"I would like to reiterate my heartfelt apology and deep sense of remorse and reflection over the tragic fate of all those who fought to defend this country against Japanese military aggression and the atrocities committed by (its army)," Ambassador Ryuichiro Yamazaki was quoted by the report of Inquirer news network as saying on Friday in a message, which he delivered during the commemorative program of the Leyte Gulf Landings' 62nd anniversary in Palo, a city near the south of Tacloban.

"Today on the occasion of this solemn ceremony, I reflect upon the lessons to be learned from that terrible war," he said.

Yamazaki said the atrocities 62 years ago were acts that Japan would never do again, the report said.

Yamazaki also cited the benefits resulting from trade relations between the Philippines and Japan. He said the bilateral agreement signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had further boosted the relationship of the two countries.

Japan is the biggest donor and source of funds for big development projects in the Philippines' central region of Eastern Visayas, according to the report.

In a battle from Oct. 23 to 26 in 1944, Japanese forces were defeated by the Allied troops who made successive landings on Leyte island. The battle was considered a major naval engagement during the Pacific War of World War II.