Present there were Chief Vice-Chairman Ho Jong Man, vice-chairmen and advisors of the Central Standing Committee of Chongryon, the permanent advisor of the Research Institute on History of Korean Residents in Japan, the directors of the Central Standing Committee of Chongryon, leading officials of organizations and enterprises, chairmen of headquarters of Chongryon in the Kanto area and Korean workers in commerce.

Present there on invitation were personages of different circles of Japan and diplomatic envoys of different countries and representatives of international organizations in Tokyo.

Ho Jong Man in his speech said that the historic Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea and the celebrations of the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the WPK were held in the homeland last year. This powerfully demonstrated the steadfast will of the Korean people to build a thriving nation without fail, true to the behests of President Kim Il Sung, rallied close around the C.C., the WPK headed by Kim Jong Il, he noted.

It is the requirement of the international community and the trend of the times to ensure the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and negotiations, he said. He urged the U.S. and the south Korean authorities not to go against this trend of history.

Whether the DPRK-Japan dialogue is realized or not entirely depends on the attitude of the Japanese government, he added.

He called for defending the rights of Koreans in Japan and striving for improved bilateral relations.