Finland's prime minister has apologized to countries in East Asia over online posts by the winner of the country's beauty pageant and some members of parliament that drew accusations of racism.

The Finnish embassies in Japan, China, and South Korea released a statement by Petteri Orpo on social media on Wednesday, in which he pledged to tackle racism.

The development comes after this year's Miss Finland posted a photo on a social media app of her pulling the corners of her eyes with a caption that translates as "eating with a Chinese person."

She was stripped of her crown last week following criticism that she was being discriminatory against Asians.

Calling the response too harsh, some members of the far-right Finns Party, a junior partner in the governing coalition, responded by posting images of themselves making slanted-eye faces in an apparent show of solidarity with the former Miss Finland.

Their actions invited further backlash.

Orpo's statement says that he sincerely apologizes for the "offensive" posts by some members of parliament.

It adds that the posts "do not reflect Finland's values of equality and inclusion."

"Our message in Finland and to all our friends abroad is that the government takes racism seriously and is committed to combating the issue."