TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Nikon Corp. cancelled a photo exhibition on "comfort women" forced into wartime sex slavery by the Japanese military after a string of messages protesting it were posted on Internet bulletin boards, the company and the organizers said Thursday.

A South Korean photographer, An Se Hong, 41, planned to display 38 photos of former comfort women from Korea who had been left behind in China after the war, at Nikon's exhibition hall in Tokyo from June 26 to July 9.

But Nikon on Tuesday told An, who lives in Nagoya, it has decided to ax the event, without giving specific reasons, and that its officials hope to visit An to apologize.

Some of the bulletin board messages read, "A boycott of Nikon products should be organized" and "Let's make protesting phone calls to Nikon in chorus to make it give up the treacherous act."

While admitting the company has faced several protests, a Nikon official said, "All we can say about the cancellation is we have reached the conclusion by examining various factors comprehensively."

One of the organizers said, "We cannot accept the one-sided cancellation."

In a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda earlier this month, South Korean President Lee Myung Bak indicated he expects Japan to deal with the issue of compensation for the comfort women. Noda responded, "I would like to think seriously (about the issue) with you."