The diary written by Yuzaburo Kuratomi, head of accounting and inquiry department of the Japanese royal agency, in 1919 was made public at an international academic meeting held some years ago. Recorded in the diary was information that he heard Terauchi, first Japanese "resident-general" of Korea, instruct Hasegawa to poison Kojong who was not recognizing the "Ulsa Five-point Treaty".

Minju Joson Thursday observes in a commentary in this regard:

The Japanese imperialists' poisoning of Kojong, supreme representative of the state sovereignty, at that time was a wanton infringement upon the sovereignty of Korea, unprecedented state-sponsored terrorism and unpardonable insult to the Korean people.

Japan still keeps mum about their past crimes. This behavior is touching off the curse and anger of justice and human conscience.

Japan's mean and immoral act of having evaded its responsibility for redeeming its past crimes for such long period is driving the Korean people's hatred against it into the point of explosion.

Japan should clearly know that the Korean people will never let the past crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists go unnoticed.

Tokyo would be sadly mistaken if it thinks everything would be OK only if it keeps silence.

Japan should make public all its past crimes before the world as required by the international community and beg for forgiveness.