TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who was known for his 1995 “Murayama statement” apologizing to Asian victims of his country’s aggression, died Friday. He was 101.
Murayama died at a hospital in his hometown Oita, southwestern Japan, according to a statement by Mizuho Fukushima, the head of Japan's Social Democratic Party.
Click to Gallery
FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, left, with first lady Leah Rabin, shares a smile with Japanese counterpart Tomiichi Murayama upon his arrival for a welcome ceremony for him on Dec. 12, 1994, at the Akasaka state guest house in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Tsugufumi Matsumoto, Pool, File)
FILE - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, right, meets former Japanese Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi before a banquet to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations at the Great Hall of the People on Sept. 27, 2007, in Beijing. (Andrew Wong/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Irish President Mary Robinson, right, smiles at Japans Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, center left, prior to the dinner at the Akasaka Palace, Feb. 23, 1995, Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)
FILE - Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama holds a basket of Washington state apples which President Bill Clinton gave him prior to the start of their joint news conference at the White House in Washington, Jan. 11, 1995. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson, File)
FILE - Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama stands before reporters prior to his statement of war remorse at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Aug. 15, 1995. (AP Photo/Naokazu Oinuma, File)
As head of what was then known as the Japan Socialist Party, Murayama led a coalition government from June 1994 to January 1996.
He is best remembered for the “Murayama statement,” an apology he issued on the 50th anniversary of Japan’s unconditional surrender ending World War II on Aug. 15, 1995. It's seen as Japan’s main expression of remorse for its wartime and colonial past.
“During a certain period in the not too distant past, Japan, following a mistaken national policy, advanced along the road to war ... and, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations,” he said in the statement.
“In the hope that no such mistake be made in the future, I regard, in a spirit of humility, these irrefutable facts of history, and express here once again my feelings of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apology.”
Murayama was first elected to parliament in 1972 as a socialist lawmaker after working for a labor union and serving in a local assembly.
When he became prime minister in 1994, he broke with his party's longtime opposition to the Japan-U.S. security alliance and Japan's Self-Defense Forces, recognizing them as constitutional in a speech given in the face of yelling by angry members of his party.
In 1995, Murayama dealt with two major disasters: a massive earthquake in the western port city of Kobe that killed more than 6,400 people, and a Tokyo subway gas attack that killed 13 and injured more than 6,000 people. He came under fire for slow responses to both.
He resigned early the following year in an unexpected announcement that came as he returned to work after the 1996 New Year holidays. Murayama said he had done what he could in a year marking the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. He said he made the decision while looking at the blue sky in the new year.
Murayama was active in politics even after his retirement in 2000, frequently criticizing attempts by his more nationalist successors to back away from responsibility for Japan's wartime action.
The Murayama statement set a standard followed by all prime ministers for nearly two decades, until nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stopped apologizing in 2013 as members of his Liberal Democratic Party said it interfered with Japan’s national pride. That included Abe's protege Sanae Takaichi, who was recently elected party leader and is now poised to become prime minister next week.
This year, outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed “remorse” over the war, marking the first time a Japanese leader has used the word in their annual Aug. 15 address since Abe shunned it.
Murayama also criticized the government’s reluctance to acknowledge that the Japanese government during World War II systematically forced Asian women to provide sex for Japanese soldiers at military brothels.
“A historical view saying Japan's war was not aggression, or calling it justice or liberation from colonialism, is absolutely unacceptable not only in China, South Korea or other Asian countries but also in America and Europe,” Murayama said in a statement in 2020.
He also stressed the importance of Japan establishing a lasting friendship with China, noting the “tremendous damage” his country caused to its neighbor because of its past war of aggression. “In order to build peace and stability in Asia, we must build stable politics, economics, cultural interactions and development.”
FILE - Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, left, with first lady Leah Rabin, shares a smile with Japanese counterpart Tomiichi Murayama upon his arrival for a welcome ceremony for him on Dec. 12, 1994, at the Akasaka state guest house in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Tsugufumi Matsumoto, Pool, File)
FILE - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, right, meets former Japanese Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi before a banquet to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations at the Great Hall of the People on Sept. 27, 2007, in Beijing. (Andrew Wong/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - Irish President Mary Robinson, right, smiles at Japans Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, center left, prior to the dinner at the Akasaka Palace, Feb. 23, 1995, Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)
FILE - Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama holds a basket of Washington state apples which President Bill Clinton gave him prior to the start of their joint news conference at the White House in Washington, Jan. 11, 1995. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson, File)
FILE - Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama stands before reporters prior to his statement of war remorse at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Aug. 15, 1995. (AP Photo/Naokazu Oinuma, File)
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss Iran's deadly protests at the request of the United States, even as President Donald Trump left unclear what actions he would take against the Islamic state.
Tehran appeared to make conciliatory statements in an effort to defuse the situation after Trump threatened to take action to stop further killing of protesters, including the execution of anyone detained in Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.
