Japan’s foreign minister is trying to distance his government from recent right-wing comments about World War II. He called them “regrettable” on Monday and said they don’t represent the government’s views. In an interview with The Associated Press, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida also said that China’s military expansion in the region is a concern, but stopped short of calling it a threat. New officials at public broadcaster NHK are under fire after one denied the Nanjing massacre happened and another downplayed the use of so-called comfort women in World War II. Kishida says it is regrettable if the statements caused any misunderstanding of Japan’s position.—AP