One of the most senior lawmakers of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday walked back remarks he made that damage to Japan caused by Typhoon Hagibis was "so-so."

Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the party, apologized and told reporters that the comment "was inappropriate if I caused misunderstanding to people affected by the disaster."

The massive typhoon, which made landfall on Japan's main island of Honshu on Saturday evening, has caused flooding and landslides in many areas, killing more than 70 people. At one point, more than 6 million people were advised to evacuate.

On Sunday, Nikai said at an emergency meeting of LDP executives that he believes the damage "was so-so compared with predictions," while acknowledging there was widespread damage. He later told reporters he never meant to imply that the damage was minor.

The comment immediately triggered criticism from opposition parties, and Abe was also grilled at a Diet session Tuesday.

"We would never consider the damage as being something that was tolerable. We're making every effort to address the situation," Abe said.

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