US House lists 'comfort women' issue in spending bill

WASHINGTON -- The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a one-trillion-dollar spending bill in which a document is attached calling for Secretary of State John Kerry to encourage Japan to address the issue of "comfort women."

Referring to Resolution 121 adopted by the chamber in July 2007, the document "urges the secretary of state to encourage the government of Japan to address the issues raised in the resolution."

The resolution called for the Japanese government to "formally acknowledge, apologize and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner" for its Imperial Armed Forces' coercion of over 200,000 young women into sexual slavery during their colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the duration of World War II.

Japan's continuing attempt to downplay the "comfort women" tragedy and other war crimes during World War II has been a constant source of friction with neighboring and other victimized countries.

The House's move came as Japan had angered these countries by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit last month to the controversial Yasukuni shrine that honors Japan's war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals from the WWII era.

The spending bill, which will fund the US government for the rest of fiscal 2014, was sent to the Senate. The White House has voiced support for it.