TOKYO Japan will sincerely deal with issues from the past concerning South Korea and work on further building bilateral relations with a future orientation, Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Sunday.

In a statement issued on the 40th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic ties between Japan and South Korea, Aso said: "Japan seriously takes to heart the sentiments of South Korean people involving the past and will sincerely deal with various issues originating from the past from a humanitarian standpoint. We believe that in the process of making such efforts, mutual understanding and a relationship of trust for building a future-oriented Japan-South Korea relationship will be reinforced."