Ministry Minutes | China expresses condolences over passing of Japan's former prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, urges current Japanese leadership to look inward

China extends deep condolences on the passing of former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda and offers sincere sympathies to his family, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Fukuda died of heart failure at a hospital in Tokyo on Thursday at the age of 90, Japanese media reported Monday.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a routine press conference in Beijing that Fukuda was an old friend of China who had made positive contributions to improving and developing China-Japan relations.

"He held a correct view of history and remained committed to friendship between the two countries," Guo said.

During his time as prime minister, Japan and China signed their fourth political document. After leaving office, he visited the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

Fukuda once pointed out that the four political documents between China and Japan set out the principles governing bilateral relations, which must always be borne in mind, with no backtracking on these principles, Guo noted.

"His remarks carried great weight, reflecting the credibility and responsibility of Japan's older generation of statesmen. Those running the Japanese government should look inward and do serious soul-searching," the spokesperson said.