Japan Says "No" to Sex Slave Apology

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated today that his country will not offer another apology for its military brothels operated during World War II. Historians say that the Japanese military compelled approximately 20,000 women, mostly Korean and Chinese to become sex slaves. Mr Abe refutes the testimony of recent US Congress hearings and stateS that "none of the testimony shows solid proof prostitutes were abused."

Some Japanese scholars deny that force was used to round-up women for brothels and blamed private contractors for the abuses. Elaborating on comments made last week Mr Abe, the Japanese Prime Minister, said "he would not go beyond the 1993 apology even if Washington asked for one". He is standing firmly with the critics which say that there was "no evidence to prove there was coercion".

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe commented again about an apology for military brothels on Monday last, saying "while there was no evidence of coercion in the strict sense, there may be some evidence of independent brokers procuring the women by force." He added, "but, it was not as though military police broke into peoples' homes and took them away like kidnappers."

The Us House Of Representatives is currently considering a non-binding resolution calling on Tokyo to "formally acknowledge, apologise and accept historical responsibility" for these so called comfort women. Mr Abe stated that "he stood by the 1993 Japanese government apology, whick acknowledged the military set up and ran brothels for its troops during the war." The stand-off has soured relations between China and South Korea.