"The despicable act of terrorism can never be permissible. I absolutely condemn it," Kishida told reporters in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, while offering his condolences to the victims.

"In this difficult time, I want to express solidarity with Britain," he also said.

Kishida said a local task force has been set up at the Japanese embassy in London to deal with the aftermath of the attack, which took place on Saturday.

The Japanese government is gathering information and making efforts to confirm the safety of Japanese nationals in London, Kishida said. There has been no information so far about Japanese nationals having been involved in the incident, he added. (Jiji Press)