In his speech at the government-sponsored memorial service for the war dead Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi acknowledged that Japan had inflicted "tremendous damage and pain" on people in Asian nations, and expressed a strong determination to work toward lasting peace.

The statement is in keeping with the universal hope that the new century will end the pattern of conflicts and confrontations that marked the past century and start a new age of coexistence and cooperation. But it is also a solemn reminder of the grave responsibility that this nation bears for the untold tragedies caused by its colonial rule and its war of aggression.

More than half a century after the war's end, Japan remains the object of sharp criticism from its Asian neighbors. China and South Korea have reacted strongly to the prime minister's Aug. 13 visit to Yasukuni Shrine, which also honors wartime leaders convicted and executed by the Tokyo war-crimes tribunal. Coming on top of the history textbook issue -- which has renewed charges that nationalist elements here are trying to whitewash wartime atrocities -- the Yasukuni flareup has further cooled relations with the two nations.