Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori on Tuesday moved to contain potential political damage after saying Monday that Japan is a "divine nation centering on the Emperor," a sentiment some compared to the nationalist fervor stoked before and during World War II.

With the atmosphere in the Diet sensitive to any political missteps that might be made before the general elections expected next month, Mori and Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki agreed Tuesday that the prime minister should express "regret" as early as today that the remarks left room for misunderstandings.

Speaking before a gathering of lawmakers belonging to Shinto Seiji Renmei, a political group of the Association of Shinto Shrines, the prime minister said Monday that "We (have made efforts to) make the public realize that Japan is a divine nation centering on the Emperor. It's been 30 years since we started our activities based on this thought."

The remark drew criticism Tuesday, even from his own Cabinet.

Mori, who has been a member of the group since its foundation, also urged schools and families at the gathering to teach children to respect human life as well as Japan's traditional religious values.

The remarks are believed to have been targeted at religious bodies to win them over before the upcoming election. But more immediately, they produced debate over the constitutional separation of church and state.

On Tuesday, Mori said he was referring to any god observed by the public, adding that there is freedom of religion in Japan.

"Religion is a culture of the spirit, and I'm simply saying we need to cherish it as such," he said. "What's wrong with that?"

Mori also said he meant to say the Emperor represents Japan's ancient history as well as its traditional culture.

However, Mori's stance appeared to waver as the day progressed and allies tried to distance themselves from a potentially dangerous position ahead of the Lower House polls.

Some members of Mori's Cabinet -- including Aoki and Defense Agency chief Tsutomu Kawara -- and senior officials of New Komeito, a coalition partner, expressed surprise and concern over the remarks.

New Komeito Secretary General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba said he wanted an explanation from Mori.

Meanwhile, Hiromu Nonaka, secretary general of Mori's Liberal Democratic Party, suggested the comment was probably a platitude for the religious group.

Opposition forces, sensing an opportunity to score points against the Mori administration, were quick to lash out against the "Emperor-centered," description of Japan.

"It is the idealism of the (Meiji) Constitution," Democratic Party of Japan head Yukio Hatoyama said. "Under any circumstances, (the remark) is incompatible with the (present) Constitution's principle that sovereignty rests with the people."

DPJ officials said Hatoyama will pursue the issue during a one-on-one Diet debate with Mori that is scheduled for today.

Japanese Communist Party Chairman Tetsuzo Fuwa noted in a statement that to regard Japan as a nation of god is a sentiment tantamount to what once thrust the nation forward into wartime aggression, and must be forever cut off with postwar Japan.

"A leader who does not feel ashamed after making such a comment in public is not qualified to take the prime minister's seat," said Fuwa, demanding Mori's immediate resignation.

Mori, a former education minister, is known as a advocate of "moral education." He has maintained that the Imperial Rescript on Education, which was issued in 1890 and nullified during the Allied Occupation, included a "universal philosophy."