North Korea Blasts Japan’s War Legacy, Calls for Accountability

(MENAFN) On Monday, North Korea sharply criticized Japan, urging the nation to confront its historical actions and "liquidate its past" concerning its colonial domination of Korea from 1910 to 1945. This demand comes as the 80th anniversary of Japan's World War II defeat approaches.

According to a North Korean news agency, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry lambasted Japan for attempting to let the anniversary pass “without seriously reflecting on its wartime history.” The statement emphasized the gravity of Japan’s unresolved legacy.

"This is an unpardonable mockery and insult upon the peoples of the DPRK and other Asian countries that are suffering from the hideous crimes of the Japanese imperialists," the ministry underscored the ongoing pain caused by Japan’s wartime actions. The official acronym “DPRK” stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The statement stressed that Japan’s war crimes bear “No statute of limitations... even after 80 years and 800 years.” It further highlighted, “It is the unavoidable moral responsibility of Japan, the war criminal state, and its duty before international law to face up to the history and liquidate its past.”

This sharp rebuke coincides with reports that Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is contemplating releasing a message to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II.

Last week, Japan’s Sankei Shimbun newspaper indicated that Ishiba’s forthcoming message might closely resemble the statement made on the 70th anniversary by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In that 2015 message, Abe reaffirmed Tokyo’s prior apologies for wartime aggression but declined to offer a new apology, arguing that future generations should not be burdened with repeated apologies for Japan’s military past.

Japan formally announced its surrender on August 15, 1945, marking the effective end of World War II.

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