China said on Friday that Japan should offer an appropriate resolution to the plight of eight Chinese victims forced into serving as "comfort women" for Japanese soldiers during World War II.

China said on Friday that Japan should offer an appropriate resolution to the plight of eight Chinese victims forced into serving as "comfort women" for Japanese soldiers during World War II.

Forcing women to be sex slaves or "comfort women" was a crime Japanese committed against several countries they invaded during the war - including China.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang called the women's treatment at the hands of Japanese forces a serious, historical crime against humanity.

"The victims are still hurting today, so Japan should take responsibility and provide these women with a justifiable explanation as soon as possible."`

Eight Chinese women from Hainan province filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government in 2001 and submitted it to a Tokyo court on the grounds they were forced to be "comfort women" for soldiers when the army invaded the southernmost province of China.

United, the former sex slaves demanded a public apology be aired in the media in both countries and also requested 23 million Japanese yen ($255,556) in compensation for each victim. The women were between 14 and 17 years old when they were forced into serving as comfort women.

Between 2006 and 2009, two Tokyo courts were frank in confirming the imprisonment and violence inflicted upon these victims, but concluded by stating "the claims were beyond the legal statue of limitations" and "China has given up the right to compensation for individuals via the previously signed China-Japan Joint Statement".