China, S. Korea Pay Tribute to Late Japan PM Murayama

Beijing/Seoul, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)–China and South Korea paid tribute to former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who died on Friday at the age of 101. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press conference that Murayama was a politician with a sense of justice, and that his contribution to promoting friendship between China and Japan will be remembered forever. Lin praised Murayama’s landmark 1995 statement, in which the then prime minister expressed remorse and apologized for Japan’s wartime actions, saying that the statement was a solemn declaration that should be observed. The Chinese government considers the Murayama statement important in assessing Japan’s recognition of its past. In 1995, Murayama became the first Japanese prime minister to visit the site of the 1937 Marco Polo Bridge incident on the outskirts of Beijing. The incident led to the Second Sino-Japanese War. He continued to visit China and worked to improve Japan-China relations. South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party of Korea released a statement noting that Murayama was a courageous leader who officially made a genuine apology and expressed a view on history. The party also said that he helped South Korea and Japan to overcome their unfortunate past and move toward a future-oriented cooperative relationship. The country’s Yonhap News Agency reported that Murayama was the first Japanese prime minister to officially refer to Japan’s colonial rule as an invasion, and that his statement was very progressive, considering the circumstances surrounding the Japanese government at that time. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]