Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama Dies at 101

Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, best known for his historic apology to victims of World War II, has passed away at the age of 101.

According to a statement by Mizuho Fukushima, head of Japan’s Social Democratic Party, Murayama died at a hospital in Oita, his hometown in southwestern Japan.

Murayama, who served as prime minister from June 1994 to January 1996, led a coalition government while heading what was then known as the Japan Socialist Party.

During his tenure, he delivered the landmark 1995 statement expressing deep remorse and a heartfelt apology for Japan’s wartime aggression.

Murayama’s death marks the passing of one of Japan’s most prominent political figures of the postwar era, remembered for his humility, moral stance, and efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in East Asia.