Former Japanese Prime Minister Murayama dies at 101 : NPR

TOKYO — Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, famous for his 1995 “Murayama Statement” in which he apologized to Asian victims of his country's aggression, died Friday. He was 101.

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

As head of the then Japanese Socialist Party, Murayama led a coalition government from June 1994 to January 1996.

A historical apology for Japan's actions in World War II.

He is best remembered for the “Murayama Statement”, an apology he made on the 50th anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender that ended World War II on August 15, 1995. It is seen as a major expression of Japan's remorse for its military and colonial past.

“At a certain period in the not too distant past, Japan, following a misguided national policy, advanced along the path of war… and through its colonial rule and aggression caused enormous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, especially the people of Asian countries,” the statement said.

“In the hope that such a mistake will not be repeated in the future, I, in a spirit of humility, review these irrefutable facts of history and here again express my feelings of deep remorse and offer my sincere apologies.”

A government marked by controversy

Murayama was first elected to parliament in 1972 as a socialist MP after working in a trade union and serving in a local assembly.

When he became prime minister in 1994, he broke with his party's long-standing opposition to the Japan-U.S. Security Alliance and the Japan Self-Defense Forces, declaring them constitutional in a speech delivered over shouts from angry members of his party.

In 1995, Murayama dealt with two major disasters: a massive earthquake in the western port city of Kobe that killed more than 6,400 people, and a gas attack on the Tokyo subway that killed 13 and injured more than 6,000. He was criticized for his slow response to both issues.

He resigned early the following year in a surprise announcement that came as he returned to work after the 1996 New Year holidays. Murayama said he had done all he could during the year marking the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. He said he made the decision while looking at the blue skies in the new year.

Murayama criticized his successors for questioning Japan's culpability during the war

Murayama remained active in politics even after his retirement in 2000, often criticizing the attempts of his more nationalist successors to avoid responsibility for Japan's wartime actions.

Murayama's statement set the standard that all prime ministers followed for nearly two decades until Nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stopped apologizing in 2013 because members of his Liberal Democratic Party said it was an attack on Japan's national pride. They included Abe's protégé Sanae Takaichi, who was recently elected party leader and is poised to become prime minister next week.

Murayama also criticized the government's reluctance to admit that the Japanese government systematically forced Asian women to provide sex to Japanese soldiers in military brothels during World War II.

“The historical point of view that claims that Japan's war was not aggression, or calls it justice or liberation from colonialism, is absolutely unacceptable not only in China, South Korea or other Asian countries, but also in America and Europe,” Murayama said in a statement in 2020.

He also stressed the importance of Japan establishing a strong friendship with China, noting the “enormous damage” his country inflicted on its neighbor due to the past war of aggression. “To build peace and stability in Asia, we must build stable politics, economics, cultural interaction and development.”