Pyongyang, August 16 (KCNA) -- Tokuma Utsunomiya was one of the Japanese political activists who sought friendly relations between Japan and the DPRK.

He visited Pyongyang for the first time in June Juche 53 (1964) to participate in an international seminar. Before arriving in Pyongyang, he was afraid that he and his companions would get a cold reception.

But President Kim Il Sung, when receiving participants in the seminar, took Utsunomiya by the hand and said he was pleased to meet a guest from a neighboring country. He also said Japan and Korea were neighbors but it seemed they were as far away as the moon from each other for the lack of comings and goings.

Greatly touched by what he said, Utsunomiya went back to Japan and made much effort for the development of Japan-DPRK relations.

Giving his impressions of the DPRK, he said:

The economy of north Korea has become most thriving since the end of the June 25 war. It is a lie that north Korea can not rise from the ruins of war. The Kangson Steel Plant we visited is one of north Korea's major steel producers backing the country's heavy industry. Japan should pay attention to north Korea's economy and make exchange with the country.

His remark drew attention of the Japanese political and public circles.

In May next year he, together with his colleagues, visited the DPRK and was honored with the audience of Kim Il Sung again.

He told the President that he, a politician of Japan that oppressed the Korean people for many years, felt sorry for what it did.

But the President told the guest that he did not need to look back upon the past at the pleasant meeting. The President then said the two countries had many factors of good-neighbor relationship and if the Japanese government refrained from pursuing pro-U.S. policies, the DPRK and Japan, though they had different social systems, would live in peace and on good terms.

Utsunomiya, deeply moved by his great magnanimity and personality, vowed to do his best for friendship between the Japanese and DPRK people.