He in a keynote speech at a seminar held in Washington on Feb. 27 made reckless remarks siding with Japan as regards the issue of the settlement of its past crimes, the editorial said, and went on:

What he uttered was not a simple gaffe.

The U.S. was so nervous about plugging Japan into south Korea-U.S.-Japan triangular military alliance that it was in the poor position to forget where it should stand.

It is to blame in no small measure for Japan's denial of its past history of aggression.