On September 5, Japanese Prime Minister Suga made an official announcement that he will not run for the next presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.

Suga, who held the post of Chief Cabinet Secretary for nearly 8 years under the Abe Administration to be followed by the assumption of premiership for the past one year, is one of the masterminds, along with Abe, behind the aggravation of DPRK-Japanese relations to the worst-ever state.

Sometime ago, Suga named, as part of his administrative achievements, his share in the complete ban on the entry into Japanese ports by the “Mangyongbong-92”, the vessel that used to sail to and fro, with the mission to promote comings and goings of people and humanitarian exchanges between the DPRK and Japan, which are devoid of diplomatic ties. Also enumerated as one of his feats were his orders given to NHK to commence, by means of coercion, its international broadcasting on the abduction issue.

It is not good enough even though the Japanese government made apologies and reparations dozens of times to us for its past crimes of immeasurable misery and agony as well as prodigious human, material and mental loss inflicted upon Korean people. But Suga rather regards his mania for anti-DPRK sanctions and pressure as a source of his pride. This fact alone cannot be perceived otherwise than a crime of piling up one sin after another.

In retrospect, Suga and his predecessor Abe were hell-bent on appeasing the public sentiment to revive, by all means – be it falsehood or deceit, the abduction issue that was already resolved with the sincerity and efforts from our part, for it may as well be misused to serve their political purposes. However, despite all their bids, they both could not help resigning from premiership.

Suga and Abe have consistently clung to the basest and the most brutal sanctions and embargo against the DPRK for the purpose of isolating and stifling our Republic politically and economically. They deserve an eternal curse and condemnation from our people.

Currently, the politicians who declared candidacy for the next presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan openly express their will to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors in regard of the hostile policy towards the DPRK.

I stress once again that whoever comes into power, Japan will beget noting but a crushing defeat if it persists in the hostile policy towards the DPRK while embellishing its history of aggression and running headlong into the conversion to a military power.

Ri Pyong Dok

Researcher, Institute for Studies of Japan

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea