橋本徹就其美軍應支持成人娛樂業言論道歉

A Japanese mayor apologized Monday for saying earlier this month that U.S. troops should patronize legal adult entertainment businesses as a way to reduce rapes and other assaults.

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto told an audience at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Tokyo that the remark was inappropriate and could be construed as an insult to
U.S. forces and to the American people.

However, Hashimoto defended his statement made two weeks ago that the wartime practice of forcing Asian women - mostly Chinese and South Koreans - to work in brothels was necessary to maintain discipline and provide relaxation for soldiers.

He said he was quoted out of context to say he personally believed that the use of so-called "comfort women" was necessary.

Hashimoto says his remarks stem from concern about sexual assaults by U.S. military personnel on Japanese women in Okinawa where a large number of U.S. troops are based.一名日本市長星期一就本月早些時候的言論道歉。他當時說，美國軍隊應當支持合法的成人娛樂業，以減少強姦和其他侵犯行爲。

大阪市長橋本徹在東京的外國記者俱樂部說，這種言論是不恰當的，可能被解釋爲對美國軍隊和美國人民的侮辱。

但橋本徹爲自己兩星期前發表的評論進行辯解，他當時說，戰時強迫亞洲婦女 -- 主要是中國和韓國婦女 -- 在妓院工作對於維持紀律、讓士兵放鬆是必要的。

橋本徹說，如果認爲他本人相信使用“慰安婦”是必要的，那是斷章取義。

橋本徹表示，他之所以發表這種評論，是因爲美軍對衝繩的日本女性的性侵犯使他感到擔憂。美國在沖繩有大量駐軍。