It involved various events disclosing the barbarous atrocities committed by the Japanese imperialists, including hearing of a testimony made by a Korean woman who fell victim to the crime.

Its participants unanimously accused the Japanese authorities of denying Japan's crime-woven history and strongly urged them to make a formal apology and reparation for the crime.

Meanwhile, AFP, conveying the criticism made by French media of the Japanese imperialists' atrocities, predicted that worldwide censure of Japan's unjust behavior would grow stronger.

As a matter of fact, public in various parts of the world including the U.S., Japan and Philippines is becoming increasingly vocal demanding Japan redeem its past.

This indicates that the issue of sexual slavery has become an issue of world-wide concern the settlement of which brooks no further delay.

The world public is taking so serious note of the sexual slavery because it was the cruelest and most hideous crime against humanity in the 20th century.

The Japanese imperialists forcibly took away a great many women from various Asian countries and forced them into sexual slavery for their army, committing all sorts of evil doings against them.

They perpetrated such hair-raising atrocities as mercilessly violating the chastity of at least 200 000 Korean women and even massacring them.

Several decades have passed since then, but the victims are still suffering mental and physical pain as they were deprived of all essential rights of women.

What matters is Japan's wrong attitude toward this crime.

Such shuddering acts as justifying the sexual slavery are getting evermore undisguised in Japan.

The chief executive of Japan in his public appearance talked rubbish that "there is no evidence to prove the crime and issue of comfort women should be discussed by historians or experts at a quite place."

Politicians of Japan are letting loose such outbursts stunning world people as "Kono's statement which admitted the sexual slavery was a diplomatic error and the sexual slavery was required at that time."

Hashimoto, co-head of the Japan Restoration Party, went the lengths of sending an open letter to the San Francisco City Assembly of the U.S. in protest against its condemnation of his reckless remarks justifying the sexual slavery.

Copying the above-said ridiculous behaviors, Japanese right-wing gangsters drove in a stake beside the statue of a girl sexual slave standing in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul and distributing worldwide a montage slandering the girl as a prostitute.

Moreover, they composed a song defaming the victims of the sexual slavery and made no scruple of committing such despicable acts as distributing CDs containing the song to those victims.

Japan is blatantly challenging the world public demanding it settle the issue of its sexual slavery.

Lurking behind this is its ulterior design to repeat its history of aggression one day at any cost, realize its old dream of the "Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" and regain its status as a leader of Asia.

The more desperate the Japanese reactionaries become in their moves to negate their past crimes, the more vigilant the world public will remain against them.

Japan sustained a bitter defeat in the war after challenging justice and human conscience in the last century.

It would be well advised to face up to the demand of the world public and the trend of the times and immediately opt for redeeming its past if it is not to repeat its inglorious past.