Japan will not regard Ban's remarks as problem

Japan will not see UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's recent remarks about Japan's attitude towards historical issues as a problem, the top government spokesman said Thursday. "His real intention has become clear," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference, noting that Senior Vice Foreign Minister Masaji Matsuyama asked the UN chief about what he intended to say during their meeting in the Netherlands on Wednesday. In Seoul on Monday, Ban, a former South Korean Foreign Minister, urged Japanese political leaders to have deep self-reflection and an international and future-oriented vision on how they will understand history and foster friendly ties with neighbors, amid rising tension in Japan's relations with South Korea and China. The Japanese government has expressed discomfort with his comments, saying that the secretary general may not fully understand Japan's position and Tokyo will inquire through the UN Secretariat what his words really meant. According to Suga, Ban told Matsuyama that his remarks were not directed solely at Japan, but also China and South Korea. Ban also said it was regrettable that his words were misunderstood in Japan. South Korea and China suffered Japanese occupation during the World War II. Japan is currently engaged in separate diplomatic crises with China and South Korea over two groups of disputed islands.