Seoul condemns essay justifying Japan`s military aggression

SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea criticized on Saturday an essay by Japan's former air force general which justifies his country's aggression on the Korean peninsular, saying it represented "a distortion of history."

General Toshio Tamogami claimed in a recently written essay that Japan was not an
aggressor in World War II and Korea under Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule was
prosperous and safe. Japan's defense ministry dismissed him on Friday.

"His claim is distorting history...International friendly relations are based on
repentance for past wrongdoings and learning a lesson from history," South
Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The relationship between Seoul and Tokyo has been strained for the past decades
due to South Koreans' lingering resentment over Japan's brutal colonization of
Korea.
(END)