Iran’s crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,615, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The death toll exceeds any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for hours without explanation early Thursday and some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait also ordered its personnel to “temporary halt” travel to the multiple military bases in the small Gulf Arab country.
Iran previously closed its airspace during the 12-day war against Israel in June.
Here is the latest:
U.S. President Donald Trump has hailed as “good news” reports that the death sentence has been lifted for an Iranian shopkeeper arrested in a violent crackdown on protests.
Relatives of 26-year-old Erfan Soltani had said he faced imminent execution.
Trump posed Thursday on his Truth Social site: “FoxNews: ‘Iranian protester will no longer be sentenced to death after President Trump’s warnings. Likewise others.’ This is good news. Hopefully, it will continue!”
Iranian state media denied Soltani had been condemned to death. Iranian judicial authorities said Soltani was being held in a detention facility outside of the capital. Alongside other protesters, he has been accused of “propaganda activities against the regime,” state media said.
Trump sent tensions soaring this week by pledging that “help is on its way” to Iranian protesters and urging them to continue demonstrating against authorities in the Islamic Republic.
On Wednesday Trump signaled a possible de-escalation, saying he had been told that “the killing in Iran is stopping.”
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union’s main foreign policy chief said the G7 members were “gravely concerned” by the developments surrounding the protests, and that they “strongly oppose the intensification of the Iranian authorities’ brutal repression of the Iranian people.”
The statement, published on the EU’s website Thursday, said the G7 were “deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries” and condemned “the deliberate use of violence” by Iranian security forces against protesters.
The G7 members “remain prepared to impose additional restrictive measures if Iran continues to crack down on protests and dissent in violation of international human rights obligations,” the statement said.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has spoken with his counterpart in Iran, who said the situation was “now stable,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Abbas Araghchi said “he hoped China will play a greater role in regional peace and stability” during the talks, according to the statement from the ministry.
“China opposes imposing its will on other countries, and opposes a return to the ‘law of the jungle’,” Wang said.
“China believes that the Iranian government and people will unite, overcome difficulties, maintain national stability, and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests,” he added. “China hopes all parties will cherish peace, exercise restraint, and resolve differences through dialogue. China is willing to play a constructive role in this regard.”
“We are against military intervention in Iran,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told journalists in Istanbul on Thursday. “Iran must address its own internal problems… They must address their problems with the region and in global terms through diplomacy so that certain structural problems that cause economic problems can be addressed.”
Ankara and Tehran enjoy warm relations despite often holding divergent interests in the region.
Fidan said the unrest in Iran was rooted in economic conditions caused by sanctions, rather than ideological opposition to the government.
Iranians have been largely absent from an annual pilgrimage to Baghdad, Iraq, to commemorate the death of Imam Musa al-Kadhim, one of the twelve Shiite imams.
Many Iranian pilgrims typically make the journey every year for the annual religious rituals.
Streets across Baghdad were crowded with pilgrims Thursday. Most had arrived on foot from central and southern provinces of Iraq, heading toward the shrine of Imam al-Kadhim in the Kadhimiya district in northern Baghdad,
Adel Zaidan, who owns a hotel near the shrine, said the number of Iranian visitors this year compared to previous years was very small. Other residents agreed.
“This visit is different from previous ones. It lacks the large numbers of Iranian pilgrims, especially in terms of providing food and accommodation,” said Haider Al-Obaidi.
Europe’s largest airline group said Thursday it would halt night flights to and from Tel Aviv and Jordan's capital Amman for five days, citing security concerns as fears grow that unrest in Iran could spiral into wider regional violence.
Lufthansa — which operates Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings — said flights would run only during daytime hours from Thursday through Monday “due to the current situation in the Middle East.” It said the change would ensure its staff — which includes unionized cabin crews and pilots -- would not be required to stay overnight in the region.
The airline group also said its planes would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace, key corridors for air travel between the Middle East and Asia.
Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for several hours early Thursday without explanation.
A spokesperson for Israel’s Airport Authority, which oversees Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, said the airport was operating as usual.
Iranian state media has denied claims that a young man arrested during Iran’s recent protests was condemned to death. The statement from Iran’s judicial authorities on Thursday contradicted what it said were “opposition media abroad” which claimed the young man had been quickly sentenced to death during a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in the country.
State television didn’t immediately give any details beyond his name, Erfan Soltani. Iranian judicial authorities said Soltani was being held in a detention facility outside of the capital. Alongside other protesters, he has been accused of “propaganda activities against the regime,” state media said.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Thursday that his government was “appalled by the escalation of violence and repression” in Iran.
“We condemn the brutal crackdown being carried out by Iran’s security forces, including the killing of protesters,” Peters posted on X.
“Iranians have the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and access to information – and that right is currently being brutally repressed,” he said.
Peters said his government had expressed serious concerns to the Iranian Embassy in Wellington.
A demonstrator lights a cigarette with a burning poster depicting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of Iran's anti-government protests, in Holon, Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
