The U.S. government has expressed discomfort over a series of controversial remarks by Japan’s Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto.

U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesman Patrick Ventrell was asked during a news briefing on Tuesday to comment on Hashimoto retracting his remarks that U.S. servicemen in Okinawa should use the adult entertainment industry to avoid sex crimes.

Ventrell said the U.S. already addressed his comments and has nothing to add, noting Washington can't speak “on every state and local provincial around the world when they make outlandish or offensive or reprehensible comments.”

Ventrell’s remarks come less than a week after State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki described as "outrageous and offensive" Hashimoto’s comments that Japan's military brothels were "necessary" during wartime.

With his remarks sparking controversy, Hashimoto canceled a plan to visit the U.S. next month after apparently assessing it would be difficult to achieve his aims on the trip amid harsh criticism in the U.S.

Hashimoto was initially planning to visit New York and San Francisco to take a look at city planning efforts. San Francisco city authorities reportedly notified Osaka city officials that it would be difficult to arrange a meeting between the two cities’ mayors in the wake of Hashimoto’s controversial remarks.