FILE – Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama stands before reporters before his declaration of war remorse at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, August 15, 1995.
Naokazu Oinuma/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Naokazu Oinuma/AP
TOKYO — Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, known for his 1995 “Murayama Declaration” apologizing to Asian victims of his country’s aggression, died Friday. He was 101 years old.
Murayama died in a hospital in his hometown of Oita in southwest Japan, according to a statement from Mizuho Fukushima, head of the Japanese Social Democratic Party.
As head of what was then known as the Japan Socialist Party, Murayama led a coalition government from June 1994 to January 1996.
Historic apology for Japan’s actions during World War II
He is best remembered for the “Murayama Declaration”, an apology he delivered on the 50th anniversary of Japan’s unconditional surrender, ending World War II, on August 15, 1995. It is considered the main expression of Japan’s remorse for its wartime and colonial past.
“Over a period of time in the not-so-distant past, Japan, as a result of erroneous national policy, advanced on the path to war…and, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused enormous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, especially those of Asian nations,” he said in the statement.
“In the hope that no such errors are made in the future, I consider, in a spirit of humility, these irrefutable historical facts, and here once 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 lawmaker after working for a 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, recognizing them as constitutional in a speech delivered over cries from angry members of his party.
In 1995, Murayama faced 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 people and injured more than 6,000. He was criticized for being slow to respond to both.
FILE – Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama holds a basket of Washington State apples given to him by President Bill Clinton before the start of their joint news conference at the White House in Washington, January 11, 1995.
Greg Gibson/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Greg Gibson/AP
He resigned early the next year, following an unexpected announcement that came as he returned to work after the 1996 New Year’s holiday. Murayama said he did what he could in a year marking the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. He said he made this decision while looking at the blue skies of the New Year.
Murayama criticized his successors for questioning Japan’s wartime culpability
Murayama was active in politics even after his retirement in 2000, frequently criticizing attempts by his more nationalist successors to abdicate any responsibility for Japan’s war action.
Murayama’s statement set a standard followed by all prime ministers for nearly two decades, until nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stopped apologizing in 2013 because members of his Liberal Democratic Party said it interfered with Japan’s national pride. Among them is Abe protégé Sanae Takaichi, who was recently elected party leader and is now set to become prime minister next week.
Murayama also criticized the government’s unwillingness to acknowledge that the Japanese government, during World War II, systematically forced Asian women to provide sex for Japanese soldiers in military brothels.
“A historical view that Japan’s war was not aggression, or calling 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 lasting friendship with China, highlighting the “tremendous damage” his country has caused to its neighbor due to its past war of aggression. “In order to build peace and stability in Asia, we must build stable politics, economics, cultural interactions and development.”
