Yasuo Fukuda, former Prime Minister of Japan, died at the age of 90. He is remembered for promoting Japan-China relations during President Hu Jintao's tenure and for chairing the G8 summit in Hokkaido in 2008.
On 27 October 2026, Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) announced that former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda passed away on 22 October at the age of 90.
Fukuda was born in Tokyo in 1936. He initially worked at an oil company before serving as secretary to his father, Takeo Fukuda, an LDP member of the House of Representatives. When his father became prime minister, he served as executive secretary. Fukuda entered politics himself by winning a seat in the House of Representatives in 1990 and was re-elected seven consecutive times.
Fukuda previously held the position of Chief Cabinet Secretary under Prime Ministers Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi. In 2007, he won the LDP leadership election following Shinzo Abe's resignation and became prime minister at age 71.
In foreign affairs, Fukuda sought to strengthen ties with China, facilitating mutual visits with then-President Hu Jintao and negotiating development of natural gas resources in the East China Sea. He also chaired the G8 summit in Hokkaido, which agreed on a long-term goal to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, he resigned as prime minister in September of the same year amid low government approval ratings.
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed her condolences, stating that Fukuda used his experience and outstanding vision to address difficult challenges and raised Japan's international profile through his leadership at the Hokkaido G8 summit.
. NHK