Former Japanese prime minister Tomiichi Murayama speaks to a Reuters reporter during an interview in Tokyo March 19, 2007. Japan was morally responsible for forcing women to work in wartime brothels, a former Japanese leader said on Monday, in a veiled criticism of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's comments on sex slaves. [Reuters]

TOKYO - Japan was morally responsible for forcing women to work in wartime brothels, a former Japanese leader said on Monday, in a veiled criticism of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's comments on sex slaves.

Former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama, who made a landmark apology for Japan's wartime actions in 1995, also said efforts by politicians to justify World War Two were making Asian neighbours worry Tokyo was returning to its militarist past.

Abe sparked outrage overseas by saying there was no evidence that Japan's government or army had kidnapped the women to work as sex slaves, although he has also said he stands by a 1993 apology acknowledging official involvement in the brothels.

Murayama, who became Japan's first Socialist prime minister in 40 years when he was elected in 1994, said the debate over the degree of official involvement was meaningless.

"There is no point in debating that. There is no mistake that the military had set up and managed the brothels. In that sense, the government was responsible," Murayama, 83, said in a rare interview.

"That's why the government has apologised, and because it felt that that was not enough from a moral standpoint, began work to provide compensation and set up the fund," he said, referring to the government-sponsored Asian Women's Fund set up in 1995.

The fund -- headed by Murayama since 2000 -- has provided former comfort women 2 million yen ($17,000) each in compensation and medical support, along with a letter of apology signed by Abe's predecessors.

But many former "comfort women" have refused to accept the money, saying the Japanese government itself should provide the compensation in recognition of its responsibility.

MAKING ASIA NERVOUS

U.S. Congressman Michael Honda has introduced a resolution calling for Japan to make an unambiguous apology for the suffering of the sex slaves at the hands of its army.

Abe has said the resolution contains many factual errors and that Japan would not apologise again, even if it is adopted.

Murayama welcomed Abe's decision to stand by the 1993 apology, but added the 52-year-old Japanese leader might have made the situation worse with some of his comments.

"He said things he didn't have to say," Murayama said, referring to Abe's remark that he would not apologise anew.

Murayama said that in the years since he expressed "deep remorse" and a "heartfelt apology" to Asian countries for Japan's wartime actions, a growing number of Japanese politicians were trying to justify the conflict, making Tokyo's neighbours wary.

Abe has also pledged to revise Japan's pacifist constitution during his tenure, a stance that was long taboo.

"During my time, we couldn't even mention the idea of revising the constitution. Now they're talking about it in parliament. Times have changed," Murayama said.

"People in Asia are worried Japan may go back to the past," he added.

Murayama said the furore over the "comfort women" showed the activities of the Asian Women's Fund were not well known.

"I wonder if people overseas know that past prime ministers have sent a letter of remorse to each 'comfort woman' through the fund," said the white-haired Murayama.

Since 1995, the fund has handled nearly 565 million yen in private donations for compensation and about 750 million yen in government funds for medical welfare support to women from the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and the Netherlands.

Many of the thousands of sex slaves, which one academic has said numbered about 200,000, have died due to old age. Most of the survivors are in their 80s.

The fund is being wound up at the end of this month.