Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent mixed messages Thursday on the 68th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender, indicating a desire to mend ties with China and South Korea but also a wish not to be seen by his conservative supporters as making too many concessions.

Abe chose not to visit war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on the Aug. 15 surrender day, a decision expected to somewhat appease Beijing and Seoul, which regard the Shinto shrine to the nation's war dead as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, as it also enshrines convicted war criminals.

A visit would have fueled tensions at a time when relations with those neighbors are already strained by territorial rows as well as disagreements over history.