Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda Passes Away at 90

Yasuo Fukuda, one of Japan's former prime ministers and the country's first second-generation leader, has passed away at the age of 90 due to heart failure. According to a report by the Nikkei newspaper, Fukuda passed away on Thursday.

Having graduated from the economics department of Waseda University in Tokyo, Yasuo Fukuda worked at an oil company for about two years before becoming the political secretary to his father, Takeo Fukuda, when he became prime minister in 1976. Elected to the lower house of parliament in 1990, Fukuda served as chief cabinet secretary from 2000 to 2004, eventually stepping down after being among the ministers who admitted to failing to pay premiums into the pension system.

Taking over the premiership after Shinzo Abe's resignation in 2007, Fukuda served for less than a year due to a divided parliament and the opposition slowing down the legislative process, resigning in 2008. After leaving office, Fukuda made diplomatic visits to improve relations with neighboring countries, notably China, and left behind a son named Tatsuo, who is also a lawmaker and seen among potential future prime ministers.