ANKARA

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday pledged that Japan will never again take the path to war, expressing “remorse” over World War II.

Speaking at a memorial ceremony for the war dead in Tokyo, as the nation marked the 80th anniversary of the war’s end, Ishiba stressed the need to pass down the "painful" memories of the conflict to future generations as survivors age, according to Tokyo-based Kyodo News.

"We should never repeat the devastation of war. We will never ever make a mistake in choosing the path to take," Ishiba said at the Nippon Budokan arena.

Ishiba became the first Japanese leader since 2012 to use the word “remorse” at the annual commemoration ceremony, though he avoided directly referring to Japan’s wartime aggression in Asia.

Emperor Naruhito, joined by Empress Masako, also expressed "deep remorse" at the memorial, saying the calamity of war should never be repeated.

Around 3,400 family members attended the ceremony to honor Japan’s 3.1 million war dead, including victims of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

At events held last week marking 80 years since the atomic bombings, Ishiba called for Japan to work toward a world free of nuclear weapons and nuclear war.

Ishiba also sent an offering to the controversial war-linked Yasukuni shrine on the WWII anniversary, while Agricultural Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited the site and joined the crowds there.

The Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead, including convicted war criminals, has long been a source of tension between Japan and its neighbors, particularly South Korea and China.

- South Korea expresses deep regret

South Korea on Friday voiced “deep disappointment” over Ishiba’s offering to the shrine, according to Yonhap News.

In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said: "We express deep disappointment and regret that responsible leaders in Japan have once again made offerings to or visited the Yasukuni Shrine.

"We urge Japanese leaders to squarely face history and show through action humble reflection and genuine atonement for historical issues, and we once again emphasize that these will be the foundation for building a future-oriented bilateral relationship between the two countries."

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid