Osaka mayor Toru Hashimito remarked that "comfort women" back in World War II was a "necessary" action to provide rest and comfort to Japanese soldiers. The Unites States, China and South Korea criticised the Japanese city mayor.

The United States condemned mayor's comment as "outrageous and offensive" for reasoning out Japanese military brothels back in World War II which provides respite among Japanese soldiers.

"Mayor Hashimoto's comments were outrageous and offensive," said by State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, noted by Reuters.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry urged the Japanese introspection of history to earn trust from neighbouring countries such as China and South Korea which were victims of comfort women during the war.

"We are indignant at the Japanese politician's remarks, as they flagrantly challenge historical justice and the conscience of mankind," said by ministry spokesman Hong Lie noted by USAChinaDaily.com

Comfort Women Victims

Comfort women were forced individuals into prostitution corps made by the Japanese Empire. Historians estimate 20,000 to 410,000 were victimised as sex slaves during the World War under the Japanese control but the exact number is still under research and debate.

Majority of these women came from Korea, China, Japan and the Philippines. Some other countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Indonesia which were under Japanese control were used as "comfort stations."

Treatment of Comfort Women

About three quarters of the victims dies and most survivors were left either infertile due to trauma or contracted sexually transmitted disease.

"The women cried out, but it didn't matter to use whether the women lived or died. We were the emperor's soldiers. Whether in military brothels or in the villages, we raped without reluctance," according to the Japanese solider Yasuji Kaneko.

Ten Dutch women was forcibly taken into prison camps in Java to become sex slaves in February 1944 and systematically beaten and raped all day and all night in "comfort station." Anyone who became pregnant was to forced to have an abortion and continues to serve as a sex slave.

The Japanese government distanced itself from the mayor's comments.

"The government's stance is, as we have said before, that we feel great heartache when we think about the indescribable suffering of those who experienced this," Japan's chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stated.