WORLD / Asia-Pacific
Japan minister apologises for atomic-bomb remarks
(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-07-01 15:53
TOKYO - Japan's defence minister apologised on Sunday for comments about
the 1945 U.S. atomic bomb attacks on the country which outraged survivors
and drew criticism from the ruling bloc ahead of a key election in late
July.
Japan's Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma speaks during a plenary session at
the IISS Asia Security Summit in this June 2, 2007 file photo, in
Singapore. Kyuma said the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan by the United
States during World War II was an inevitable way to end the war, a news
report said Saturday, June 30, 2007. 'I understand that the bombing ended
the war, and I think that it couldn't be helped,' Kyodo News agency
quoted Kyuma as saying in a speech at a university in Chiba, just east of
Tokyo.[Reuters]
Defence Minister Fumio Kyuma said he had not meant to offend the victims
when he said on Saturday the bombings "couldn't be helped" because they
had brought World War Two to an end and had prevented the Soviet Union
from entering the war against Japan.
"If my remarks were seen as lacking regard for the feelings of atomic
bomb victims, then I am sorry," he told a news conference.
On Saturday, Kyuma had said in a speech: "My understanding is that it
ended the war and that it couldn't be helped ... I don't hold a grudge
against the United States."
The remarks drew condemnation from victims of the August 6. 1945 bombing
of Hiroshima and the August 9 attack on Nagasaki, which together killed
more than 210,000 people by the end of the year. Some opposition parties
demanded Kyuma's resignation.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe defended his minister on Saturday, but ruling
party executives urged Kyuma to apologise, in a bid to minimise the
damage ahead of the July 29 upper house election.
"If the comments were misunderstood, then he should explain and
apologise," Shoichi Nakagawa, policy chief of the ruling Liberal
Democratic Party, said earlier on Sunday.
Abe has seen his support ratings drop to around 30 percent recently
largely due to voter anger over the government's mishandling of pension
records.
Officials in Japan -- the only nation to suffer an atomic bombing --
typically express sympathy for the victims, but most avoid criticising
the attacks out of consideration for Tokyo's ties with Washington, its
closest ally.
Defenders of the bombings say they convinced Japan to surrender and saved
lives that would otherwise have been lost had fighting continued. Critics
say the United States used the bombs to bolster its post-war position
against the Soviet Union.
Top World News
� Suicide bomber kills 20 in northeast Baghdad
� London police foil major terror plot
� 30 Afghans killed, wounded in airstrikes
� North Korea to close reactor
� Iraq ambush caps bloodiest months for US
Today's Top News
� Hong Kong celebrates 10th anniversary of handover
� Glasgow airport attack linked to London
� Halt of Chinese seafood unacceptable
� Brain scans tell why meditation works
� US raids Baghdad slum; 26 Iraqis die
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Learn Chinese online, Chinese Course, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet
No comments:
Post a Comment