China responded angrily to a comment by the new head of Japanese public broadcaster NHK that military brothels with sex slaves are "common" worldwide during war.

"His words show that a force in Japan is attempting to downplay, deny or even honor the invasion by Japan during World War II, following inappropriate behavior by Japan's leaders" last month, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

Qin said that sexual slavery was a heinous crime during World War II, and it still harms victims' physical and mental health to this day.

On Saturday, Katsuto Momii said the system of forcibly forcing women into military brothels during the war is "common in any country at war", and Japan should not be singled out for criticism.

Momii retracted his comments on Monday, saying they were "extremely inappropriate", local media reported.

Xinhua-China Daily

(China Daily 01/28/2014 page12)