Japan's opposition leader says Tokyo must admit past wrongdoings in Asia

SEOUL, June 5 (Yonhap) -- Japan must acknowledge its past wrongdoings committed
against its Asian neighbors, including South Korea, Japan's visiting opposition
leader Yukio Hatoyama was quoted as saying Friday in a meeting with South Korean
President Lee Myung-bak.
Hatoyama, the newly elected head of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), is said
to be one of the strongest candidates to become the next prime minister, breaking
the over half-century stronghold of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
"The difference between the DPJ and the LDP is whether they have the courage to
look straight into history. New ideas are important for future-oriented views,
but one cannot speak of the future without clear ideas about the past," Hatoyama
was quoted as telling the South Korean president.
"The DPJ can play a great role in that sense," he said, according to a spokesman
for Seoul's presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae.
President Lee welcomed his remarks, noting Korea-Japan relations have often
crumbled due to historical issues.
"Our two countries are very close and must join their efforts in many areas, but
it is true that they have not been able to do so because they are trapped in
issues of the past," the president was quoted as saying by his spokesman, Lee
Dong-kwan.
"Our Korean citizens are ready to take a great step toward a better future with
Japan once Japan makes a turn in the right direction toward past issues," the
president added.
Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula from 1910-1945, a dark period marked by
wartime atrocities including forced labor and sexual slavery.
Tokyo frequently angers the South Korean public in attempts to whitewash its
past, approving school textbooks that beautify the colonial years and describe a
set of South Korean islets in the East Sea, Dokdo, as its territory.
Visits by Japanese leaders, including prime ministers, to a Tokyo shrine where
Japan's convicted war criminals from World War II are enshrined have also caused
tension between the countries.
Hatoyama said he will work to significantly improve Japan's ties with South Korea
if he is named the prime minister, according to the Cheong Wa Dae spokesman.
President Lee and Hatoyama also called for joint efforts between South Korea and
Japan to deal with North Korea, noting their countries are most threatened by
Pyongyang's nuclear and missile provocations.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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