Similar resolutions were proposed in 2005 and 2006, but they were not passed. Abe's "irrational remarks" in March about the lack of evidence that the Japanese imperial army directly coerced foreign women into brothels across Asia is what prompted the final adoption of a resolution this year, Zhou said.

In recent months, Abe has stressed his endorsement of the landmark apology issued by Japan in 1993 to the "comfort women." He also expressed his sympathy for those women who suffered sexual slavery on an April visit to the United States.

Some Japanese politicians still firmly deny the country's forced use of "comfort women" during the war. Forty-four lawmakers, including several close to Abe, took out a full-page advertisement in The Washington Post in June, denying that the Japanese military forced women into sexual slavery.

Although sex slavery is one of the major atrocities committed by the Japanese military, the "comfort women" issue has been unresolved during the past decades mainly because of the Japanese Government's denial and refusal to offer compensation to the women, Jin said. He anticipates that the U.S. resolution will put pressure on the Japanese to resolve the issue by offering a formal apology and material compensation to the victims, he added. Japan's "lack of sincerity" on the issue indicates that the final resolution of the matter still is a long way off, he added.

Mike Honda, a U.S. Congressman from California who was the resolution's prime mover, said now is the time for Japan to issue an "unambiguous apology," as opposed to what he called half-hearted expressions of remorse in the past, Agence France-Presse reported.

The resolution represents "the voice of people who had no voice in the past," said Honda, a Japanese-American who was interned by U.S. authorities along with his family during the war, according to the report.

A major consideration underlying the U.S. resolution is that the "comfort women" victims are elderly and many pass away each day, said Zhang Guoqing, a researcher at the Institute of American Studies at the CASS. Japan should resolve the issue as soon as possible so that they can enjoy the "belated justice" while they still are alive, he said.

In 1995, the Japanese Government created an independent fund financed by private contributions to compensate the "comfort women." Many former sex slaves refused the payments because the Japanese Government did not officially offer them.

Honda's personal beliefs, voters' support and the efforts of Asian groups in the United States were crucial to the resolution's adoption, Zhang said. The U.S. Congress and the mainstream media wanted to "teach Japan a lesson" so that it can cope with its historical past and its relations with neighboring countries in a more reasonable and moderate manner, he added.

Varied reactions

Some Japanese civil groups welcomed the U.S. resolution. The Japan Action Network for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery issued a statement that Japan's national policy of creating the "comfort women" system during World War II caused severe suffering to women in countries it invaded. The U.S. resolution echoed international public opinion, the group said.

Abe appeared unfazed by the U.S. resolution, saying that he was not in a position to comment on a decision by Congress. He told reporters that he was "convinced that Japan-U.S. ties remain unshakable," the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki hinted that Japan would not issue any further apology on the wartime brothels, despite the passage of the resolution by the House committee, AP reported.

But while some Japanese politicians are sticking to their hard-line position on the "comfort women" issue, the U.S. resolution has dealt a severe blow to Japan politically, Jin said.

Under the framework of U.S.-Japan alliance, Japan has never been able to rid itself of U.S. control, Jin said, adding that American influence over Japan should not be underestimated. Although the resolution is not a bilateral treaty, it will subject Japan to political pressure from both the United States and international public opinion, he said.

"Abe is a representative of the right-wing forces in Japan," Zhou said. "These people are always ready to whitewash Japan's wartime history whenever possible."

But Abe is showing signs of flexibility. He became Japanese prime minister because he changed his perception of Japan's wartime history, contentions over which escalated under his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi and led to his stepping down last September, Zhou said.

"As prime minister, Abe will not allow historical issues to strain Japan's relations with China and South Korea," Zhou said. "However, the right-wing beliefs implanted in him are not expected to change drastically. If conditions allow, he may air some right-wing views again, but he also will be prepared to correct his remarks for Japan's national interests."