ANYONE who doubts that the Japanese army forced Asian women into sexual slavery in World War II should “face the truth,” South Korea’s foreign minister said Friday as outrage grew over comments by Japan’s prime minister that there was no evidence of the enslavement.

Women’s rights activists in the Philippines and a group of lawmakers in South Korea also denounced the remarks by Japan’s Shinzo Abe on Thursday that there was no proof that so-called “comfort women” were forced into prostitution during the war.

But one of the harshest comments came from Hilaria Bustamante, 81, of Manila, who said she was kept as a sex slave in a Japanese garrison for a year in 1942 as a 16-year-old.

“What he said has angered me,” she said. “They think we are just like toilet paper that they can throw away after being used.”

Historians say 200,000 women were kept in the Japanese military brothels throughout Asia in the 1930s and 1940s.

Witnesses, victims and even some former Japanese soldiers say many of the women were kidnapped or otherwise forced into brothels, where they could be raped by scores of soldiers a day.

Philippines Rep. Liza Maza of the left-wing Gabriela women’s party said Abe’s statement was “an affront to all female victims of Japanese military sexual slavery.”

After the leader’s denial that caused the international uproar, an aide said yesterday Abe will stand by Japan’s apology over forcing Asian women to have sex with Japanese troops in the last century.

“Though there are many definitions of coercion, Prime Minister Abe has said ... that he will stand by the Kono statement,” said Hiroshige Seko, special adviser in charge of Abe’s public relations, referring to a 1993 statement issued by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono apologizing to the victims of sex slavery.

The Kono statement also acknowledged many women were forced into prostitution and that the military government was involved in some cases.

“He has not denied the statement,” Seko told a TV Asahi talk show. He did not attempt to explain the apparent discrepancies between the statement and Abe’s denial that coercion was involved.

(SD-Agencies)