Aug 15, 2007, 8:47 GMT
Tokyo - Nearly 5,000 people gathered at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan Hall Wednesday to mourn some 3.1 million war dead and to commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the end of World War II.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed never to engage in war but contribute to world peace at the first such ceremony he attended as a prime minister since taking office in September.
'We firmly maintain the no-war pledge and actively contribute to the establishment of ever-lasting peace in the world,' Abe said.
Abe also referred to Japan's responsibility in its wartime aggression against Asian nations.
'Our country inflicted considerable damage and pain on people in countries in Asia in the war,' he said.
Following Abe's address, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko delivered the annual tribute speech.
Abe and his cabinet ministers - except for one - refrained from visiting the Yasukuni Shrine amid the criticism over the coalition government's crushing defeat in the July 29 upper house election.
Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who visited the shrine early Wednesday in formal tailcoat, drew strong protest from China and South Korea for going to the shrine every year during his five-year premiership.
But Abe has not done so since September and kept vague about his plans.
The Tokyo shrine honours 2.8 million war dead including war criminals.
State minister Sanae Takaichi was the only minister out of 16 cabinet members to visit the shrine Wednesday afternoon.
The August 15 visit has been her annual routine since Koizumi took office, said the state minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs, science and technology policy, innovation, gender equality, social affairs and food safety.
Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara also paid homage to the war dead, and a group of some 90 lawmakers made the trip to the shrine.
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