The Japanese imperialists killed at least 100,000 Koreans during the uprising in order to put down peaceful demonstrations of the Korean people for independence that swept across the country from March 1, 1919 and calm down the ever-mounting spirit for struggle.

The Japanese imperialists committed massacres, forcible drafting and forced labor against the Korean nation and forced Korean women into sexual slavery for the Imperial Japanese Army. The Koreans still bear grudge at Japan for those crimes even though 65 years have passed since the liberation of Korea and the Koreans' resentment against Japan is deepening, far from being allayed due to assailant Japan's shameful evasion of its past crimes, the statement said, and went on:

The Japanese reactionaries have openly denied the crimes against humanity committed by Japan in the past and whitewashed them.

Japan is paying no heed to others' voices but working hard to deny its past crimes and whitewash them while employing delaying tactics in a bid to convince the international community of this, stoke up hostility toward the DPRK and thus evade the liquidation of its past crimes and turn Japan into a military power.

If the "friendship" with neighboring countries touted by the present Japanese authorities is true, they should not turn away from the past but opt for liquidating the crimes against humanity committed by the Japanese imperialists in the past as strongly demanded by those countries and their peoples.

This is the only way out for Japan for the development of its future and the restoration of the confidence of the international community.

We strongly demand the Japanese authorities regard the past liquidation as the most important political issue which brooks no further delay and come out for its solution as soon as possible.