Abe's apology

Reuters reveals that when reporters traveling with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his trip to the Middle East asked him if he still thought that there was no evidence that comfort women were coerced by the military, he replied (italics mine):

“I think that my thoughts and feelings were not relayed correctly (at first), and I explained this to congressional leaders, who I believe understood…I did not apologize to the United States. I only clearly expressed my feelings.“

Anpontan
This is a bit different from what happened. The journalist who asked this question blogged this event as follows.
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J
At the US-Japan summit too, the comfort women issue was one of the topics. Do you still think that there was no coercion by Japanese troop?

A
I have already explained everything. My thought and feelings has been conveyed wrongly, so I explained it. I explained my thought to the leaders of the Congress. I think they understood it.

J
You statement as to the comfort woman at the US-Japan summit was reported in the media as if you were apologizing to the US. It makes sense to apologize to the former comfort women but it doesn't make sense to apologize to the US. What is your opinion?
Do you have something more to say about it?
A
I didn't apologize to the US at all. My feeling toward the former comfort women was conveyed wrongly, so I only clearly express my honest feelings.

So the point is , from the context in which Abe talked, the apology was not for the US, but for the former comfort women.

UPDATE
Here is an article comparing Abe's apology with Korean the ambassador of South Korea 's apology for the incident of the Virginia Tech tragedy,

The hothouse (and sometimes hot air) South Korean print news media, or at least the conservative portions of it (which is most of it), will probably never be satisfied with a Japanese Prime Minister’s apology. A more humanitarian and statesman like response from the Korean media would have been to take Abe at his word, and assume that Japan’s actions would mirror these words over the next few years – until proven otherwise. Don’t hang the guy before you even give him a fair chance!

All nations and cultures have committed terrible misdeeds in the past, for which the current generation is not responsible. While it is most appropriate to accept and recognise the reality of history, it is unhelpful and counter-productive to hold up the sins of the past as an obstacle to progress in the future.

Apologies, as with all human communications that attempt to reflect reality, however roughly, need to be expressions more or less proportionate to the matter at hand. In this regard, the Japanese prime minister’s struck me as far more rational than the Korean ambassador’s – and arguably more helpfully sincere.

via 日本の評判
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　《記者A　日米首脳会談でも慰安婦がテーマになった。首相は軍による強制性の証拠はないという認識に変わりはないか



　安倍首相　そういう問題は、私が説明したことがすべてであって、私の考え、気持ちが間違って伝えられたと思うので、それを説明した。私の説明について、議会の指導者にも説明した。理解していただいたと思う。

　(中略)関係ない質疑



　記者B　日米会談での首相の慰安婦発言が、報道ではまるで首相が米国に謝罪したかのようになっている。元慰安婦に謝罪するのならまだ分かるが、米国に謝罪となると意味が分からない。ご所感は。また言いたいことはあるか



　安倍首相　米国に謝罪したということではまず、全くない。当たり前の話だ。私の慰安婦の方々に対する気持ちが間違って伝わっていたので、私の率直な気持ちを伝えたということだ》

　隠しても仕方ないので白状すると、記者Bは私です。質問はいったん打ち切られたのですが、「最後にもう一問」とねじ込んで聞いてみました。まあ当然といえばこれ以上当然のことはないという答えでしたが…。阿比留

Abe's apology to comfort women
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