the "emergency legislation" such as orders for wartime general mobilization, which invest the government and the SDF with unlimited power in contingency.
Japan adopted the law on overseas dispatch of troops in 1992, the law on emergency in areas surrounding Japan in 1999 and the anti-terrorism special law in October 2001 to lay a legal ground for the SDF's overseas dispatch.
On the basis of wartime laws, which legalize overseas dispatch of the SDF, Japan officially and drastically expanded the sphere of its overseas activities.
After expanding the sphere of SDF operations, Japan has launched into full-scale overseas operation to repeat its past history of aggression, throwing away its slogan of "exclusive defence".
Japan's overseas dispatch of troops is being openly made under the signboard of the UN Peacekeeping Forces and intensified under the pretext of logistic support for the U.S.-led anti-terrorism military operations after the September 11 incident.
Japan is also stepping up the overseas dispatch of its troops allegedly to protect its vessels from pirates' attacks.
Such moves are intended to contain other Asian countries by force. Meanwhile, Japan has staged various forms of military exercises to round off its preparations for reinvasion.
It began to dispatch SDF warships to the U.S.-led RIMPAC joint military maneuvers in 1980. Involved in RIMPAC 2002 naval exercises, which started on June 25 this year, were some 1,120 troops, five warships, eight anti-submarine patrol planes and other combat forces of Japan, which even testfired missiles.
Japan stages various large-scale military exercises every year.
Japan-U.S. joint naval maneuvers are conducted 30-40 times on an annual average.
The SDF has frequently staged war exercises for reinvasion of Korea in the sky, land and waters.
Such madcap exercises staged under the simulated conditions of an attack on the DPRK in the event of contingency on the Korean Peninsula included landing operation, exercise on maps, surprising attack exercise, commanding staff exercise, transport exercise, rescue exercise, computer simulation exercise and anti-submarine special exercise.
Japan's war drills for comeback to Korea have been further intensified since the emergence of the bush administration in the United States.
Moves to militarize Japan and convert it into a military giant are getting all the more pronounced to make the 21st century another century of aggression and plunder and drive humankind into a holocaust of war. This is the gravity of the revival of Japanese militarism now censured by the world public.
It is the lesson and review of human history that aggression and war are bound to bring destruction to a war criminal state.
If Japan unleashes a war of reinvasion, oblivious of the historical lesson and the changed reality today it will not be able to go scotfree but meet an inescapable tragic end.
Busts of heroes and heroine erected
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- Busts of Ri Su Bok, An Yong Ae, Kim Kwang Chol and Kil Yong Jo, heroes and heroine of the Republic, were erected with due ceremonies in the units of the Korean People's Army in which they served.
They performed feats in devotedly defending the leader and protecting the country and the people in the 1950s and 1990s.
Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il said they are heroes and heroine of the era. Under his deep care their remains were buried at the Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery.
Activity of S. Korean reunification vanguard
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- The reunification vanguard of the 15th-term national alliance of youth and students for the country's reunification reportedly launched its propaganda campaign on July 30.
The vanguard, made up of over 350 students, is conducting propaganda activities across South Korea, divided into the east and west groups, activities of the east group being for the implementation of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and those of the west group for anti-U.S., anti-war peace.
The head of the vanguard said that the goal of its activities is to propagate the importance of implementing the joint declaration, a landmark for reunification, and underline the unreasonableness of the U.S. military presence in South Korea, evidenced by the murder of schoolgirls, so as to raise anti-U.S. sentiment among the people.
A literary and art performance was given at Konkuk University in Seoul on the evening of August 1.
Through the performance the participants hardened their faith that the vanguard will always win in face of the desperate efforts of the separatist forces.
Meanwhile, the reunification vanguard of the South Korean Federation of University Student Councils (Hanchongryon) started its march in Kwangju and Pusan on August 3 to ensure a successful holding of the August 15 meeting for national reunification.
In Kwangju members of the vanguard called for the abrogation of the security law, withdrawal of the definition of Hanchongryon as "enemy-benefiting organization" and release of prisoners of conscience.
Greetings to President of Cote d'Ivoire
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Monday sent a message of greetings to Laurent Gbagbo, President of Cote d'Ivoire, on the occasion of its 42nd National Day.
Wishing the president, government and people of Cote d'Ivoire bigger success in their work to achieve the stability, peace and unity of the country, Kim expressed conviction that the friendly relations between the two countries would continue to develop on good terms.
Beautiful port on west coast of Korea
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- Kilsong port is in Taesong-dong, Sariwon city, North Hwanghae Province of Korea.
It was built in the 1930s at the place where Maengsang and Ripsok rivers meet. The port was given a face-lifting after the liberation of the country.
It is equipped with modern wharves for cargo and passenger transportation.
Near the port there is Kilsongpho park which has many willow, pink flower acacia, persimmon and other trees. Many people enjoy themselves at the park.
Promising national volleyball team
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- The coaches and players of the DPRK national men's volleyball team are striving to get out of years of stagnancy in the development of the volleyball skills and considerably increase their matching capacity at an early date.
The team, coached by Kim Pong Yun and Choe Chang Bok, is recognized as the best of the national teams active in the past ten years.
This year the team had home-and-home games with a foreign team, through which the coaches and players verified the effectiveness of the team's method of game. They have set a higher goal to raise the team's skills and intensified the training on a scientific basis.
Jo Chol Gi, general secretary of the DPRK Volleyball Association, voiced the belief that the team will prove successful in future competitions.
Ultra-modern technology service established
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- The ultra-modern technology service was established in the DPRK.
The service, situated in Sosong district, Pyongyang, provides conditions and possibility for the modernization and information of the national economy.
It has opened homepage "Chomdan" in the computer network and conducted on-line business, information service and export and import agency service.
Homepage "Chomdan" contains goods on order, commodity advertisement, ultra-modern lectures and questions and answers about goods.
The service also gives conditioning and ordering service of ultra-modern electronic elements and goods according to the demands of customers.
It makes contracts with factories and enterprises to help establish the automatic system of production processes.
And it makes order and joint development of programs with different countries.
Yang Hyong Sop meets Japanese delegation
Pyongyang, August 6 (KCNA) -- Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly and chairman of the Korean Social Scientists Society, met and had a talk with the Japanese delegation of followers of Juche led by Seiichi Sakugawa, chairman of the National Liaison Council of Japan Societies for the Study of the Juche Idea, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
On the occasion, the head of the delegation said that he saw the reality of Korea in which the Juche idea has been applied and that the idea helped build an independent and powerful socialist country.
Thanks to the Juche idea that was fathered by President Kim Il Sung and developed and enriched by General Secretary Kim Jong Il, the Korean people could successfully conclude the "arduous march" and the forced march, he added.
He hoped that the Korean people would advance more vigorously under the banner of the Juche idea.