Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Friday criticized recent remarks by U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, that justified the August 1945 U.S. atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The congressional remarks that the atomic bombings ended World War II are "inappropriate and unacceptable," Kamikawa told a parliamentary committee meeting.
She said Tokyo has told Washington that the use of nuclear weapons was not in line with the spirit of international law.
The atomic bombings took many precious lives and forced people to face unspeakable hardships such as illnesses and disabilities, Kamikawa said, adding that they "created a situation that is extremely regrettable from a humanitarian point of view."
"The use of nuclear weapons is not consistent with the spirit of humanitarianism because of their tremendously destructive and lethal power," she said.