Former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama, best known for his landmark apology for Japan’s World War II aggression, has died aged 101.
His death, in a hospital, was announced by the Social Democratic Party of Oita.
“Tomiichi Murayama, the father of Japanese politics, passed away today at 11:28am at a hospital in Oita City at the age of 101,” said Mizuho Fukushima on X.
Mr Fukushima is head of the Social Democratic Party, seen as the successor to Murayama’s now-defunct Socialist Party.
Hiroyuki Takano, the secretary general of the Social Democratic Party in Oita, Murayama’s hometown, told AFP he had been informed that the former premier died of old age.
He died in a local hospital, local media reported.
His rise to prime minister on June 30, 1994, came as a surprise. He was 70 years old. He had served quietly in the House of Representatives for more than 20 years and was not nationally known. He had never held a cabinet position, nor had he dealt with countries outside Japan.
