Our top story this evening... Korea is intensifying its call for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to show remorse for Japan′s wartime atrocities during his trip to the United States next month. This，... after Abe made some ambiguous remarks to a leading U.S. daily about the women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War Two. Song Ji－sun reports. Looking to deflect responsibility for Japan′s sexual enslavement of women during World War II，... Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has come up with carefully calculated terms to describe what the victims went through. In an interview published in the Washington Post， Abe said the issue was a case of ″human trafficking.″ Watchers say Abe′s new description may acknowledge the historical facts，... but does so in a vague way that doesn′t identify Japan as the perpetrator. The issue of Japan′s sexual enslavement of Korean women and Tokyo′s continual lack of atonement has driven Korea－Japan ties to new lows in recent years. Abe said he felt pain for the women who had gone through immeasurable suffering because they were trafficked，... and admitted that their human rights were violated. But he went on to say that his stance remains unchanged from previous administrations，... dampening hope for a clear apology during his trip to the United States next month， during which he will become the first Japanese prime minister to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. In response to Abe′s remarks... the Korean government said the first step toward resolving the sex slavery issue for Japan is to clearly acknowledge its responsibility. A government official said Abe′s use of the term ″human trafficking″ blurs the nature of the issue... and that is not acceptable to the victims or the international community. Song Ji－sun， Arirang News.

• published: 28 Mar 2015
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