Japanese foreign policy report claims 'deep remorse' for wartime action but may fuel tensions with South Korea

Japan is committed to continuing on a path as a peace-loving nation, as it has done since the end of the second world war, based on "deep remorse", the government's annual foreign policy report said yesterday.

Introducing a section on Japan's diplomatic efforts in the post-war era, the Diplomatic Bluebook 2015 said that Japan had built its society around democracy, respect for basic human rights and rule of law, and had become a model for Asian nations.

The Foreign Ministry's move to use the expression "deep remorse" is apparently aimed at Asian neighbours, particularly China and South Korea, who have pressed Japan to be more sincere about its wartime aggression, political pundits say.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida presented the report to the cabinet yesterday.

In a break from the previous annual report and in a move that may provoke protest from South Korea, the report deleted a passage stating that Japan and South Korea "share fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, and respect for basic human rights".

Changing the reference comes amid lingering tensions between Tokyo and Seoul over the case of a Japanese journalist who was Seoul bureau chief of the Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun and is currently on trial for defaming South Korean President Park Geun Hye.