TOKYO, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe extended his apology again over the wartime sex slavery issue on Tuesday, Jiji Press reported on Wednesday.

    In an exclusive interview with CNN right before his U.S. visit, Abe said he was deeply apologetic to the "comfort women."

    The prime minister's wife, who was present at the interview, said that as a woman, she understood the tragedy of the "comfort women" and felt heartbreak over their suffering.

    Abe has repeated his apology recently over then Japanese government and army's involvement in the forced recruitment of women from other Asian countries to provide sex to Japanese servicemen during World War II.

    On Monday afternoon, he told reporters in his official residence that there were suppressing and abuse on human rights in the 20th century, and Japan was not unrelated with that, adding that he is deeply sympathetic to then "comfort women" and is apologetic to their sufferings.

    In a recent interview with the U.S. magazine Newsweek, he said "I am extremely sorry that they were made to endure such pain. We feel responsible over the situation in which the women had to exist as 'comfort women' and endure such hardship."

    "We must always be humble (in dealing with) our history and constantly give profound thought on our responsibility," he said.

    He also pledged to stick to a 1993 statement made by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono, who officially acknowledged and apologized over the fact that Japan forced women from other Asian countries to be sex slaves for its soldiers.

    The Japanese government, in response to an inquiry raised by an opposition lawmaker, released a statement on Friday saying that it has no objection to the international tribunal's verdict in 1948 which found the Japanese military responsible for forcing Chinese women to provide sex to Japanese servicemen during World War II.

    The wartime sex slavery issue has drawn international attention since Abe said in early March that there are no documents to prove the Japanese military physically coerced women to provide sex for its soldiers during World War II.

    An estimated 200,000 women were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese forces during World War II, most of whom came from countries invaded by Japan at that time.