US wants more than apology from Japan on sex slaves

WASHINGTON: Washington on Monday urged Tokyo to take responsibility for its role in sex slavery during World War II, after Japan's premier apologized again for prior comments about the so-called "comfort women."   

"We appreciate that the apology was made. It is a step forward," said Tom Casey, deputy State Department spokesman.   

"But I think this is a very difficult issue and we certainly would want to see the Japanese continue to address this and to deal with it in a forthright and responsible manner that acknowledges the gravity of the crimes that were committed," he said.   

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has repeatedly said he stands by Japan's landmark 1993 apology to the thousands of former sex slaves but that he felt no need to make a fresh statement, on Monday changed that stance.   

Questioned in parliament by a leftist lawmaker on whether he was apologizing himself, Abe said he was.   

"I am apologizing now as the prime minister," Abe said, his spokesman Hiroshi Suzuki said.   

"This has been stated in the Kono statement," Abe said.   

In 1993, a statement by then chief government spokesman Yohei Kono apologised to former comfort women and acknowledged that Japan was involved directly or indirectly in causing their suffering.   

Historians say up to 200,000 young women, mostly from Korea but also from China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan, were forced to serve as sex slaves in Japanese army brothels.   

Abe earlier this month triggered an uproar when he said there was no evidence Japan directly coerced comfort women. He later elaborated by saying he was talking of coercion in the "strict" sense, such as kidnapping women.