More countries honestly admit their past sins and make sincere apologies for them.

Shortly ago, the government of Belgium made public a road map for returning the cultural assets looted in the Democratic Republic of Congo during its colonial rule over the country.

It reportedly specifies the issues of returning 800 pieces of cultural properties plundered by Belgium from a king of the Democratic Republic of Congo and of probing the origin of 32 000 pieces on display in several museums of Belgium and returning them.

The return of cultural assets draws greater attention and support from the international community as it was initiated by the government of Belgium.

This shows the steady international efforts to atone for the past and usher in a new era of reconciliation and cooperation.

However, there is a dishonest country swimming against this global trend on this planet. That is just Japan.

Japan is a war criminal state that killed a lot of Koreans and other peoples in Asia and inflicted untold mental and material damage upon them during its wars of aggression in the last century.

The Japanese imperialists drafted and abducted more than 8.4 million young and middle-aged Korean people during their fascist colonial rule over Korea, drove them to theatres of wars and backbreaking labour sites for conquering Asia and killed many of them. Worse still, they forced 200 000 Korean women into sexual slavery, the worst-ever crime in history.

They also vandalized and looted cultural heritage of the Korean nation and plundered a colossal amount of natural resources and products from Korea.

Nevertheless, Japan terms its criminal aggression a "war of justice" for "protecting" Asians, while desperately shirking its responsibility for admitting, apologizing and paying for its past crimes even though more than 70 years have passed since its defeat.

Recently an explosive was detonated at an exhibition hall in Nagoya City where things proving sexual slavery were on display. This was a deliberate terrorist crime.

There are not a few countries with their inglorious past in the world, but it is only Japan that flatly denies and publicly praises its crimes of aggression proven through the international tribunal.

At present, many countries are condemning the immoral and brazen country of Japan as a "political dwarf" and "petty nation."

A foreign media outlet commented that unless Japan takes an honest approach towards history, it will never take off its heavy load forever.

It is a warning that if it persists in such bad behaviour, Japan will be unable to rid itself of the accusations and condemnation by the international community and political and diplomatic isolation.

Atonement for the past crimes is the only way for Japan to live with dignity as a member of the international community.

It is also an unavoidable fate of Japan.