JAKARTA, Indonesia - Japan's prime minister apologized today for his country's World War II aggression in Asia but a Chinese official dismissed the remarks, saying "actions are more important" than words.

He spoke after Japanese lawmakers made a controversial visit to a war shrine just hours before their prime minister apologized for wartime misdeeds.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's expression of "deep remorse" at a summit of Asian and African leaders in Jakarta did not go beyond what Japanese leaders previously have said.

But its delivery at the international gathering clearly was aimed at easing an escalating row with China over Tokyo's handling of its wartime atrocities and its bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

Relations between the two Asian powers have plunged in recent weeks to a three-decade low.

"In the past Japan through its colonial rule and aggression caused tremendous damage and suffering for the people of many countries, particularly those of Asian nations," Koizumi said at the summit's opening ceremony. "Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of humility."

In response to the apology, however, China's ambassador to South Korea, Li Bin, said: "Of course, words are important. But I believe actions are more important."

Just hours before Koizumi's speech, about 80 Parliament members made a pilgrimage to a Tokyo shrine that honors executed Japanese World War II criminals along with other war dead. There were no Cabinet ministers among the group, which visited the shrine in observance of an annual spring festival.

"We express strong dissatisfaction over the negative actions of some Japanese politicians," China's Foreign Ministry said of the visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.

It called on Japan to take actions that are "more conducive to improving and developing Sino-Japanese relations," citing the "current severe situation."

Koizumi said he was hoping for a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Jakarta on Saturday, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported. But China says it's still considering the proposal.

Massive anti-Japanese protests erupted in major Chinese cities this month after Tokyo approved a new history textbook that critics say plays down Japan's wartime atrocities, including mass sex slavery and germ warfare. The protesters also have targeted Tokyo's Security Council bid.

Also fueling tensions are disputes over gas-drilling in disputed waters and Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine.