Sincere Apology

[Anchor Lead]

Japan has been widely criticized for its failure to offer a sincere apology to Korea and other nations for its wartime atrocities. Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has visited South Korea to apologize to the Korean victims of the atomic bombings seven decades ago.

[Pkg]

In August 1945, when World War Two was nearing an end, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan. At the time, more than 100,000 ethnic Koreans were among the victims. About 70 percent of them, mostly forced laborers, were from Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. This welfare center is the only facility in Korea housing the victims. A gray-haired Japanese man kneels down in front of some 30 victims, who are now over 80. He is former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, known for his well-rounded understanding of Korea and its history.

[Soundbite] Yukio Hatoyama(Fmr. Japanese PM) : "Hello."

Hatoyama visited Korea for the sole purpose of apologizing to the Korean victims of atomic bombings in Japan and offering his words of solace to them.

[Soundbite] Yukio Hatoyama(Fmr. Japanese PM) : "I think you have fallen victim twice, to Japan and to the United States. I apologize to you."

Yukio Hatoyama is the first Japanese politician to meet with the Korean victims and offer his apology.

[Soundbite] Kim Han-dong(Korean Victim of Atomic Bombings in Japan) : "We are thankful to him for visiting us in person."

The former Japanese leader laid a wreathe at the memorial house in Hapcheon and offered consolation to the second and third generations of the victims, who were also affected by the bombings.

[Soundbite] Yukio Hatoyama(Fmr. Japanese PM) : "I apologize for the Japanese government's failure to provide sufficient support to the Korean victims of atomic bombings."

Of some 100,000 victims of atomic bombings in Japan, only about two thousand are still alive. It has been 73 years since the bombings, but they have yet to receive sincere apologies from the Japanese and U.S. governments.