Former Japan PM Yasuo Fukuda, Who Sought Better China Ties, Dies At 90

Former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, known for trying to build stable ties with China, has died at the age of 90, a ruling party official said on Monday.

Fukuda passed away on October 22, the official from the Liberal Democratic Party told AFP.

He led Japan for a year from September 2007 after replacing the late premier Shinzo Abe, who's first term ended after just 12 months.

During his stint in power, he sought to improve relations with China and invited then-Chinese president Hu Jintao to visit Japan.

Hu's trip in May 2008 made him the first Chinese head of state to visit the country in a decade.

The two leaders issued a joint statement committing to a "mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests".

Fukuda resigned in September 2008 as his approval ratings dropped. He retired as a politician in 2012.

But as Tokyo's ties with Beijing worsened over a disputed island chain and other historical issues, Fukuda visited China in 2014 to hold talks with President Xi Jinping, paving the way for a summit between Xi and Abe during his second term in power.

Beijing remembered him as "an old friend".

"Mr. Yasuo Fukuda was an old friend of the Chinese people and made positive contributions to promoting the improvement and development of China-Japan relations," Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a news briefing.

Guo pointed to "the integrity and sense of responsibility of the older generation of Japanese statesmen", and urged "the current Japanese leadership" to reflect deeply.

Relations between the countries soured after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last year that Japan could intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory.

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