Tokyo: Toru Hashimoto, the populist mayor of Osaka, who is seen by some as a possible future prime minister, drew an outcry Monday after he said that women forced into wartime brothels for the Japanese army during World War II served a necessary role in providing relief for war-crazed soldiers.

Lawmakers and human rights groups swiftly condemned the remarks. So did South Korea, whose citizens made up the bulk of the "comfort women" who served Japanese soldiers in military brothels.

Toru Hashimoto, the populist mayor of Osaka Credit:Wikimedia Commons

South Korea's Yonhap News quoted a senior government official there as saying that Mr Hashimoto's comments exposed "a serious lack of historical understanding and a lack of respect for human rights."

The conduct of the Japanese military in Asia before and during World War II remains a highly charged topic between Japan's neighbours, who say that Tokyo has not properly atoned for its history of wartime atrocities, and those like Mr Hashimoto, who feel that Japan has been unfairly demonised.