Nationalism is "absolutely not" on the rise and Japan remains committed to peace almost 70 years after its defeat in World War II, said Vice Foreign Minister Nobuo Kishi, the younger brother of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Abe's December visit to Yasukuni Shrine, which is seen by many in China and South Korea as a symbol of Japan's past aggression, prompted the U.S. to express disappointment with its main ally in Asia.
Comments by Abe's associates playing down wartime atrocities by Imperial Japanese forces have also led to criticism, with The New York Times saying in an editorial March 2 that Abe's nationalism threatens ties with the U.S. as well as other nations in the region.