Ministers in Japan's new centre-left government have stayed away from a controversial shrine on the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II.
It is the first time an entire cabinet has not attended ceremonies at the Yasukuni shrine in at least 25 years.
Government ministers paying respects at the Tokyo shrine, which honours Japan's war dead, including war criminals, have in the past angered Japan's neighbours.
The new DPJ-led government had promised to be more considerate.
Other lawmakers, including opposition leaders, did attend ceremonies at the Yasukuni shrine.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan's visited a national cemetery in Tokyo before attending a remembrance ceremony with Emperor Akihito, son of the wartime Emperor Hirohito.
"We feel deep regret, and we offer our sincere feelings of condolence to those who suffered and their families," Mr Kan said.
The Democratic Party of Japan ousted the conservative Liberal Democratic Party in August last year.
The LDP had held power in Japan for almost the entire post-war era.
BBC News - Japanese cabinet shun controversial Yasukuni shrine
It is the first time an entire cabinet has not attended ceremonies at the Yasukuni shrine in at least 25 years.
Government ministers paying respects at the Tokyo shrine, which honours Japan's war dead, including war criminals, have in the past angered Japan's neighbours.
The new DPJ-led government had promised to be more considerate.
Other lawmakers, including opposition leaders, did attend ceremonies at the Yasukuni shrine.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan's visited a national cemetery in Tokyo before attending a remembrance ceremony with Emperor Akihito, son of the wartime Emperor Hirohito.
"We feel deep regret, and we offer our sincere feelings of condolence to those who suffered and their families," Mr Kan said.
The Democratic Party of Japan ousted the conservative Liberal Democratic Party in August last year.
The LDP had held power in Japan for almost the entire post-war era.
BBC News - Japanese cabinet shun controversial Yasukuni shrine
