ID :
133234
Sat, 07/17/2010 - 08:52
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/133234
The shortlink copeid
Kan may issue statement on centenary of Japan`s annexation of Korea
TOKYO, July 16 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Naoto Kan may release a statement to mark the centenary of
Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula next month, Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yoshito Sengoku suggested Friday.
Government sources said later in the day that the statement could include an
apology for colonial rule.
''If we decide to show our stance, what it will be is on my mind and the
Cabinet Secretariat is already thinking about it somewhat,'' Sengoku said at a
news conference, when asked about the possibility of issuing the statement on
or around Aug. 29, the day the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty was proclaimed 100
years ago.
But Sengoku added, ''We have yet to reach a conclusion.''
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said the government ''is considering how to deal
with'' historical issues between the two countries in the anniversary year,
referring to apologies for Japan's past militarism offered by two of the
country's former top leaders, Tomiichi Murayama and Junichiro Koizumi.
The South Korean government has been closely watching whether Kan will release
some form of announcement on Japan's interpretation of its imperial past and
the future of the two countries.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II on Aug. 15,
1995, then Prime Minister Murayama released a statement expressing remorse and
an apology for Japan's colonial rule and wartime aggression, particularly in
Asia.
Since then, successive Japanese governments have stood by the Murayama statement.
Attention is now on whether the Japanese government will release a statement
specifically touching on the colonization of the Korean Peninsula.
The Chosun Ilbo, a major newspaper in South Korea, reported Friday the Japanese
government is considering releasing the prime minister's statement on the 100th
anniversary. Citing South Korean and Japanese officials, it said Japanese
officials have conveyed to the South Korean side that the statement would be
made with ''the fullest possible sincerity.''
==Kyodo
Prime Minister Naoto Kan may release a statement to mark the centenary of
Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula next month, Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yoshito Sengoku suggested Friday.
Government sources said later in the day that the statement could include an
apology for colonial rule.
''If we decide to show our stance, what it will be is on my mind and the
Cabinet Secretariat is already thinking about it somewhat,'' Sengoku said at a
news conference, when asked about the possibility of issuing the statement on
or around Aug. 29, the day the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty was proclaimed 100
years ago.
But Sengoku added, ''We have yet to reach a conclusion.''
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said the government ''is considering how to deal
with'' historical issues between the two countries in the anniversary year,
referring to apologies for Japan's past militarism offered by two of the
country's former top leaders, Tomiichi Murayama and Junichiro Koizumi.
The South Korean government has been closely watching whether Kan will release
some form of announcement on Japan's interpretation of its imperial past and
the future of the two countries.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II on Aug. 15,
1995, then Prime Minister Murayama released a statement expressing remorse and
an apology for Japan's colonial rule and wartime aggression, particularly in
Asia.
Since then, successive Japanese governments have stood by the Murayama statement.
Attention is now on whether the Japanese government will release a statement
specifically touching on the colonization of the Korean Peninsula.
The Chosun Ilbo, a major newspaper in South Korea, reported Friday the Japanese
government is considering releasing the prime minister's statement on the 100th
anniversary. Citing South Korean and Japanese officials, it said Japanese
officials have conveyed to the South Korean side that the statement would be
made with ''the fullest possible sincerity.''
==Kyodo
