Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party announced that Yasuo Fukuda, who served as Japan's Prime Minister from 2007 to 2008, passed away recently at the age of 90.
The Liberal Democratic Party announced on Monday (October 26) that Yasuo Fukuda passed away last Thursday (22nd) and that only close relatives will attend the funeral. Kyodo News and other media quoted sources as saying that Yasuo Fukuda died in a Tokyo hospital due to heart failure.
It only took 365 days from Yasuo Fukuda's appointment to his resignation as prime minister, and he attracted criticism at the time. However, both Chinese and Japanese media pointed out that he was committed to improving relations between the two countries, including facilitating the visit of then Chinese President Hu Jintao to Japan.
Current Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi praised Fukuda Yasuo for "doing his best" during his tenure; the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called him "an old friend of the Chinese people."
Yasuo Fukuda took office as Prime Minister of Japan on September 26, 2007, and resigned on September 24, 2008, only 365 days before and after. But before that, he served as Chief Cabinet Secretary for three and a half years, making him the second-longest serving Chief Cabinet Secretary under the Liberal Democratic Party so far.
Yasuo Fukuda became president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Prime Minister of Japan after Shinzo Abe resigned from his first term. He is regarded as a "dove" in diplomacy. During his tenure, he advocated improving relations with neighboring countries, especially with China.
Fukuda Yasuo avoided Shinzo Abe's more ambitious policies such as amending the pacifist constitution to promote overseas military deployment, and also contributed to Hu Jintao's visit, which was the first visit by a Chinese head of state to Japan in ten years.
On August 15, 2007 - the anniversary of Japan's defeat and surrender in World War II - two former Prime Ministers from the Liberal Democratic Party, Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe, successively visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, where Class A war criminals of World War II are enshrined. Yasuo Fukuda refused to visit.
Yasuo Fukuda also dealt with Sino-Japanese diplomatic conflicts during his term in the Japanese cabinet: In April 2001, when the Yoshiro Mori cabinet was handing over to the Junichiro Koizumi cabinet, Tokyo approved the visit of former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, which aroused strong dissatisfaction in Beijing. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, who serves as the government's chief spokesman, defended the cabinet and said the visa was issued to Lee Teng-hui on humanitarian grounds.
In January 1995, Yasuo Fukuda, still a member of the House of Representatives, visited Taiwan and met with Lee Teng-hui. The Taiwanese Presidential Office, which was under the control of the Chinese Kuomintang at the time, still referred to the visit as a "visit to China." In addition to saying that Yasuo Fukuda "has visited my country many times," the official press release also stated that he "has often provided support and assistance to our country since he became a member of the House of Representatives."
In 2020, Lee Teng-hui passed away, and Yasuo Fukuda went to the Taiwan Representative Office in Japan to express his condolences.
Kyodo News pointed out that because of his active promotion of official residence diplomacy during the term of the Chief Cabinet Secretary, the spokesman Yasuo Fukuda was also called the "Shadow Foreign Minister."
After resigning as prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda served as chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, which China co-founded, in 2010 and was re-elected until 2018. After resigning, he remained as chairman of the forum's advisory committee. In March 2025, Yasuo Fukuda still delivered a written speech for a side meeting of the Boao Forum Annual Conference.
In July 2014, when China and Japan once again reached a diplomatic stalemate over the sovereignty dispute over the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea (known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan; Diaoyutai Islands in Taiwan), Yasuo Fukuda visited China as chairman of the Boao Forum and secretly sent a message to Shinzo Abe, who was serving as Prime Minister of Japan for the second time, calling on the current Chinese President Xi Jinping to agree to dialogue.
In November 2025, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae stated that "something is going on in Taiwan", which caused strong dissatisfaction in China, and Sino-Japanese relations have been at a low ebb. In an exclusive interview with Yasuo Fukuda published by the Mainichi Shimbun in January this year, Yasuo Fukuda said: "Did Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expect such a strong reaction from China? I feel that she may have made relevant remarks without considering that level."
