TOKYO, July 3 (RIA Novosti) - Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma announced his resignation Tuesday amid criticism over statements he made suggesting U.S. nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II were inevitable.
The minister told a news conference in Tokyo that he had met with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the premier had accepted his resignation.
"I told the prime minister [Shinzo Abe] that I was going to resign. He said it was very unfortunate ... but he accepted my resignation,"' Kyuma told a news conference in Tokyo.
In his comments made over the weekend, Kyuma, from Nagasaki, said the bombing caused great suffering in the city, but he did not resent the U.S. nuclear attacks because they prevented the Soviet Union from occupying the island of Hokkaido.
The statement came under fierce criticism from public organizations representing survivors of the atomic bombings, opposition lawmakers, and even several Cabinet members.
Kyuma's comments seriously weakened the position of the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party less than a month before July 29 elections for the upper house of parliament. Recent polls indicated the dwindling popularity of the increasingly unpopular government, led by Shinzo Abe, hitting a record low of 30%.
The majority of Japanese people strongly believe that the U.S. atomic bombings caused grave harm to Japan and can never be justified.
The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of World War II, in the world's only nuclear attacks. The bombs killed at least 215,000 people and survivors have developed various illnesses from the exposure to radiation, including cancer and liver disease.
It is not the first time the Japanese defense minister has put the government and himself in an awkward situation by making "politically incorrect" remarks. In January, Kyuma ignited Washington's criticism after calling the U.S. invasion of Iraq "a mistake."
Japan and the United States are close military allies and are jointly developing a missile defense network aimed at protecting both countries from possible missile attacks from the so called "rogue states" and other potential enemies, including China and Russia.
Several opposition parties and public organizations in Japan have already expressed their satisfaction with Kyuma's resignation, saying the premier should bear responsibility for the scandal as well.
"Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has several problematic ministers, should be held responsible for their appointment," said Yukio Hatoyama, secretary general of the popular Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki told reporters on Tuesday that Yuriko Koike, who is currently serving as a National Security Advisor in the Japanese Cabinet, would be officially appointed defense minister July 4.
Shinzo Abe proposed her candidacy earlier today.
Koike, 55, will become the first woman in the history of Japan to serve as defense minister.
