Japan's former PM Tomiichi Murayama, known for World War II apology, dies at 101

Former Japan Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama passed away on Friday morning (Oct 17) in Japanese city of Oita. He was 101. The Socialist Party PM led a coalition government with longtime rival the Liberal Democratic Party in the mid-1990s and was most popularly known for makinga statement apologising over World War II. Born on 3 March, 1924, in Oita Prefecture, Murayama served the armed forces at the end of World War II. He won his first Lower House election in 1972. In 1993, he became chairman of the Japan Socialist Party. In 1994, Murayama became the 81st prime minister of Japan.

From 1994 to 1996, Tomiichi Murayama served as Japan’s prime minister, leading a coalition that shifted long-held Socialist Party views by endorsing the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, acknowledging the constitutionality of the Self-Defense Forces, and accepting national symbols like the Hinomaru flag and “Kimigayo” anthem.

In 1995, on the 50th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, Murayama delivered a historic apology—later known as the Murayama Statement—expressing "deep remorse" for Japan’s wartime actions in Asia. He highlighted that it was the Cabinet’s duty to bring closure to the war's legacy. Murayama held office for 561 days, a period marked by natural disasters, serious crimes, and complex political issues. He stepped away from politics in 2000.