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China, S. Korea slam former Japanese defense minister

TOKYO, Japan - Hosei Norota (R), a senior member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), chairs the House of Representatives' Budget Committee session in the Diet on Feb. 19. China lashed out at comments made a day earlier by Norota, calling his justifications for Japan's wartime aggression ''ridiculous.'' Norota told LDP supporters that a U.S. ''scheme'' forced Japan to launch military campaigns in Asia in the 1930s and 1940s and that those campaigns are still appreciated for the positive role they play in Southeast Asia.