nehemiah
March 26th, 2007, 3:49:06 PM
:pimp: <-- why don't we have a "pimp" smilie?
TOKYO, March 26 — Facing increasing criticism for denying that Japan coerced women into sex slavery during World War II, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeatedly refused today to acknowledge state responsibility in recruiting the so-called comfort women, but offered them an apology.
In a debate in parliament, under intense questioning by an opposition lawmaker, Mr. Abe refused to withdraw a recent statement in which he said there was no evidence that the military had forcibly recruited women to work in brothels established throughout Asia.
But Mr. Abe carefully chose his words today to avoid repeating his earlier denial, saying only: “What I said about coercion during the news conference, all of it became news, so that’s the way it was.”
When Haruko Yoshikawa, a Communist parliamentarian, asked Mr. Abe whether he did not consider as proof of coercion testimony given by former comfort women in the U.S. House of Representatives recently, Mr. Abe said that he had no comment on their testimony.
The House of Representatives is considering a non-binding resolution that would call on Japan to unambiguously acknowledge and apologize for its wartime slavery.
Prompted by Ms. Yoshikawa to make a statement toward surviving comfort women, who are now mostly in their 80’s, Mr. Abe said, “I express my sympathy for the hardships they suffered and offer my apology for the situation they found themselves in.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/26/world/asia/26cnd-japan.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
:rofl: "situation they found themselves in"????
TOKYO, March 26 — Facing increasing criticism for denying that Japan coerced women into sex slavery during World War II, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeatedly refused today to acknowledge state responsibility in recruiting the so-called comfort women, but offered them an apology.
In a debate in parliament, under intense questioning by an opposition lawmaker, Mr. Abe refused to withdraw a recent statement in which he said there was no evidence that the military had forcibly recruited women to work in brothels established throughout Asia.
But Mr. Abe carefully chose his words today to avoid repeating his earlier denial, saying only: “What I said about coercion during the news conference, all of it became news, so that’s the way it was.”
When Haruko Yoshikawa, a Communist parliamentarian, asked Mr. Abe whether he did not consider as proof of coercion testimony given by former comfort women in the U.S. House of Representatives recently, Mr. Abe said that he had no comment on their testimony.
The House of Representatives is considering a non-binding resolution that would call on Japan to unambiguously acknowledge and apologize for its wartime slavery.
Prompted by Ms. Yoshikawa to make a statement toward surviving comfort women, who are now mostly in their 80’s, Mr. Abe said, “I express my sympathy for the hardships they suffered and offer my apology for the situation they found themselves in.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/26/world/asia/26cnd-japan.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
:rofl: "situation they found themselves in"????