Criticism is rising within Japan, following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's war-end anniversary statement earlier this month, which failed to offer a clear apology for the country's colonial rule and past aggression before and during World War Two.
Osaka City Mayor Toru Hashimoto ( ) said on Sunday that Japan must clearly express feelings of remorse and apology to Korea and China for its history of invasion.
The Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun reports that Hashimoto said Japanese politicians should continue to offer apologies, adding that it was not acceptable for the Abe adminstration to try and justify Japan's past wartime atrocities.