TOKYO: A women's university in Japan criticised a weekly magazine on Wednesday for publishing an article that ranks universities by the sexual availability of female students.

"In its Dec 25, 2018 issue, Shukan Spa! published an article that treats women in a disparaging and misogynistic way. This university finds this and similar articles that damage the honour and dignity of women extremely deplorable," Ferris University said in a statement.

The university in Yokohama, near Tokyo, was among five universities in a list published in the men's magazine ranking their female students on how easy it is to persuade them to have sex at drinking parties.

The publisher, Fusosha Publishing Inc, apologised on Monday for using sensational language in an article on drinking parties as an online petition campaign criticising the magazine gains momentum.

Takashi Inukai, editor-in-chief of the weekly, said in a statement that it went too far in publishing an article "that may have offended readers."

Inukai said the magazine should have used descriptions such as female students with whom "you can have a closer relationship." Inukai said they selected the controversial expressions "to try to appeal to readers."

Kazuna Yamamoto, a 21-year-old senior at International Christian University, started the online petition campaign asking Fusosha to suspend publication of the magazine and apologise. As of Wednesday morning, the petition had gathered more than 38,000 signatures.

Yamamoto, who said she has been inspired by the #MeToo movement, wants magazines to stop publishing content "sexualising, objectifying and disrespecting women."

"I want to see a change in Japan," she said.