Japan's defence minister resigned on Tuesday over his comments suggesting the 1945 atomic bombings Hiroshima and Nagasaki were inevitable.
Fumio Kyuma had come under intense criticism from atomic-bomb survivors, opposition lawmakers and fellow members of the Cabinet following his comments over the weekend.
Kyuma spoke to reporters after he resigned.
"I told Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe, 'I'm sorry but I must take responsibility and resign.' The prime minister said, 'That's very unfortunate ... but I accept your decision.'"
Kyuma ignited a political furore on Saturday when he suggested the US nuclear attacks on Japan before the end of World War II were "unavoidable".
The statement contradicted the Japanese stance, fiercely guarded by survivors and their supporters, the use of nuclear weapons is never justified.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has quickly named hawkish national security adviser, Yuriko Koike, to succeed Kyuma as Japan's first female defence minister in hopes of stabilizing the government and possibly winning votes ahead of the elections.
