Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, known for strengthening ties between Japan and China but who struggled to manage affairs in a divided Diet during his one-year stint through September 2008, has died, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said on Monday. He was 90.
Sources familiar with the matter said the former prime minister died in Tokyo on Thursday from heart failure. A funeral was held privately for close family members only, with a public memorial service to take place at a later date, according to Kyodo news agency.
Fukuda visited China three months after becoming prime minister in September 2007 and invited then Chinese President Hu Jintao to visit Japan. Hu came to the country in May 2008, becoming the first Chinese head of state to do so in a decade.
Marked by his dovish diplomatic stance, Fukuda made efforts to develop ties with China, carrying on the work by his predecessor Shinzo Abe, who abruptly resigned for health reasons, having himself taken over from Junichiro Koizumi just a year earlier.
Following news of Fukuda’s death, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed “deep sorrow” when speaking to reporters in Tokyo, praising him as a leader who “worked to articulate Japan’s position on various international issues and enhance its standing in the international community.”
