TOKYO, Aug 5: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe apologised on Sunday to survivors of the US 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima for remarks by his former defence minister that had appeared to condone the attack.

In a meeting with atomic bomb survivors one day ahead of the anniversary of the attack on Hiroshima, Abe also promised to respect Japan's own ban on nuclear arms.

The comments about the atomic bombings by Fumio Kyuma were part of a series of gaffes and scandals involving cabinet ministers that outraged Japanese voters and contributed to a defeat for Abe's ruling camp in a July 29 upper house election.

“I apologise for Mr Kyuma's remarks that resulted in hurting the feelings of atomic bomb victims very much,” Kyodo news agency quoted Abe as telling representatives of survivors of the bombing in Hiroshima.—Reuters