China’s Xinhua News Agency has stressed that actions are more important than words following an apology from Japan for its colonial rule over Korea.

The report noted Wednesday that in 1995, then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama disappointed the Korean people when he followed an apology for Japan’s wartime aggression by saying just two months later that the annexation of Korea was legal.

The news agency also cited that in 2005, then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi issued a similar apology but continued to pay respects at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead --- including many war criminals.

The report said that Japan has, in the past, strained ties with its Asian neighbors by repeatedly sparking disputes on historical issues and that only when the entire Japanese public displays its understanding on the need to repent for Japan’s past wrongdoings can the nation reconcile with its neighbors.