An apologetic U.S. government on Thursday removed a senior U.S. official from his post over disparaging remarks he allegedly made about Okinawa.

The U.S. government replaced Kevin Maher, director of the Office of Japan Affairs at the U.S. State Department, with Rust Deming, former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, the embassy said. The appointment is effective immediately, it said.

Meanwhile, visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell met with newly appointed Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto Thursday morning and offered his personal and the government's official apology.