WASHINGTON — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a joint session of Congress Wednesday that he feels “deep repentance” for U.S. deaths in World War II and “deep remorse’ for suffering by Asian people, but made no mention of Japan’s use of “comfort women” for its soldiers.
Abe was the first Japanese prime minister to address a joint meeting of Congress. Vice President Joe Biden and American Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy also joined lawmakers to hear Abe’s speech.
“On behalf of Japan and the Japanese people,” Abe said, “ I offer with profound respect my eternal condolences to the souls of all American people that were lost during World War II.”
However, he didn’t offer anything new to other Asian countries, including China and South Korea, which suffered loss during World War II and are still demanding apologies from Japan.
“Our actions brought suffering to peoples in Asian countries,” Abe said. “We must not avert our eyes from that.” He said he would uphold a “deep remorse” view expressed by former Japanese prime ministers in this regard.
He also avoided taking a direct position on Japan’s WWII “comfort women,” women largely from occupied Asian countries who were forced by the Japanese army into sexual slavery. Activists have been demanding that Japan apologize for this practice. Abe didn’t address the issue, saying only that armed conflicts have always made women suffer. He wanted a world where “women are free from human right abuses.”
Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., showed his disappointment that Abe didn’t apologize to “comfort women” after the speech.
“Mr. Abe had the opportunity and the choice, but he didn’t take the opportunity (to apologize),” said Honda, who is a third generation Japanese-American.
Without an apology, said Honda, “how much trust do you have then?”
During the speech, Abe promised Japan would make a “proactive contribution to peace based on the principle of international cooperation,” an answer to the new Defense Cooperation Guidelines between the U.S. and Japan as well as Japan’s support and involvement in America’s “rebalancing” toward Asia.
The prime minister gave his speech in English, but stuck to his script.