HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba criticized Prime Minister Taro Aso Friday for justifying the U.S. nuclear umbrella as a deterrent force to protect Japan, saying the nation's leader should first make efforts to abolish all nuclear weapons.

During a news conference on Aug. 6 in Hiroshima, Aso stressed the importance of the U.S. nuclear umbrella for Japan while saying "the abolition of nuclear arms is an aspiration of the Japanese people."

"It seems to me (Aso) first concluded that (Japan) should stay passive (in antinuclear movements), and then produced the logic to justify that stance," Akiba told reporters.