Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma handed in his resignation to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday, three days after making remarks derided as justifying the U.S. atomic bombings of Japan.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2007/nn20070704a1a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='303'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma faces reporters Tuesday afternoon at the Prime Minister's Official Residence after telling Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he was resigning. </B> KYODO PHOTO</FONT></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2007/nn20070704a1b.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='341'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Yuriko Koike </B></FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>Later in the day, Abe tapped Yuriko Koike, his national security adviser, to replace Kyuma as defense chief. Koike will officially take up the job after an attestation ceremony Wednesday afternoon.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>' –

made a grave decision as a politician and a Cabinet minister," Abe told reporters. "I respect his decision."

Kyuma's resignation comes as the already beleaguered Abe prepares to lead his Liberal Democratic Party into the July 29 House of Councilors election.

Opinion polls over the past few days have shown Abe's approval ratings dipping to record lows in the wake of the government's pension record-keeping debacle, a Cabinet minister's suicide and other scandals, including the defense chief's latest gaffe.

"People do not seem to understand no matter how I explain my remarks," Kyuma said after he visited Abe's official residence to tell the prime minister of his decision to resign. "So I've decided to step down because I have to take responsibility."