Japan marked the 80th anniversary of its World War II defeat today, with at least one cabinet minister joining thousands of visitors at Yasukuni Shrine, which South Korea said in a statement “glorifies Japan’s war of aggression and enshrines war criminals”.

The South Korean government urged the leaders of Japan to face history and demonstrate “humble reflection and sincere remorse” for Japan’s past history, the ministry statement said.

“This is an important foundation for the development of future-oriented relations between the two countries based on mutual trust,” it said.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is due to visit Japan on Aug 23-24 and hold a summit with prime minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Lee has in the past been critical of efforts by administrations in Seoul to improve ties with Japan, which occupied the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

He has since vowed to continue efforts to strengthen cooperation with Japan and the US.