Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma's remarks on the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were an easy target for Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa during a policy debate Sunday in Tokyo with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Ozawa asked Abe if he will ask the U.S. to apologize for dropping the atomic bombs on Japan. Abe didn't reply directly, but he did say, "We should do our best to abolish nuclear weapons instead of spending energy in demanding an apology from the U.S."
Abe said he wants Kyuma, as the defense minister of the only nation to have been attacked with atomic weapons, to make further efforts to help the world eradicate nuclear arms, indicating he has no intention of dismissing the defense chief for his remarks.