Anchor: Washington appears to have expressed its concerns to Tokyo over its controversial stance toward Japan's history of imperial invasions in Asia. Along with the U.S. and China, media outlets within Japan also began taking issue with its Prime Minister's remarks and warped view on history. Our Bae Joo-yon has more.

Report: Japan's Kyodo News says the United States has informally conveyed its concern to Japan over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's remarks on the island nation's history of imperial invasions during World War Two.

While introducing his plan to scrap Tokyo's apologetic 1995 statement for its invasive, colonialist past in Asia, Prime Minister Abe also tried to justify his officials' visits to the Yasukuni Shrine that honors Japanese war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals.

Citing U.S. and Japanese sources, the Japanese news agency said a U.S. State Department official conveyed concern through the Japanese Embassy in Washington. The official reportedly discussed adverse effects the history issue could cause in Japan's relations with its neighboring countries.

Kyodo News said Washington's expression of concern appears to be related to the Japanese leader's remarks on the definition of "invasion" and the paying of respects at the controversial war shrine.

The controversial remarks have also drawn criticism within Japan.

Japan's Mainichi Shimbun said in an editorial on Friday that Japan’s imperial invasion is a historical fact, adding it is a problem if the Japanese prime minister wants to distort that fact.

Another Japanese daily, the Asahi Shimbun, also criticized Abe, arguing his words and acts are not based in history. The editorial said if Abe continues to make such remarks, it will only deepen the international community's distrust with Japan.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun warned the Abe government not to aggravate the history issue any further.

Despite such criticism, the Abe government continues with its distortion of modern history.

During a special meeting of the Liberal Democratic Party that opened on orders from Abe on Thursday, party members agreed to modify the so-called "Neighboring Country Clause” in authorization criteria for school textbooks. The clause was in place in consideration of countries that suffered harm from Japan's invasive war and worked to mitigate historical distortions in textbooks. Abe has said the clause is self-tormenting.

Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.