Former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda dies at 90, LDP says

Death announced after the fact

The Liberal Democratic Party announced on Monday, 26 October, that former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda had died at the age of 90. NHK reported that the death took place on 22 October, while Jiji Press gave the day of death as Thursday. The Independent reported that the party gave no cause of death and no further details. Fukuda's death was therefore made public only after it occurred, and no official cause has been released.

A one-year premiership

Fukuda, born in 1936, became prime minister in September 2007 at the age of 71, succeeding Shinzo Abe, whose own first term had ended after twelve months. His tenure also lasted only one year, which Jiji Press attributed to struggles caused by a divided parliament. Europa Press reported that the opposition controlled the upper house and blocked much of his legislative agenda, and that his position eroded further through a no-confidence motion in the House of Councillors. During his time in office he chaired a Group of Eight summit in Toyako, Hokkaido, in 2008 and agreed long-term targets for reducing emissions. He resigned in September 2008 amid coalition tensions and low popularity, according to Europa Press.

Warmer ties with China

Fukuda invited the Chinese president of the time, Hu Jintao, to visit Japan. Hu's trip in May 2008 made him the first Chinese head of state to visit Japan in a decade, according to Le Soir. The two leaders issued a joint statement pledging a mutually beneficial relationship built on shared strategic interests. The Independent said he developed stable ties with Hu during a premiership in which his government struggled to pass legislation.

Diplomacy after office

After retiring in 2012, Fukuda devoted much of his time to improving relations with China, which territorial disputes over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea had disrupted. In 2014 he visited China for talks with President Xi Jinping, seeking a thaw in their chilly ties. That visit paved the way for a summit between Xi and then prime minister Shinzo Abe during Abe's second term. He also regularly led political delegations to China and other Asian countries and attended international conferences. Like his father, he placed great weight on friendships with Asian countries.

Career and family

Before entering politics, Fukuda spent more than 17 years at a Japanese oil company. He then became his father's private secretary shortly before Takeo Fukuda became prime minister in 1976. Yasuo won a seat in the House of Representatives in 1990, taking over his father's former seat. In 2000 he served as Chief Cabinet Secretary, the government's top spokesperson, under Yoshiro Mori. Europa Press noted that he and his father were the only father and son in the country's constitutional history to lead the government. He retired from frontline politics in 2012 and handed his electoral base to his eldest son, Tatsuo Fukuda.