Hashimoto noted that the 1993 "Kono statement" made ambiguous comment as to whether the comfort women were abducted and traded by the intention of the then Japanese state, blaming it as a major reason that prevents the issue from being solved. He urged the government to clarify whether it assumed forced nature or not.

Minju Joson in a bylined commentary observes in this regard on Wednesday:

Hashimoto's insistence that there are no data to prove the involvement of the state and the army in the sexual slavery is far-fetched sophism to tamper with history.

He, spinning a wild daydream to evade the responsibility for Japan's past crimes, made such reckless remarks persistently denying those crimes.

What matters is that there are so many human scum like Hashimoto in the Japanese political quarters.

To distort and whitewash history is the official stance of the Japanese government and the whole of Japan is veering to the right, keeping to the reactionary road.

The Japanese reactionaries add to their crimes by manipulating the undeniable historical data in their interests.

What the Japanese reactionaries should clearly understand is that things will never develop as wished by Japan.

Japan's persistent evasion of the responsibility for the crime will invite all the worst political ruin.

Japan is well advised to behave properly, well aware that it can not evade the punishment of history.