Former Prime Minister of Japan Tomiichi Murayama died at the age of 102, Kyodo news agency reports.
Born in 1924 in Oita Prefecture, Murayama was elected as a member of the Socialist Party of Japan in 1972. In 1994, he became the 81st Prime Minister of Japan, leading the tripartite coalition government.
He declared the Japan Self-Defense Forces constitutional, defended the recognition and continuity of the Japanese national anthem and flag, and reaffirmed the permanence of the US-Japan alliance.
Murayama will go down in history as the prime minister who, in the so-called "Murayama Statement," acknowledged the error of Japan's policy that led to the war.
Afterwards, he regretted the suffering caused by Japan to Asian countries during the war and asked for forgiveness.
