Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian

 
China expressed deep condolences over the passing of former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and extended sincere sympathy to his family, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday, calling Murayama as a long-standing friend of the Chinese people. 

Japan's former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama dies at 101, multiple Japanese media reported on Friday. 

Murayama was born on March 3, 1924, in Oita City, Oita Prefecture, and became prime minister in 1994. On August 15, 1995, Murayama issued the historic cabinet-endorsed statement, "Murayama Statement," in which he acknowledged that Japan had pursued a misguided national policy and followed the path of war. The statement explicitly recognized that Japan's "colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations," and expressed "deep remorse and heartfelt apology." The statement was widely recognized by the international community.

Lin said Murayama was a long-standing friend of the Chinese people and devoted himself to promoting China-Japan friendship. During his visit to China in May 1995, then Prime Minister Murayama toured the Lugou Bridge and the Museum of the War of the Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, where he inscribed the words: "Face up to history, pray for Japan-China friendship and everlasting peace." 

On August 15 that same year, marking the 50th anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender, Murayama delivered an official statement on Japan's wartime history, expressing deep remorse for Japan's colonial rule and aggression and extending apologies to the countries that suffered from the war. As a statesman with a strong sense of justice, Murayama's contributions to the cause of China-Japan friendship will be remembered forever, the spokesperson said. 

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The "Murayama Statement" represents a solemn acknowledgment and commitment by the Japanese government to the people of victim countries in Asia and the international community regarding that period of aggression and colonial rule, Lin said, noting that the commitment should be faithfully upheld.  

China hopes that Japan will face up to and reflect on its history of aggression, stay committed to the path of peaceful development, and take concrete actions to build trust with its Asian neighbors and the international community. China also hopes that the two sides will work together to foster a constructive and stable China-Japan relationship that meets the requirements of the new era, Lin said.