Former Japanese premier Yasuo Fukuda, noted for Japan-China outreach, dies at 90

Yasuo Fukuda, former prime minister of Japan, died at the age of 90, according to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He served a single year in office, from September 2007 until September 2008, a period during which he sought to improve Japan’s relationship with China. Early in his term he traveled to Beijing and later invited Chinese President Hu Jintao to visit Japan, making Hu the first Chinese head of state to do so in a decade.

Fukuda’s conciliatory approach continued the policy of his predecessor Shinzo Abe, contrasting with the more confrontational stance of Junichiro Koizumi, whose visits to the Yasukuni shrine had soured ties. Notably, Fukuda was the first Japanese premier whose father, Takeo Fukuda, had also served as prime minister. His death marks the passing of a figure associated with a brief but significant diplomatic effort.