SHANGHAI, China: Lei Guiying, a Chinese woman who testified that she was forced to work in a brothel run by Japan's Imperial Army during World War II, has died at age 79, state media said Thursday.

Lei's death from a brain hemorrhage Wednesday marks the passing of one of the few remaining known victims of sexual slavery during Japan's brutal invasion and occupation of much of China, Xinhua News Agency said.

The issue of sex slaves, or "comfort women" as they were officially called, re-emerged when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suggested in March that no proof existed that the military had coerced women into brothels.

Lei had said she was 13 when she was abducted and raped by Japanese soldiers, who four years earlier had sacked her hometown of Nanjing in the war's worst single atrocity.

"It's been more than 60 years now. I'm old and I didn't want to talk about such a shameful thing to other people. But then I thought, if I don't talk about it, they will get off too easily," Lei was quoted as saying.

After former soldiers spoke out, Japan's government in 1993 issued an apology for running the brothels and two years later established a private fund to support the former slaves without conceding official responsibility.

Lei had said she was unaware of the fund, but like most of the former slaves, she said she would reject any payment that did not include an official admission of guilt.

Anger over Japan's wartime actions remains strong in China, fed by communist propaganda and the widespread perception that Tokyo has failed to own up to its guilt.

However, anti-Japanese rhetoric has been toned down in an attempt to strengthen ties and Chinese officials responded only mildly to Abe's comments.

This is cache, read story here