These are just more gov'ts trying to appease right-wing political lobbyists and campaign contributors while also covering their arses legally from lawsuits.

There is no doubt that such organizations were necessary(however politically incorrect). British armies would bring their wives along with the 'official brothels' along on campaigns even when stationed back home. Anyone who says the Japanese were the first or only to do this are off their rockers.

I have a cousin who is a hooker who says 'we forced her to become one by our patriarchal society' and refusal to pay her what she felt she was worth at MacDonald's or something. I have no doubt that alot of women of any nation felt they could make more money to send back home to family then also say they had no choice and were forced into it. I also know boys were involved though you don't hear about that.

I fully accept that Koreans and Japanese and Chinese sold their sons and daughters even after the war. Hell, look at us and Oliver Twist during the Industrial Revolution for child-labour, they were definately not all orphans even by our own history books.

Look at the sex trade anywhere today, not just Thailand but the Eastern European 'sex slaves' flooding into Western Europe in broad daylight. A Canadian TV series last week had immigration officials admitting they believe there are 10,000 sex slaves imported to Canada every year now. And if the Canadian Gov't cant' stop it, they, thus the tax-payers, should be held legally responsible to eventual law-suits.

An irony is that this 'official brothel' response was greatly due to the Rape of Nanking. To make sure such things never happened again. Berlin did. Vietnamese even S Korean histories claim we did the same thing too.

Today where-ever there is an American military base there are brothels and never-ending accusations of rape, kidnapping, extortion of family to sell their girls(even boys) and slavery for our military bases. And that the US gov't makes similar denials as this.

But for the Japanese gov't to deny that a significant proportion of the brothel workers were there by force or extortion(and I don't mean like my cousin claims but literally we'll close down your shop if you don't send your daughter/sister)...is unbelievable and pure law-suit arse-covering.

The reason the American gov't is so quiet on the issue is they themselves are facing the same criticisms and lawsuits for bases all over the world since ww2 and ongoing to this day.

Not believable, legal ass-covering.
Do not believe Abe.