Shinzo Abe, acting secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, has demanded an apology from The Asahi Shimbun over a report that said he had pressed Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) to revise a documentary about a mock war crimes trial.

Abe claimed in a letter dated Monday that he was defamed by the Asahi report.

``There is no truth to the claim that I called NHK executives to my office and there is absolutely no truth to the claim that I indicated to NHK executives that (the documentary) was biased and instructed them to change the contents of the program,'' Abe wrote.

He is seeking an apology, explanation and a correction to be printed by Asahi.

On Tuesday, following publication of a one-page special by Asahi defending its report, Abe told reporters ``I do not think that a full explanation has been given.''(IHT/Asahi: January 19,2005)