Heads of state and governments, party leaders, organizations and personages of different countries mourned his demise in humblest reverence and sincerely sympathized and encouraged the Korean people.

Former Prime Minister Koizumi and other officials of Japan sent condolence messages to the DPRK and visited the Korean Hall to express deep condolences over his demise.

The Japanese authorities, however, committed unpardonable acts.

They officially revealed their hostile stand, saying "the government has no intention to express condolences". Worse still, they let loose such balderdash as uttering it was their hope that the great loss the Korean nation suffered would not adversely affect the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Japanese Prime Minister Noda convened a "security meeting" on December 19 at which he instructed all the ministries and agencies to strengthen the posture for gathering information about north Korea and keep full readiness.

The government set up a "Cabinet room for measures" at the Crisis Management Center of the Residence of the Prime Minister and ordered the "Self-Defense Forces" and the Coast Guard Agency to step up the alert posture. He also called for "examining measures for evacuating Japanese residing in south Korea in the event of contingency."

Japan, a neighbor, behaved recklessly, betraying its bitterness towards the DPRK at a time when personages of all social standings in the world were mourning the demise of Kim Jong Il in humblest reverence. This glaringly proves in what bitterness towards the DPRK the Japanese politicians were steeped.

The Japanese authorities' evil actions found a more striking manifestation in the fact that they desperately blocked the visit to the homeland by the chief vice-chairman of the Central Standing Committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) to express condolences before the bier of Kim Jong Il.

Chongryon officials and compatriots, upon hearing the sad news which came like a bolt from the blue, strongly demanded the Japanese authorities allow the mourners delegation of Chongryon headed by the chief vice-chairman to visit the homeland.

It was quite natural for the compatriots to take such action as they have revered Kim Jong Il as their father.

He was the outstanding leader of Chongryon and benevolent father who brought happiness to the Koreans in Japan and carved out a future for their younger generation.

He was the defender of justice as he led Chongryon as a Juche-based overseas compatriots organization and protected Chongryon and compatriots in Japan from the suppression by the reactionaries within and without Japan.

He was, indeed, the great father of the nation who would be always remembered by Chongryon and compatriots in Japan.

This clearly tells that it was a matter of most elementary ethics for the chief vice-chairman of Chongryon to visit the homeland and express condolences carrying with him the bitter grief of Koreans in Japan.

That was why many officials and lawmakers of Japan urged the prime minister and the chief Cabinet secretary to allow the visit of the chief vice-chairman.

But the prime minister and the chief Cabinet secretary objected to all this to the last moment. They claimed it was their policy not to recognize the reentry of the senior most official of Chongryon in case he pays a visit to the homeland to express condolences. This behavior was little short of rubbing salt into the grief-stricken Koreans.

It was nothing but a base and rude behavior for the Japanese authorities to have blocked the condolatory visit to the homeland by a member of the Korean nation, far from sharing sorrow and sympathy with the neighbor saddened with the great loss.

Nevertheless, the Japanese authorities are interpreting this rude behavior as "an expression of their firm will to settle the pending issues like abduction and the nuclear issue, etc."

The Japanese reactionaries have put the DPRK-Japan relations at the lowest ebb, talking for years about the abduction issue which no longer exists and poses no problem. Yet, they are using it as a pretext for hurting the supreme leadership of the DPRK even today when the Korean nation is grieving the great loss. This is unpardonable in any respect.

By doing so, the Japanese authorities are only beclouding the prospect of the relations between the DPRK and Japan.

It was in pursuit of a base purpose that they took the above-said disgusting attitude.

The support rate for the present Cabinet is now rapidly declining in Japan.

The Japanese authorities feared that their flexible attitude towards the great loss the Korean nation suffered might cause the support rate for them to further sink. Precisely for this reason the present rulers took a high-handed attitude to meet the interests of the anti-DPRK forces who consider the abduction issue as a lever for keeping themselves alive.

This is nothing but a mean and ridiculous behavior of the morally stupid guys who stoop to any infamy to gratify their political greed.

It is as clear as daylight what miserable end they will meet.

The Korean people came to more clearly know about the Japanese political pigmies while experiencing the great loss in bitter grief.

It is a tragedy for Japan itself that those ignorant of any elementary ethics and morality and etiquette are administering state affairs, holding power.

The army and people of the DPRK will never forgive those who let loose the thrice-cursed vituperations against the Korean people who grieved the great loss to the nation but settle accounts with them to the last.