Seeking acknowledgement of a World War II atrocity, hundreds of protesters rallied in downtown Los Angeles Saturday while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in the city on the final leg of a US visit that included meeting with President Obama and addressing a joint session of Congress.

The protestors seek a formal apology for Japan's role in human trafficking that resulted in the exploitation of young females as sex slaves, euphemistically known as "comfort women", NBC reported.

A second group of demonstrators voiced opposition to the proposed free trade agreement known as the Trans Pacific Partnership. Organized labor worries about impact on US jobs.