Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to express "deep remorse" over World War II in a statement he will issue this summer to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, sources close to him said Friday.

The Japanese leader, however, is unlikely to offer an apology for the war, the sources said.

Abe will finalize a draft statement after receiving a report on July 21 from his advisory panel of experts on the anniversary statement, they said.