Japan’s leader fails to apologise for war aggression

South Korea has expressed deep regret that Japan’s leader did not repeat his predecessors’ apologies for the country’s aggression during the Second World War.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Asian and African leaders in Indonesia that Japan has “feelings of deep remorse” over the war.

However, he did not express a “heartfelt apology” for Japan’s past “colonial rule and aggression” — key phrases that previous prime ministers have used in official statements about the war.