China condemns Japan minister's remarks on "comfort women"

    China expressed indignation and strongly condemns the act of a Japanese cabinet member who once again made utterly shameless comments on the "comfort women" issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao said Tuesday.

    Liu made the remarks when answering a question about the Chinese government's response to the wrongful comments made by Japanese Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Nariaki Nakayama.

    Nakayama said in a recent public address that he is very moved and excited by the E-mail message from a female Japanese studying in Canada. The E-mail says "the victimized women in Asia should be proud of being comfort women." He said the message is a rare and "encouraging" comment to him.

    Liu said such comments have hurt the feelings of people in countries victimized by Japan's war of aggression.

    "The Japanese government should be held responsible to keep the acts and comments of relevant persons within certain bounds of discipline," Liu said.

    Liu said the act of forcing women to become "comfort women" was one of the serious crimes that militarist Japan committed against the people of all victimized countries, including China,in the World War II. This historical fact cannot be denied by any persons, Liu said.

    Nakayama had repeatedly made wrongful comments on the issue of "comfort women". He said in a public address in June that there were originally no such words as "comfort women," so it was good that the "incorrect" description was removed from school textbooks.

    In November 2004, Nakayama said it was very pleasing to see the self-abusing description of "comfort women" disappearing from history textbooks in Japan.

    "Comfort women" is a euphemism used in Japan to describe women forced into sexual slaves by the Imperial Japanese Army in Japan's invasion in its Asian neighbors before and during the World War II.

    This year marked the 60th anniversary of the victory of world anti-Fascist war. Liu said the Japanese side should face squarely,with an honest attitude,its aggressive past and have profound retrospection on it. Japan should properly handle all the issues left over by history, including the issue of "comfort women."

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