Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda died at 90 on Oct. 22, Nikkei reported Monday; Reuters said his brief 2007-08 tenure ended amid a legislative stalemate.
Nikkei, the Japanese business daily, reported heart failure as the cause. Reuters said Fukuda became prime minister after Shinzo Abe resigned in 2007 and left office in 2008.
Reuters attributed the legislative deadlock to a divided Parliament and opposition parties able to slow bills, which frustrated Fukuda during his short time in office.
Fukuda was Japan’s first prime minister whose father had also held the post. Takeo Fukuda served as prime minister for two years, Reuters reported.
Before entering politics, Fukuda spent nearly 20 years at an oil company, including a two-year U.S. assignment. He left in 1976 to become political secretary to his father as Takeo Fukuda became prime minister, Reuters reported.
After leaving office, Fukuda made several trips to China seeking better ties as relations between the countries remained strained, Reuters reported.
