Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed sympathy for Asian women forced into sex slavery during World War Two, but stopped short of an apology.

Visiting the U.S. for the first time as prime minister, Abe on Friday told about ten U.S. lawmakers and their aides that he has what he termed a “sense of apology” toward the sex slavery victims. He also said that he feels “heartfelt sympathy” for them as prime minister and as an individual.

But a senior diplomatic source in Washington said that there is no such expression as “sense of apology” in English, adding that Abe's remarks are far from an apology.

The Japanese leader sparked controversy when he asserted this February that there was no evidence that the Japanese Imperial Army forced the so-called "comfort women" to serve in military brothels.

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