ARIRANG NEWS 12:00
Coming up today,... Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fails to acknowledge Japan′s wartime sexual enslavement of women during his historic speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
Despite the swirling allegations of bribery involving several of its senior members,... Korea′s ruling Saenuri Party secures victory in Wednesday′s by-elections,... winning three of the four seats up for grabs. The main opposition party fails to win any.
Plus,.. the U.S. Federal Reserve says there will be no imminent rate hike after data slows the U.S. economy slowed sharply over the winter. Stay tuned for these stories and more.
Hello... it′s noon on Thursday the thirtieth of April... you are tuned in to our midday newscast here on Arirang TV.
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Title: Japanese PM gives speech to U.S. Congress, no apology for wartime sexual slavery
We start with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe′s much-anticipated speech to the U.S. Congress.
And... despite pressure from inside and outside of the United States,... Abe again chose to ignore calls for him to apologize directly for Japan′s wartime sexual enslavement of women.
While he shirked that responsibility,... Abe did say Japan brought suffering to Asia and offered sympathy for the American lives lost during World War II.
Sohn Jung-in has more.
There was no shift in his stance.
During a 45-minute speech to a joint meeting of the House and the Senate at the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed ′deep remorse′ over his country′s role in World War II, but stopped short of offering a clear apology for such atrocities as the sexual enslavement of women from Korea, China and other nations.
- Reuters edit no. 3263
"Our actions brought suffering to the peoples in Asian countries."
Focusing more on the future of the U.S.-Japan military alliance than Tokyo′s past wrongdoings, Abe did not use any apologetic expressions during his landmark speech.
Instead, he said that armed conflicts have always made women suffer the most.
The remark is being seen as an attempt to make sexual slavery look like just one of many human rights violations that happened during war.
It was in clear contrast with the apologetic tone Abe struck about U.S. suffering during the war.
- Reuters edit no. 3263
"I offer with profound respect my eternal condolences to the souls of all American people that were lost during World War II."
Many critics had urged Abe to use the speech to make a public apology about Japan′s wartime atrocities to alleviate concerns that he is trying to dilute past official statements of remorse by his predecessors.
The absence of an apology is expected to cast a shadow over the prospect of Seoul-Tokyo ties improving anytime soon.
Sohn Jung-in, Arirang News.
Title: Washington say position on trafficking of women for sexual purposes remains unchanged
As for the U.S. State Department′s response t
