Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu apologized Thursday and Emperor Akihito expressed "deepest regret" for Japan's harsh colonial rule over Korea, in statements designed to put the nations' bitter past behind them.

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South Korean President Roh Tae-woo met Kaifu and the emperor on the first day of a three-day state visit that is a carefully scripted attempt by the two countries to move ahead as partners in spreading peace and prosperity.For Japan, which normalized relations with South Korea in 1965, the statements marked a breakthrough in acknowledging the suffering it inflicted during its stifling 1910-1945 rule of Korea.

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