Japan extended the sanctions against the DPRK and is insisting that it cannot render energy assistance to it as agreed upon at the six-party talks for the mere reason that the "abduction issue" has not been settled.

The "abduction issue," being an issue to be handled between the DPRK and Japan, has been discussed between the two sides and, therefore, it does not allow any other country to meddle in it, much less being a matter to be taken up at the six-party talks.

This notwithstanding, Japan refuses to fulfill the commitments it is obliged to honor on the principle of "action for action" while linking the issue with the six-party talks. This cannot be construed otherwise than a desperate bid of those bereft of reason.

As already reported, the U.S. recently announced a decision to cross the DPRK off the list of "state sponsors of terrorism". Japan, however, very much displeased with it, is trying hard to disturb the process for the settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

To make everything clear as regards the "abduction issue" so much touted by Japan, the DPRK has so far made every possible effort for its settlement.

At the Shenyang talks in August it was agreed to take specific actions to settle the inglorious past and the pending issues between the DPRK and Japan. Both sides confirmed the plan to conduct reinvestigation into the "abduction issue" on the basis of the agreement and detailed matters including its modality, methods and period.

The "abduction issue" much touted by Japan does not stand comparison with such crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists against humanity in the past as the forcible drafting of more than 8.4 million Koreans, massacre of more than one million Koreans and forcing 200,000 Korean women into sexual slavery for the Imperial Japanese Army, the crimes it has left unsettled. That is why the world considers the measure taken by the DPRK as a magnanimous bold decision made out of broad perspective.

Japan, however, has responded to the DPRK's sincerity with systematic perfidy and is only doing something obstructive to the settlement of issue.

As a matter of fact, Japan has never cooperated with the DPRK in the settlement of the "abduction issue".

It has always broken its promises. To cite just a few examples, it refused to send back those who had gone to Japan to visit home quite contrary to its earlier promise and escalated sanctions against the DPRK although it promised to lift part of them. It even savagely cracked down upon Koreans in Japan, reneging on its promise to protect their rights. Japan responded to the DPRK's repeated magnanimous steps by whipping up the bitterness toward the DPRK and chauvinism against Koreans and escalating the sanctions against it.

Japan's attitude remained unchanged even after the Shenyang talks. In a bid to convince the world that the talks handled the "abduction issue" only Japan hyped the agreed point concerning the "abduction issue" only among several points agreed while ignoring or downplaying other issues for the purpose of fanning up hostility toward the DPRK, when conveying their accounts. It thus craftily evaded the obligation to take practical measures for creating atmosphere favorable to the improvement of the bilateral relations.

The course in which the "abduction issue" was discussed and handled between the DPRK and Japan helps the former clearly understand that political forces in Japan have used the issue as a mere lever for meeting such sinister purposes as stay in power or seizure of power.

What merits attention is that after its emergence in Japan the Aso regime only staged a charade to give impression that it respects the agreement reached between the DPRK and Japan during the Fukuda regime and, in fact, it has stuck to the hostile policy pursued by the Abe Cabinet towards the DPRK.

Japan's refusal to abide by the principle of "action for action" while linking the "abduction issue" with the six-party talks is aimed to scuttle the talks and justify its hostile moves toward the DPRK and its serious human rights abuses against Koreans in Japan.

It is as clear as noonday that if Japan is allowed to participate in the talks it would create only complexities in their way as it lets loose sheer sophism that the process of the denuclearization should not be allowed to make any progress unless the "abduction issue" is settled while standing in the way of its settlement.

The DPRK is compelled to raise a question as to whether there is any need to have the six-party talks attended by Japan as it is challenging the agreement reached at the talks.

Japan had better drop its foolish attempt to use the talks aimed at the denuclearization as a platform for achieving the aim sought by it through the "abduction issue," cogitating about the consequences to be entailed by its mean behavior.