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Thomas Schieffer, United States ambassador to Japan and one of the U.S.’s more prominent officials familiar with Japan, has come out criticizing Japanese prime minister Abe Shinzo’s recent comments on the issue of so-called comfort women issue.

Abe had said there was no evidence of the Japanese government practicing coercion in rounding up ‘comfort women.’

The women were made to serve as sex slaves for the Japanese military during World War II.

Meeting with Japanese reporters on March 9, Schieffer said it would have a significant negative impact on the American people if Abe’s government moved away from the "Kono Statement," issued by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono in 1993, which acknowledges the Japanese military’s involvement in rounding up women to serve as sex slaves during World War II.

"It would be a mistake to underestimate the impact of this issue in the United States," he said. "It just touches a nerve."

"Engaging women in trafficking or the sex trade against their will is something that is going to find no constituency in the United States," he added.

On Sunday, Abe appeared to retreat from his earlier position in the face of criticism from Korea, China, and now the U.S. In an interview with NHK television, he said his stance on the Kono Statement "has not changed at all," going against recent statements that hinted his administration might revise the statement to lessen its scope.

"We have stated our heartfelt apologies to the comfort women at the time, who suffered greatly and were injured in their hearts," Abe said.

Meanwhile, a nonbinding resolution is pending in U.S. Congress that would call on the Japanese government to issue a formal apology over the comfort women issue.

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