Abe, elaborating on his denial last week that women were forced to serve as
frontline prostitutes, said none of the testimony in hearings last month by the
US House of Representatives offered any solid proof of abuse.
"I must say we will not apologize even if there's a resolution," Abe told
lawmakers in a lengthy debate, during which he also said he stood by Japan's
landmark 1993 apology on the brothels.
Historians say that up to 200,000 women 'mostly from Korea and China' served in
Japanese military brothels throughout Asia in the 1930s and '40s.
Accounts of abuse by the military "including kidnapping of women and girls for
use in the brothels" have been backed up by witnesses, victims and even former
Japanese soldiers.
But prominent Japanese scholars and politicians routinely deny direct military
involvement or the use of force in rounding up the women, blaming private
contractors for any abuses.
Abe last week sided with the critics, saying that there was no proof that the
women were coerced into prostitution, igniting a storm of criticism and
protests in South Korea and other countries where the women came from.
On Monday, he elaborated, saying there was no evidence of coercion in the
strict sense - such as kidnapping - but he acknowledged that brokers procuring
women otherwise forced the victims to work as prostitutes. Abe did not explain
further.
The US House is considering a nonbinding resolution that would demand a formal
acknowledgment and apology from the Japanese government for the brothels.
A House committee heard testimony last month from women who described being
taking captive by Japanese authorities and repeatedly raped as so-called
"comfort women."
Abe suggested he did not consider such testimony conclusive evidence.
"There was no testimony.. ..that had any proof," he told lawmakers Monday.
Associated Press
