President Roh Moo-hyun on Wednesday (March 1) urged Japan to face up to history by taking concrete actions to reflect the apologies Japanese leaders have made so far for the atrocities it committed during World War II.

In a speech marking the 87th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement against Japanese colonial rule, Roh strongly criticized Tokyo's mishandling of its wartime misdeeds, including Japanese leaders' repeated visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine honoring war criminals.

Among those honored at the shrine in Tokyo are 14 convicted Class-A war criminals responsible for heinous atrocities during World War II, along with 2.5 million Japanese war dead. It is viewed by Koreans and Chinese as a symbol of Japan's unrepentant militarism.

"Leaders of the two nations pledged efforts to go in a reconciliatory and harmonious way last year. But Japan has changed little in the way it viewed its past," Roh said, citing the unsettled disputes over the sovereignty of the Dokdo island in the East Sea and distortions in Japanese history textbooks.

If Japan wants to become a leading country in the world, it must first win over the trust of the international community by respecting globally accepted principles of conscientious behavior, prior to building up its military power, the president emphasized in his strongly-worded speech delivered during a ceremony held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul.

He added Japan should follow the way Germany dealt with its wartime history in order to be a true member of the world community.

Japan has been seeking a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) backed by its ally, the United States. But Asian neighbors, led by South Korea and China, have pledged to block the bid because of Japan's perceived distortions of history and whitewashing of its wartime atrocities.

Japan occupied the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Seoul-Tokyo ties have already reached their lowest ebb, following a series of provocations on war history by Japanese leaders in recent years.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has visited the shrine five times since his inauguration in 2001, including the latest visit last October, despite strong protests from South Korea and China.

Last month, Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso made a fresh provocation, suggesting the country's emperor resume paying homage at the shrine. He described calls for stopping the shrine visit an intervention in Japan's internal affairs.

Early last year, Japan insisted that Dokdo, South Korea's easternmost island, belong to Japan. Further upsetting Seoul, the Tokyo government approved "right-wing' textbooks that critics say whitewash Japanese wartime atrocities, such as forced labor and the sexual slavery of South Korean women, dubbed "comfort women."


* Full Text of President Roh's Speech