Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated on Wednesday that his government will continue to honor a 1993 apology for wartime sex slavery.

At a press conference where the prime minister was asked about what in Japan are known as "comfort women" - the Asian woman forced to work in brothels for the Japanese army during World War II - he complained that his recent remarks on the matter had not been reported correctly, Kyodo News said on Thursday.

What he meant was there is no evidence to prove Japan's wartime government was behind the coercion of woman into sex slavery, the prime minister told reporters.

In 1993, Japan's then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono officially acknowledged and apologized for the fact that Japan forced women from other Asian countries to be sex slaves for its soldiers during World War II.

Last Thursday, Abe was quoted as saying that "there is no evidence to prove there was coercion" exercised over the foreign women, who were forced to serve Japanese soldiers in state-sponsored Japanese military brothels.

On Monday, the premier reiterated that Japan will abide by the 1993 Kono statement, but said Japan would not offer any new apology over the issue even if a U.S. congress resolution demands it.

The premier's remarks immediately drew criticism around the world, especially from Asian countries.

Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives is mulling a resolution calling Japan to "formally acknowledge, apologize and accept the historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner" for the abuse of "comfort women" during World War II.

Source: Xinhua