Japan's Foreign Minister said his country would not stop imports of Iranian oil, striking a rare note of divergence with the United States during a visit to Washington.

"Specifically in relation to the (U.S.) national defense authorization act, which targets the central bank of Iran, I conveyed my view that there is a danger of causing damage to the entire global economy if the imports of Iranian crude oil stop," Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said during his talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Press TV reported.

Last week, the U.S. Congress passed a bill that would impose sanctions on the foreign financial institutions that did business with the Central Bank of Iran.