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By Linda Sieg and Elaine Lies TOKYO (Reuters) - Remarks by aides to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about U.S.-Japan ties and the wartime past are giving the Japanese leader a political headache as he seeks to soothe strains with key ally Washington amid rising regional tensions. Investors have begun to worry that Abe, who took office in December 2012 pledging to revive the economy, is shifting more attention to his conservative agenda to bolster Japan's military and recast history with a less apologetic tone. Taking questions in parliament on Thursday, Abe said Japan had caused great pain in Asia and elsewhere in the past. Many of Abe's aides share a conservative agenda that includes forging a security stance less reliant on Washington and rejecting what they view as a "masochistic", overly apologetic interpretation of Japan's wartime deeds.More...