The government said May 23 that it is "regrettable" part of a Japanese cartoon sparked an outcry in the Muslim world and stressed the need to foster understanding to prevent similar incidents in the future.

A scene from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure shows a character reading the Quran. KYODO PHOTO

"While it resulted from carelessness, the government considers it regrettable that Muslims were offended by the cartoon," Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Kazuo Kodama said.

The statement came a day after publisher Shueisha Inc. and Another Push Pin Planning Co., which created the animated images, apologized for offending Muslims but insisted the detail had been overlooked and there was no intention of showing any disrespect for the Quran.

At issue is a 90-second segment from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, which depicts Dio Brando, a villain, picking up a Quran from a bookshelf.