Korea Warns Japan Over 'Useless' Dokdo Bill Greater Issues Than Dokdo Are at Stake Roh, Koizumi in War of Nerves Answer Japanese Provocations from Moral Strength Seoul Announces New Hardline Japan Doctrine Japan's 'Neocons' Feel No Debt to Korea Masan City Cocks Snook at Shimane Prefecture What Will Japan Reflect on, and How?

Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro, speaking about Korea's new doctrine for dealing with Tokyo, on Thursday stressed the need to overcome "emotional" confrontation and respond in a future-oriented way. But Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Friday insisted Japan was trying to cover up, distort and justify its past in remarks officials said reflected the position of President Roh Moo-hyun.

Chung fired several broadsides at the Japanese prime minister, saying Koizumi's slight of Roh's March 1 Independence Day address as being meant "for domestic consumption" was "not the proper etiquette shown to a national leader."

The unification minister said Koizumi's comments were a misreading of the reality in Korea and showed Japan had returned to the past.

Dokdo from above.

The Japanese press agreed with their prime minister that Roh's new Japan doctrine had largely domestic targets, calling it "an attempt by the Roh administration to recover public support after two years in office without results" (Mainichi Shimbun), "an attempt by President Roh to draw support by using his special style of appealing to the public" (Asahi Shimbun), and "an attempt by President Roh to arrest his falling support by playing the 'history card'' (Yomiuri).

Japanese Foreign Minister Machimura Nobutaka earlier said Japan "humbly accepted" the feelings of the Korean people and was willing to reflect on its past, expressing general understanding of the Korean position. But he stopped short of agreeing to specific Korean demands, saying that each nation had its own position on the Dokdo issue, and compensation for colonial abuses had already been dealt with in the 1965 Korea-Japan treaty.

In a follow-up measure to the Japan doctrine announced Thursday, Roh meanwhile asked for a comittee to deal with contentious issues between the two neighbors. The committee will likely include figures from the foreign and education ministries, civic groups and academia. Cheong Wa Dae said the government must deal with issues involving Japan rather than leave them to the civic sector.

(englishnews@chosun.com )