Yasuo Fukuda, Former Japanese Prime Minister Focused on China Ties, Dies at 90
Yasuo Fukuda, who served as Japan's prime minister for one year and dedicated subsequent years to fostering better relations with China, has died at the age of 90.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda died Thursday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party announced Monday. He was 90 years old.
Born in 1936, Fukuda hailed from a political family; his father, Takeo Fukuda, also served as prime minister and was instrumental in establishing ties with China. After graduating from Waseda University in Tokyo, Yasuo Fukuda spent over 17 years with a Japanese oil company before entering politics. He initially served as his father's private secretary shortly before the elder Fukuda's premiership began in 1976.
The younger Fukuda was first elected to parliament in 1990, succeeding his father in the legislative body. He held his first ministerial position as Chief Cabinet Secretary, the government's top spokesperson, under Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori in 2000. During this period, Fukuda humorously referred to himself as the "secretary of explanations."
As a lawmaker, Fukuda took on various foreign affairs roles and gained recognition as a diplomacy expert. Similar to his father, he prioritized cultivating relationships with Asian nations.
During his tenure as prime minister from 2007 to 2008, Fukuda maintained stable relations with Chinese leader Hu Jintao. His time as prime minister lasted only a year, partly due to challenges in managing a divided parliament where his party held a majority in only one of the two houses.
Following his retirement from politics in 2012, Fukuda focused on improving Japan-China relations. This was a period marked by strained ties due to territorial disputes over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.
In 2014, Fukuda traveled to China for discussions with President Xi Jinping, aiming to ease diplomatic tensions and prepare for then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to China to meet with Xi.
Fukuda frequently led political delegations to China and other Asian countries and participated in international conferences. "Lack of dialogue increases risks of misunderstanding ... and things that do not happen under normal circumstances could happen," Fukuda stated in an interview with The Associated Press in 2022, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China relations.
Known for his often serious demeanor and a dry sense of humor, Fukuda once responded to a reporter's comment after his resignation announcement in September 2008. When the reporter noted he sounded detached, Fukuda replied, "I can look at myself objectively. I'm not like you." This phrase was later recognized as one of the buzzwords of the year in 2008, though Fukuda declined to accept the award.