Rodong Sinmun Monday observes in a signed commentary in this regard:

This disclosed fact alone makes it easy to guess what monstrous crimes the Japanese imperialists committed against Koreans in the past.

This being a hard reality, Japan is running the whole gamut of sleight of hand to evade the responsibility for the settlement of its past crimes, defying the public mind-set at home and abroad.

The Japanese militarists are making desperate efforts to bring back those days when they could kill in cold blood people of Asia with their blood-stained swords. For this reason Japan is persistently seeking to evade the responsibility for the settlement of its past crimes.

It is a foolish dream for Japan to eye permanent membership of the UN Security Council and emerge a "leader of Asia" while working hard to dodge the settlement of its past crimes in a bid to realize its militarist ambition.

This persistent behavior on the part of Japan would only touch off bitterer sentiment and resentment at it among the world public and throw it into the bottomless abyss of international isolation.

Such sleight of hand will never work in the present times.

Japan would be well advised to bear this in mind and make a bold decision to redeem its past crimes, though belatedly.