Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should make a public apology "from the heart" for the nation's wartime atrocities, one of his predecessors said Wednesday.
  

Yukio Hatoyama, who served as Japan's leader from 2009-2010, was referring to Abe's upcoming speech that will be closely watched by South Korea and many other countries. Abe is to deliver a major speech in Tokyo on Friday to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
  

Keen attention is being paid to Abe's wordings on Japan's wartime past amid doubts about his perception of history.
  

"It's important to speak from the heart," Hatoyama, who once led the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan,told Yonhap News Agency while in South Korea for an international forum on East Asia peace. The DPJ is a rival of Abe's governing Liberal Democratic Party.
  

Hatoyama urged Abe to honor the 1995 Murayama Statement and repeat key words in it himself.
  

Commemorating the 50th anniversary, then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama issued a clear apology for what Japan did during its imperialistic era.
  

"Through its colonial rule and aggression, (Japan) caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations," he said. "In the hope that no such mistake be made in the future, I regard, in a spirit of humility, these irrefutable facts of history, and express here once again my feelings of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apology."
  

It has been the clearest expression of contrition by Japan's government for its wartime wrongdoings. But Abe's stance on the statement remains dubious.
  

Abe needs to use his address to dispel doubts about his historical views, Hatoyama said.

He also voiced concern over the lack of trilateral summit talks among South Korea, Japan and China.
  

"Japan's leader is quite responsible for that, albeit not entirely," he said. "Japan and South Korea also should hold a summit as early as possible to improve their relations."
  

Hatoyama added that the "comfort women" issue has not been resolved yet.
  

"Japan has to push for new measures, in any form, to address the human rights and ethical matter," he said.
  

Hundreds of thousands of women, mostly from Korea but also from other Asian countries, were forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II, while Korea was under Japan's colonial rule. Only 47 known victims are still alive in South Korea, according to official data. (Yonhap)