Tomiichi Murayama, Japan PM Who Apologized for Wartime Aggression, Dies at 101

Tomiichi Murayama, a former Japanese prime minister best known for his landmark 1995 apology for the country’s colonial rule and wartime aggression, died on Oct. 17, 2025. He was 101.

Murayama, who led Japan for 17 months from June 1994, presided over a turbulent period that included the Great Hanshin Earthquake and the Aum Shinrikyo cult’s sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. However, his most enduring legacy is the “Murayama Statement,” which expressed “profound remorse” for the “tremendous damage and suffering” Japan inflicted upon other Asian nations. The statement marked a pivotal moment in postwar reconciliation, as it was the first time a Japanese government officially characterized its past actions as “colonial rule” and “aggression.”