(Newser)
–
North Korea reprimanded Japan last night and today for what it sees as a failure to show respect for Kim Jong Il's death, the latest sign that a regime change in Pyongyang will not bring improved relations with rival countries. The state news agency last night admonished Japan for not allowing North Korean sympathizers to leave Japan for North Korea in order to offer their condolences, as well as for holding a security meeting upon hearing of Kim's death. The language was similar to that used in a warning issued to South Korea after Kim's death.
Today, the barrage continued: This time, Japan was criticized for speculating that the regime change might cause North Korea's authoritarian system to collapse, the Wall Street Journal reports. "Japan has topped the world list of replacing prime ministers, becoming the laughingstock of the world and not a day passes without unstable domestic politics," the news agency said, adding that "Japan will never understand the social system" in North Korea, and that the North's regime is the "most stable in the world." No comment from Japan.
