Japanese officials have distanced themselves from comments made by a prominent nationalist politician that suggested women forced to become prostitutes to entertain Japanese troops during World War II were `` necessary . '' Toru Hashimoto , who serves as the Mayor of Osaka , told reporters at his weekly press conference Monday that `` anyone would understand '' the role of `` comfort women '' when soldiers were risking their lives and you wanted to give them `` a rest . '' Though he acknowledged the issue was a `` tragic result of war , '' Hashimoto , who is co-leader of the nationalist Japan Restoration Party , insisted the use of prostitutes by soldiers was not unique to Japan . Bizarrely , Hashimoto also revealed that he told a U.S. military commander during a trip to a base on the island of Okinawa that the adult entertainment business in Japan should be `` utilized more '' by U.S. personnel . `` I told him there are places that operate within the boundaries of the law which can be used for releasing sexual frustration , so they [ the U.S. military ] should fully utilize it or the marines wo n't be able to control their aggressive sexual desires . '' He said the officer refused to discuss the suggestion . Reaction at home . Hashimoto 's comments also found little support among political colleagues at home . `` A series of remarks by Japanese politicians related to our interpretation of [ wartime ] history have been misunderstood , '' Education Minister Hakubun Shimomura told reporters at his weekly press conference Tuesday . `` In that sense Mr. Hashimoto 's remarks came at a bad time . [ But ] I wonder if there is any positive meaning to intentionally make such remarks at this particular moment ? As for the remarks about adult entertainment , I could not believe that it came from a man representing a political party . '' Fellow minister Tomomi Inada asked : `` I wonder is this something the representative of a political party should say ? I myself think the comfort women [ issue ] infringed the human rights of the women . '' Chief Cabinet Spokesman Yoshihide Suga did not respond directly to Hashimoto 's comments but instead told reporters `` the stance of the Japanese government on the comfort women issue is , as it has been stated repeatedly in the past , that they suffered unspeakably painful experiences and we keenly feel the pain when we think about them . '' Sex slaves . Many of the 200,000 women whom historians estimate were forced to become sex slaves for Japan 's former Imperial Army were from the Philippines , China and the Korean peninsula -- all occupied territories at the time . While many have now died , a group of Korean survivors has spent years protesting outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul . They demand greater recognition of their suffering , as well as individual compensation . Tokyo maintains its legal liability for wrongdoing was cleared by a bilateral treaty signed in 1965 with South Korea . For its part , the Seoul government expressed `` deep disappointment '' over Hashimoto 's comments . `` There is worldwide recognition ... that the issue of comfort women amounts to a wartime rape committed by Japan during its past imperial period in a serious breach of human rights , '' a foreign ministry spokesman told Agence France-Presse Tuesday . `` Our government again urges Japan 's prominent officials to show regret for atrocities committed during Japan 's imperial period and to correct their anachronistic way of thinking and comments . '' In 1993 , the Japanese government released a statement acknowledging the `` immeasurable pain and suffering '' endured by thousands of women forced to have sex during World War II . It even vowed to include the comfort women issue in new junior high school textbooks for the first time . But Japan 's wartime past continues to loom over its relations with key Asian neighbors such as South Korea and China , which are currently strained by territorial disputes in the region .
Toru Hashimoto : `` Anyone would understand '' the role of `` comfort women '' Around 200,000 women forced to be sex slaves for Japanese army in WWII . Many victims remain angry despite apologies from Japan . Japan 's wartime conduct remains sensitive issue among its Asian neighbors .