TOKYO: Japanese Defence Minister Fumio Kyuma resigned on Tuesday after sparking outrage with remarks seen as justifying the World War II atomic bombings of Japan that killed more than 200,000 people.

The outspoken minister angered atomic bomb survivors over the weekend by saying the 1945 nuclear attacks on his country by the United States “couldn't be helped.” His comments triggered a fierce political row in Japan, the only country to have been attacked with nuclear weapons, adding to the troubles of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe just weeks ahead of his first major election test.

Abe had stood by Kyuma, who said it was his own decision to stand down.

“My careless remarks should not affect the upcoming election which Prime Minister Abe is working hard for, the 66-year veteran politician told reporters. Kyuma “is not qualified for defence minister,” Terumi Tanaka, the head of a Japanese atomic bomb survivors' association, said in a statement.—AFP