Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan apologized Tuesday to South Korea for his nation's colonial rule of Korea ahead of the 100th anniversary of the annexation of the Korean peninsula, dpa reported.
Kan expressed regret for the suffering inflicted during the 1910-45 colonial period, in a statement released five days before Koreans celebrate their independence on August 15.
Japan felt "deep remorse" and offered its "heartfelt apology," the prime minister said.
Tokyo also plans to return cultural artifacts taken from the peninsula "in the near future," he said.
These include some royal records of the Joseon Dynasty, currently being kept by the Japan's Imperial Household Agency, reports said.