BEIJING ¨C Chinese President Xi Jinping says he is mourning the death of Tomiichi Murayama, who served as Â鶹´«Ã½ prime minister for about 1? years from June 1994.
Xi offered his condolences in a message sent to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Sunday, according to China¡¯s Foreign Ministry.
Murayama died on Friday at the age of 101.
The Chinese leader praised Murayama¡¯s long-time contributions to China-Japan relations, calling him an old friend of China.
Mentioning a statement Murayama issued on Aug. 15, 1995, the 50th anniversary of Â鶹´«Ã½ surrender in World War II and during his tenure as prime minister, Xi emphasized the importance of upholding the spirit shown in the document.
In the statement, Murayama expressed his ¡°feelings of deep remorse¡± and ¡°heartfelt apology¡± over ¡°tremendous damage and suffering¡± Japan caused to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations, through its ¡°colonial rule and aggression¡± before and during the war.
The Chinese president called on Japan to promote mutually beneficial strategic relations between the two nations.
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