A U.S. congressman is urging Japan to sincerely apologize for the conscription of women from neighboring Asian countries as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War Two.

The South Korean Consulate General in Houston said that in a recent interview with a local media company, House Representative Ted Poe criticized Japan for having failed to take its responsibility for the war crimes it committed during World War Two. The representative from Texas called on Japan to apologize to the world for its wartime sex slavery.

He said Japan must apologize for the tragedy of Korean women who were forcibly taken to Japan. He added that the U.S. should call for Japan’s apology.

Along with Congressman Michael Honda of California, Poe spearheaded the U.S. House of Representatives’ adoption of a resolution condemning Japan’s wartime sex slavery five years ago.