The Japanese imperialists took the lives of millions of guiltless people and imposed physical pain and disgrace upon Koreans, keeping Korea and its people under illegal armed occupation. In addition to this, they caused serious mental and cultural damage and economic losses to the tune of astronomical figures.

They forced women of many Asian countries and 200,000 Korean women into sexual slavery, taking them to battle fields of the Imperial Japanese Army.

Several decades have passed since the defeat of Japan but it has never made honest repentance to the victims and the countries which fell victim to its aggression and to the international community for the crimes committed by it against humanity, the statement noted, and continued:

Japan has not shown any elementary intention to redress its past crimes concerning the relations with the DPRK and its victims.

What is intolerable is that Japan is openly embellishing and denying the despicable crimes in the eyes of the victims still alive though it committed too many crimes to apologize and repent of them down through generations.

Entering this year, Japanese high-ranking officials let loose a string of balderdashes that there is no evidence proving that Japan took away women as sexual slaves for the Imperial Japanese Army, the sexual slavery for it was needed in those days and that the army and prostitution are bound to go together. These are the reckless remarks which can hardly be made by human beings and politicians.

What matters is that the political and public circles of Japan and its people are overlooking such poisonous remarks and those responsible for them, not demanding them own any political and moral responsibility, though the whole world is enraged by them.

It is commonplace in Japan that it is staging "commemorative events" while raising a claim to the land of other country, resorting to political suppression and persecution of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon), an overseas citizens organization of the DPRK, and Koreans in Japan and instilling justice of the past war of aggression into the rising generation.

The political trend of Japan veering to the right day by day and its social atmosphere are sparking off deep concern of the international community as they are an unstable factor of threatening peace and stability in East Asia.

If Japan follows in the footsteps of the Japanese imperialists, disregarding the advice of the international community and the lesson taught by history and justifying its crime-woven past, it will find itself in the bottomless abyss of ruin.

It is nearly 70 years since the end of the World War II and the defeat of Japan, a war criminal state.

Japan should make a bold political decision before the passage of 70 years for the sake of its stability and prosperity, make clean of its inglorious past crimes and thus opt for promoting genuine reconciliation and confidence with the international community.