The Japanese government on Sunday commemorated the day the country recovered its sovereignty in 1952 after its defeat in World War II, amid opposition from Okinawa, which remained under U.S. control for another 20 years.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday he does not want differences in interpretation of wartime history between Japan and other Asian nations to develop into diplomatic rows, after his recent remarks fueled further tensions with Tokyo's neighbors. "I do not want issues related to perceptions of history to cause diplomatic and political problems," Abe told a Diet committee session. "It is appropriate that they are handled by historians or other experts," he said, adding, "I cannot judge like a god."

By Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe holds a ceremony on Sunday to mark a day in history that few voters give much thought, he will also be quietly pushing his agenda to break free from Japan's post-war pacifism that could risk inflaming regional tensions. This week's friction with China and South Korea over disputed territory and history showed once more that the past still looms large over diplomacy in East Asia.

Japan's Prime Minister Friday unveiled new growth strategies with a special focus on expanding business opportunities for women and providing job training for young people. Shinzo Abe also boasted of the benefits of his controversial big-spending, easy-money policies -- dubbed "Abenomics" -- that have fuelled optimism in an economy that has struggled for two decades. "Who are the human resources that Japan has failed make the best use of? They are women," he said in a special press address.