Japan PM says won't apologise again over sex slaves

TOKYO, Mar 5 (Reuters) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said today that Japan will not apologise for forcing Asian women to act as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers even if a US House of Representatives resolution demanding such an apology is adopted.

But Abe added that he stood by a 1993 government apology that acknowledged that the Japanese military played a role in setting up and managing the wartime brothels and that coercion was used.

''I have to say that even if the resolution passes, that doesn't mean that we will apologise,'' Abe told a parliamentary panel, reiterating the government view that the US resolution contains factual errors.

Reuters SRS VP0753