The east Japan consultative meeting was held in the Kanagawa Prefectural Headquarters of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) on March 8. Present there were representatives from Tokyo, Kanagawa, Nishi-Tokyo, Saitama, Ibaragi, Gunma and Tochigi.

The meeting discussed the issue of strengthening the activities to solve the issue of remains of Koreans in Japan.

Terumi Terao, co-representative of the Japanese side of the fact-finding group, said that the Japanese government has not admitted the coercive nature of the crimes related to "comfort women" for the Imperial Japanese Army, adding Japan should properly approach its past history.

Pak Ku Ho, vice-chairman of the Central Standing Committee of Chongryon and representative of the Korean side of the fact-finding group, said that the Japanese government should settle the inglorious past in the spirit of the DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration as early as possible.

The Japanese government should stop unreasonable national discrimination and violation of human rights against Koreans in Japan, he added.

The consultative meeting heard the reports of activities of the fact-finding groups in different parts in 2013.

Then Akihiro Harada, co-representative of the Japanese side of the fact-finding group, said that it is important to widely inform the younger generations of Japan of historical facts as regards the ever-more undisguised behavior embellishing the past in Japan.

The west Japan consultative meeting took place in Amakasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture on February 1.