Female Nobel peace laureates have issued a statement condemning Japan’s Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s controversial remarks on the military's sexual slavery.

In the statement issued on Thursday, five Nobel peace laureates strongly denounced Hashimoto’s remarks that Japan’s military brothels were necessary during wartime.

They said that wartime sexual slavery is considered a war crime today, noting that crimes against the victims caused great sufferings to individuals and their families as well as producing lasting tensions, hatred and distrust in East Asia.

The Nobel laureates called on Tokyo to seek policies banning wartime sexual violence, while appealing to the Japanese people to speak out against sexual violence.

The statement was issued by Shirin Ebadi, Mairead Corrigan, Rigoberta Menchú, Jody Williams and Leymah Gbowee.