Taipei  - Taiwan on Tuesday demanded that Japan make a formal apology and pay compensation to women who were forced to serve as prostitutes for the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.

The Taiwan parliament passed a resolution demanding Japan apologize for forcibly recruiting the women, who were euphemistically called comfort women, and pay them compensation.

"We demand that Japan assume historical responsibility for sexual slavery and apologize and make compensation directly to the victims," parliamentary speaker Wang Jin-pying said.

"We also demand that Japan must educate this and the next generation of Japanese so that such crimes won't happen again," he said.

Taiwan's former comfort women welcomed the parliamentary resolution.

"We have been waiting for many years," Hsiu Mei, 92, said at a news conference held by the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation, which looks after former comfort women in Taiwan. "Now, finally, our government has made a formal demand."

According to a foundation survey in 1992, 58 women admitted having served as comfort women in the Japanese army during World War II. Since then, 38 have died.

The topic has long been a taboo subject, and many victims kept silent out of shame.

"We hope Japan will hurry up in offering apologies and compensation to the former comfort women because if it keeps delaying, they will not live to receive them," said Lai Tsai-er, a foundation staff member.

During World War II, Japan forced about 200,000 mostly Asian women to become prostitutes for the Japanese Imperial Army.

Japan claimed the women voluntarily provided sexual services, but surviving comfort women in China, Taiwan, South and North Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and the Netherlands have refuted Tokyo's claims, saying they had been forced into sexual slavery.

In 1995, Japan established a private fund to compensate the women. Some accepted compensation while others rejected it, saying it was an insult while vowing to carry on the fight for a formal apology and compensation.

None of Taiwan's former comfort women have accepted compensation from the private fund. They live on a 15,000-Taiwan-dollar (460-US-dollar) monthly subsidy from the Taiwan government and receive free medical care. (dpa)