Marking on Sunday the 59th anniversary of the end of World War II, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reiterated Japan's pledge not to repeat the tragedies of war.

He was speaking at an annual national ceremony in Tokyo attended by 6,142 people, including roughly 4,900 relatives of people who died in the war.

Koizumi's words, however, are unlikely to put an end to the decades-long controversies over Japan's invasion of its Asian neighbors.