Japan's WW2 sex slavery 'terrible' human rights violation:US

The U.S. State Department has said that the women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War Two was a "terrible, egregious violation of human rights."

The statement issued by Washington on Thursday was a rebuttal to a recent parliamentary proposal drafted by a committee of the ruling Japanese party. The committee in the proposal insists there is a "misunderstanding" over its wartime sex slavery.

The U.S. statement repeated Washington's stance that the women were "trafficked" by the Japanese military for sexual purposes and that Washington has "consistently encouraged Japan to approach this and other issues arising from the past in a manner that is conducive to building stronger relations with its neighbors."