A U.S. diplomat who allegedly made disparaging comments about Okinawa that caused him to be sacked last month as the head of Japanese affairs resigned Wednesday from the State Department.

Without directly commenting on the resignation of Kevin Maher, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Thursday that many Japanese found it difficult to understand how he could remain involved in U.S.-Japanese relations.

After being replaced as the chief of the Office of Japanese Affairs on March 12, Maher was kept on to serve as a coordinator for the special U.S. task force set up to assist Japan after the March 11 disaster.