Prime Minister Abe must officially apologize for ‘comfort women’ issue: JCP Shii

   Concerning the recent U.S. congressional resolution on the wartime sex slavery issue, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo in his speech at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on July 3 said, “In response to the criticism and suspicion of the international community, the prime minister in his official capacity must acknowledge the historical facts and make official apologies to the world.”

   The 1993 Kono Statement acknowledging that the Japanese military used coercion in recruiting women has been internationally recognized as the Japanese government’s official view. However, the Kono Statement has been repeatedly trampled on by the words and deeds of Prime Minister Abe himself as well as by pro-Yasukuni Shrine forces as illustrated by the notorious advertisement in the Washington Post.

   Pointing out these facts, Shii stressed the necessity for the prime minister in his official capacity to publish an apology.

   Despite his promise that he will stand by the Kono Statement, Abe said that there is no evidence that supports the claim of coercion used by the military that brought about the strong criticism from other Asian countries as well as the United States.

   On June 27, Abe said he would not comment on the resolution that the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee had passed on the previous day.                                           - Akahata, July 4, 2007