Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon has expressed "deep regret" over recent comments by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that he would continue his visit to a controversial shrine honoring Japan's war dead.

In a news conference Wednesday, Ban said such comments are not helpful to Seoul-Tokyo relations.

Earlier on Tuesday Koizumi defended his previous visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, saying the visits are aimed at offering a "sincere feeling based on lament." He added that it was natural to feel that way as a Japanese.

Koizumi was responding to criticism from an opposition lawmaker that his actions strained Tokyo's ties with neighboring nations.

The shrine honors Japan's two-and-a-half million war dead, including convicted class-A war criminals, and is considered a symbol of Japan