Osaka Mayor Hashimoto and Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Ishihara at press interviews on August 21 and 24 made a string of remarks totally denying the sexual slavery for the Imperial Japanese Army.

They said "where is evidence proving that the Japanese army forced women into sexual slavery?" and "there is no evidence proving that comfort women were walked away, being violated and threatened by the Japanese army ", adding that "this is Japan's view and my view also."

These shameless comments revealing once again the Japanese reactionaries' moral vulgarity to deny the past crime are an intolerable insult to the women who had their rights seriously trampled at the hand of the Japanese imperialists.

The Japanese imperialists had gone desperate for continental aggression in the last century. They abducted women of Korea and several other countries and taken them away to reduce them to sexual slaves, a hideous crime against humanity. This is a historical fact that no one can deny.

But the Japanese reactionaries have neither admitted nor apologized for the crime. They are resorting to the whole gamut of trickery to cover up the past blood-stained history, totally denying and distorting it.

They called the history of the sexual slavery "history of toilet room" and even said that "'comfort women were engaged in the prostitution with permission and that kind of thing was a worldwide happening at that time."

They described the survivors' outcry as "remarks of those professing to be victims" and labeled testimony of those who were involved in the crime as "story concocted by liars".

They are making particular efforts to deny the 1993 Kono statement which officially admitted the military's involvement and the coercive nature of the sexual slavery, crying that "the government's direct involvement should not be admitted". This can never be overlooked.

The sexual slavery has stigmatized Japan.

It is another crime against humanity that the Japanese reactionaries are trying to avoid it with neither apology nor reparation.

Papers found out by Professor of Kanto Gakuin College Hayashi at the Tokyo tribunal archives and "Secret document No. 118" that was found at a historical records room of Japan's Defense Ministry and other evidential data clarify that the heinous sexual slavery for the Imperial Japanese Army were forced under the direct involvement of the government and the military that moved by the order and ratification of the Japanese Emperor.

With nothing can Japan cover up the crime and shirk the responsibility.

If the Japanese reactionaries keep denying history despite strong protest and denunciation of the international community, they will meet the miserable result of ruining their country's future of their own accord.