Sudan President Omar Al-Bashir (L) and his South Sudan counterpart Salva Kiir pose before a meeting on Monday at the presidential palace in Juba. — AFP



TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that he wants to explain to leaders in China and South Korea about his visits to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honors the country’s war dead, but Beijing again called on him to correct his views on Japan’s role in World War II.



Abe said that Japan has not made any direct overtures, but he hopes the leaders can meet to help resolve antagonism over territorial disputes and historical issues.



“At the moment, there is no plan for a summit meeting, but since there are some difficulties and issues we should be speaking together without setting any preconditions,” he told reporters after making a new year’s visit to the Grand Shrine of Ise, in western Japan.



“I would really like to explain the intent of my visits to the Yasukuni Shrine directly to them,” Abe said. “We are not making any direct approach on this, but the door to dialogue is open. I would like to hold Japan-China and Japan-South Korea summit meetings.”



Japan colonized Korea and occupied parts of China before and during World War II and that often brutal legacy taints relations with its neighbors decades later. China and South Korea reacted angrily to Abe’s Dec. 26 visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, where 14 class A war criminals are enshrined among the 2.5 million war dead.



The Chinese Foreign Ministry has said earlier Abe won’t be welcome in Beijing until he admits his mistake. — AP