Japan PM offers apology on sex slaves

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has apologized in parliament for the country's use of women as sex slaves during World War II.

The apology comes after Mr Abe was criticized by Asian neighbors for previous comments casting doubt on whether the women were coerced.

Mr Abe told parliament: "I apologies here and now as prime minister."

This appears to be part of a concerted bid to reduce the fall-out of earlier comments, a BBC correspondent says.

Mr Abe said, during a debate in parliament's upper house, that he stood by an official 1993 statement in which Japan acknowledged the imperial army set up and ran brothels for its troops during the war.

"As I frequently say, I feel sympathy for the people war."