Without apology, Abe says Japan brought suffering to Asian people, upholds views of predecessors

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks during a meeting at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, Wednesday, April 29, 2015. / AP Photo

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday the country's wartime actions brought suffering to Asian people and he upholds the views of his predecessors on history as he delivered an unprecedented address to the U.S. Congress.

But the nationalist Abe, long accused of attempting to whitewash Japan's wartime past, stopped short of offering a clear apology for such atrocities as the sexual enslavement of Korean and other Asian women for its troops during World War II.

The absence of an apology cast a pall over the prospect of improvement in relations between Seoul and Tokyo. South Korea has demanded Japan clearly apologize for the sexual slavery issue before they can put history behind and move forward, but Tokyo has refused to do so.

"Post war, we started out on our path bearing in mind feelings of deep remorse over the war. Our actions brought suffering to the peoples in Asian countries. We must not avert our eyes from that. I will uphold the views expressed by the previous prime ministers in this regard," Abe said.

The vague statement contrasted sharply with the apologetic tone about U.S. suffering during the war.

"History is harsh. What is done cannot be undone. With deep repentance in my heart, I stood there in silent prayers for some time," Abe said of his visit to the World War II Memorial in Washington. "My dear friends, on behalf of Japan and the Japanese people, I offer with profound respect my eternal condolences to the souls of all American people that were lost during World War II."

In a possible reference to the sexual slavery issue, Abe said that "armed conflicts have always made women suffer the most" and he stressed the importance of building a world where "finally women are free from human rights abuses."

The remark was seen as an attempt to make sexual slavery look like just one of many human rights violations happening during war. On Tuesday, Abe made a similar remark in response to a question about the wartime sexual slavery, saying women's human rights "have often been infringed upon during wars."

In the audience was one surviving sexual slavery victim, Lee Yong-soo. After the address, the 87-year-old Lee expressed outrage, saying Abe would be destroying himself if he keeps denying history.

Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), who has championed sexual slavery victims, also expressed anger.

"It is shocking and shameful that Prime Minister Abe continues to evade his government's responsibility for the systematic atrocity that was perpetrated by the Japanese Imperial Army against the so-called 'comfort women' during World War II, by not offering an apology during his speech today," he said in a statement.

Abe's refusal to apologize is an "insult" to victims and is not acceptable, he said.

"Yesterday, Prime Minister Abe claimed to be 'deeply pained to think about the comfort women,'" he said. "But his pain is nothing compared to the 70-year-long torment of justice denied."

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), the leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also said Abe stopped short of "apologizing directly for the treatment of comfort women even as a former Korean comfort woman was among the guests in the gallery during the speech."

"There is no question that the prime minister could have been more direct in addressing Japan's wartime past," the congressman said. "I hope that the prime minister will take future opportunities to address history issues directly."

The State Department said it takes note of Abe's remarks about upholding the views of his predecessors.

"Yesterday, he reaffirmed that the Abe cabinet upholds the Kono Statement and has no intention to revise it," a department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency, referring to a 1993 statement in which Japan for the first time acknowledged women were forcibly recruited into sexual slavery.

But the Abe government conducted a "review" of the statement last year in an attempt to discredit it.

"Our policy on the trafficking of women for sexual purposes remains the same," the spokesperson said.

Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mainly from Korea, which was a Japanese colony from 1910 to 1945, were forced to work in front-line brothels for Japanese soldiers during World War II. But Japan has long attempted to water down the atrocity.

The sexual slavery issue has been the biggest thorn in frayed relations between Japan and South Korea.

The speech marked the first time that a Japanese prime minister has addressed a joint meeting of the House and the Senate. One of his predecessors, Junichiro Koizumi, had pushed for the honor but did not get it due to objections over Japan's wartime history.

Abe's address, which was granted despite strong objections over his record on history issues, was seen as a U.S. reward for a leader who has done everything possible to help address American economic and security needs in a region marked by China's rise.

The rest of the speech was devoted to show how grateful Japan is to the U.S. for helping the war-devastated nation get back on its feet, how the two countries have become friends and allies and worked together, and what roles Japan will play in the region and beyond.

Wednesday's speech was one of the highlights of Abe's weeklong visit to the U.S. He held a summit with Obama on Wednesday and agreed to strengthen economic and security partnerships between the two countries and work together to tackle global challenges.

Abe is scheduled to leave Washington on Thursday to visit San Francisco and Los Angeles on his way home. (Yonhap)