以下は、今日のIHTから。
“Abe has expressed sympathy for the former sex slaves. But he has consistently refused to acknowledge the military's role in directly forcing women into sex slavery despite historical evidence and the testimony of many of the women.”「これまで安倍は、戦時中の性奴隷たちに対して遺憾の意を表明してきた。しかし、歴史的な証拠や多くの当事者たちの証言にもかかわらず、直接関与して彼女たちを性奴隷状態に強制的に置いたという軍の役割を認めることに関しては、一貫して否定してきた」と、記事に書かれている。
記事の中で、日本では婉曲表現として用いられている「慰安婦」たちは高齢化しており、今回の決議を歓迎している一方で、安倍首相の対応に怒りをあらわにしていると報じているが、"truth survives and lies never win."（「真実は消すことはできないし、嘘はけっして勝つことはない」）と述べる中国で性奴隷状態におかれていた韓国女性の発言も引用されている。
記事で用いられているsex slaveryは、「性奴隷状態」ということだろう。
Japan expresses regret over U.S. call for apology in WWII sex slavery
By Norimitsu Onishi
Published: July 31, 2007
TOKYO: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described as "regrettable" on Tuesday the approval of a resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives calling on Japan to acknowledge its wartime sex slavery, indicating strongly that the Japanese government would not offer surviving victims an official apology.
"The resolution's approval was regrettable," said Abe, who provoked anger in Asia and the United States in March by denying that the Japanese military had directly coerced women into sex slavery during World War II.
News of the resolution's approval, which had been expected, came as Abe faced more calls to resign after his governing Liberal Democratic Party's crushing defeat in the election on Sunday for the upper house of Parliament.
Asked whether he would comply with the resolution's call for an official apology, Abe said: "The 20th century was an era in which human rights were violated. I would like to make the 21st century into an era with no human rights violations."
On Monday, the House unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution demanding that the Japanese government "formally acknowledge" and "apologize" for its military's "coercion of women into sexual slavery."
The Japanese government had lobbied hard against the resolution in Washington, warning that it could harm relations between the two countries.
Abe has expressed sympathy for the former sex slaves. But he has consistently refused to acknowledge the military's role in directly forcing women into sex slavery despite historical evidence and the testimony of many of the women.
Some of the aging former sex slaves, known euphemistically as "comfort women" in Japan, and their advocates welcomed the resolution. But they reacted angrily to Abe's response.
"Abe denies that they were the ones who violated the women," said Jan Ruff O'Herne, 84, a Dutch woman who was forced into sex slavery in Indonesia. "I didn't expect anything better from him than that."
"But this resolution puts enormous pressure on the Japanese government," Ruff added, speaking by phone from her home in Adelaide, Australia. "I'm still hoping that something will happen, because the women are getting old, and we deserve a proper apology."
Gil Won Ok, 78, a South Korean woman who was forced into sex slavery in northeastern China, said that "truth survives and lies never win."
"I think that's why America passed this resolution," said Gil, speaking from Seoul. "I was worried that Japan's active lobbying would not make this happen."
The Japanese Parliament has never endorsed an official apology or acknowledgement of past sex slavery, the central demand in the House resolution, though previous prime ministers have issued letters of apology to some of the former sex slaves.
Last spring, Abe bluntly rejected any demand for an apology. But since then he has avoided talking in detail about the issue. He has repeated instead that many human rights violations occurred last century, angering former sex slaves and their supporters who say his comments were meant to play down Japan's crimes.
"Abe really does not know his history," said Nelia Sancho, leader of Lolas Kampanyera, a group supporting former sex slaves in Manila. "In order to create a world without human rights violations, each state has to learn from its past mistakes and, most importantly, it has to redress its past violations. Until that is done, the 21st century will not become an era with no human rights violations."