"Perhaps even China did not expect that the situation would reach such a deadlock. This is really a regrettable thing."
According to the report, Yasuo Fukuda also asked in the exclusive interview which party was responsible for creating the ignition of the confrontation.
The Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) described strengthening Japan-China relations as its "lifelong mission."
At a regular press conference on Monday, China's Foreign Ministry expressed "deep condolences" over the death of Yasuo Fukuda.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said: "Mr. Yasuo Fukuda is an old friend of the Chinese people and has made positive contributions to promoting the improvement and development of Sino-Japanese relations. He has long been concerned about Sino-Japanese friendship and upholds a correct view of history. During his tenure as prime minister, he signed the fourth political document between China and Japan. After leaving office, he visited the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by the Japanese Invaders."
Without naming Takaichi Sanae, Guo Jiakun said: "Mr. Yasuo Fukuda once pointed out that the four political documents between China and Japan stipulated the principles to be followed in the relations between the two countries. We must always keep in mind and cannot go back. This statement is resounding and reflects the faith and responsibility of the older generation of Japanese politicians. Japanese politicians should reflect deeply on themselves."
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te expressed "deep condolences" on the death of Yasuo Fukuda through the social platform X.
"Taiwan and Japan are closely connected by profound friendship. I look forward to further deepening of exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in the future, and hope that this irreplaceable friendship will last for a long time."
According to NHK, Sanae Takaichi was "sad" over the passing of Yasuo Fukuda.
"Based on his rich experience and excellent knowledge, even when faced with extremely difficult issues, he has always done his best and continued to promote relevant work one by one," Sanae Takaichi told reporters at the Prime Minister's Residence.
"As chairman of the Hokkaido Lake Toya Summit, he also vigorously demonstrated our country's presence to the world."
Sanae Takaichi was referring to the Leaders’ Summit of the Organization of Eight Major Industrial Countries (G8) held in July 2008—at that time, Russia was still not excluded from the group.
Yasuo Fukuda was born in Tokyo on July 16, 1936. His ancestral home is Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture. His father, Takeo Fukuda, was first a member of the House of Representatives representing the Gunma Prefecture constituency and later became the prime minister.
Although he came from a political family, Fukuda was not very interested in professional politics when he was young. He spent 17 years as a "salary" in an oil company.
However, after his adopted brother Seio Yokote, who was originally trained as a political successor, became seriously ill, Yasuo Fukuda took over as his father's secretary and followed him to serve in the Prime Minister's residence.
In 1990, Takeo Fukuda retired. The then 53-year-old Yasuo Fukuda ran for his father and was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time.
Yasuo Fukuda served as Chief Cabinet Secretary for two prime ministers, Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi. During the tenure of Junichiro Koizumi, the 911 terrorist attacks in the United States occurred. Yasuo Fukuda was regarded by the Japanese media as the main figure in the country's response to the subsequent impact.
When Junichiro Koizumi's successor Shinzo Abe announced his resignation, Yasuo Fukuda announced his candidacy for party president and immediately gained support from different factions within the party. His election made the Fukuda family the first family in Japan's constitutional history in which a father and his son successively served as prime ministers.
However, when he was elected, Yasuo Fukuda, who was described as having a short temper by the outside world, once said with a smile that in the face of the split between the ruling and opposition parties in Congress and the ability of the opposition parties to delay the legislative process, he "maybe got the lottery" when he was elected prime minister.
In 2008, U.S. soldiers stationed in Japan were suspected of raping a 14-year-old girl in Okinawa. Yasuo Fukuda said this was "unforgivable." However, in 2003, he was exposed by domestic media that he privately said that some women invited themselves to be raped because of their revealing clothes. "People who dress like that have their own problems."
Late at night on September 1, 2008, Yasuo Fukuda announced his resignation as prime minister, causing an uproar in public opinion. Some commentators accused him of "giving up power", and the Mainichi Shimbun even described his behavior as "political drifting without conviction." On September 24, Taro Aso was elected prime minister and officially succeeded Yasuo Fukuda.
