PM Abe says Japan sympathises with WW2 sex slaves

TOKYO, Mar 9 (Reuters) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has stirred outrage overseas with remarks about women forced to act as wartime sex slaves for Japanese soldiers, today said Japan sympathised with the women and had already apologised.

Abe sparked anger in Asia last week when he appeared to question the state's role in forcing the mostly Asian women, referred to in Japan as ''comfort women'', to work in military brothels during World War Two.

He has said a 1993 apology acknowledging coercion remains in effect, but said Japan would not apologise again even if US lawmakers adopted a resolution calling for a new apology -- a step now being debated by the US House of Representatives.

''We truly sympathise with the comfort women who were put under extremely difficult conditions and had bitter experiences, and we have apologised,'' Abe told a parliamentary panel.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a news conference that Japan was explaining its position in Washington in hopes that the non-binding resolution -- which calls on Japan to unambiguously apologise for forcing the women into sexual servitude -- would not be passed.

The diplomatic furore comes ahead of a visit to Japan by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in April and a trip by Abe to the United States later the same month.

Abe, who wants to revise Japan's pacifist constitution and restore pride in the nation's history, has sought to distinguish between a ''broad'' notion of coercion -- which he has said may have occurred -- while rejecting that coercion took place in the ''narrow'' sense of direct kidnappings by military officers.

Analysts say his comments were intended to appeal to his core conservative supporters at a time when his popularity ratings have slumped and his party faces a July election for parliament's upper house.

REUTERS SY HS1401