TOKYO, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan apologized Tuesday to South Korea for Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula in the first half of the 20th century.
The apology was timed to South Korea's celebration of its liberation on Aug. 15 and the Aug. 29 centenary of Japan's annexation of the peninsula, Kyodo News reported. Japan ruled the region from 1910 to 1945.
In his statement, Kan expressed Japan's "deep remorse" for the damage and suffering Koreans endured under Japanese rule and offered his country's "heartfelt apology."
The statement, designed to bolster Japan's relationship with South Korea, made no mention of North Korea, the Japanese news agency said.
Previous Japanese prime ministers had made similar statements in 2005 and 1995.
Kan said Japan will ''in the near future'' hand over Korean cultural artifacts the South has long sought. Among them are royal records of the Joseon Dynasty, called the Joseon Wangsil Uigwe.
