Chinese President Xi Jinping says he is mourning the death of Tomiichi Murayama, who served as Japan’s prime minister for about 1½ from June 1994.
Xi offered his condolences in a message sent to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Sunday, according to China’s Foreign Ministry.
Murayama died on Friday at the age of 101.
The Chinese leader praised Murayama’s long-time contributions to China-Japan relations, calling him an old friend of China.
Mentioning a statement Murayama issued on Aug. 15, 1995, the 50th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II and during his tenure as prime minister, Xi emphasized the importance of upholding the spirit shown in the document.
In the statement, Murayama expressed his “feelings of deep remorse” and “heartfelt apology” over “tremendous damage and suffering” Japan caused to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations, through its “colonial rule and aggression” before and during the war.
The Chinese president called on Japan to promote mutually beneficial strategic relations between the two nations.
