HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) Nuclear deterrence is necessary for Japan, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Friday, shrugging off a call from the Hiroshima mayor for departing from the U.S. "nuclear umbrella" to take the lead in creating a world without such arms.

"I think that nuclear deterrence continues to be necessary for our nation at a time when there are unclear and uncertain factors," Kan said after attending an annual ceremony in Hiroshima commemorating the atomic bombing of the city, speaking in response to a demand voiced by Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba in the Hiroshima Peace Declaration during the ceremony that Japan should abandon the U.S. nuclear umbrella.

"We share strong hopes for nuclear disarmament, but the reality is that nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction are spreading," Kan said.