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Quick facts for kids Tomiichi Murayama
村山富市
Official portrait, 1994

Prime Minister of Japan
In office 30 June 1994 – 11 January 1996
Monarch	Akihito
Deputy	Yōhei Kōno Ryutaro Hashimoto
Preceded by	Tsutomu Hata
Succeeded by	Ryutaro Hashimoto
Chairman of the Social Democratic Party
In office 25 September 1993 – 28 September 1996
Preceded by	Sadao Yamahana
Succeeded by	Takako Doi
Member of the House of Representatives for Oita 1st district
In office 11 December 1972 – 19 May 1980
Preceded by	Isamu Murakami
Succeeded by	Isamu Murakami
In office 19 December 1983 – 2 June 2000
Preceded by	Isamu Murakami
Succeeded by	Ban Kugimiya
Member of the Ōita Assembly for Ōita City
In office 1963–1972
Member of the Ōita City Council
In office 1955–1963

Personal details
Born	(1924-03-03) 3 March 1924 (age 101) Ōita, Empire of Japan
Political party	Social Democratic
Other political affiliations	Japan Socialist Party (Until 1996)
Spouse	Yoshie Murayama (m. 1953)
Alma mater	Meiji University
Signature

Military career
Allegiance	Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service	1944–1945
Rank	Officer candidate
Battles/wars	World War II

Tomiichi Murayama (村山富市, Murayama Tomiichi, born 3 March 1924) is a Japanese politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1994 to 1996. He was the first socialist prime minister in Japan since 1948.

Murayama is well-known for the Murayama Statement. This was an official apology for Japan's actions during past wars and colonial rule. He made this statement on the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Born in Ōita Prefecture, Murayama studied at Meiji University. He later became a leader in a labor union. He started his political career in 1955. He was elected to the Ōita City Council as a member of the Japan Socialist Party. He then moved up to the Ōita Prefectural Assembly and later to the National Diet (Japan's parliament).

In 1994, he became prime minister. He led a new group of parties, including his own Socialist Party and the Liberal Democratic Party. His government faced challenges like the Great Hanshin earthquake and the Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995. He resigned in 1996. He later changed the Japan Socialist Party into the Social Democratic Party.

Murayama is currently the oldest living former prime minister of Japan.

Early Life and Education

A teenage Murayama while working at a printing company.

Tomiichi Murayama was born in Ōita Prefecture on March 3, 1924. His father was a fisherman. In 1943, he began studying philosophy at Meiji University.

However, in 1944, he was called to serve his country. He worked in shipyards and then joined the Imperial Japanese Army. He served as a private second class. After Japan surrendered, he left the army.

Political Journey

Starting a Career in Politics

In 1951, Murayama first tried to get elected to the Ōita City Council. He didn't win that time. In 1953, he married Yoshie Murayama.

In 1955, he ran for the Ōita City Council again and won. He was a member of the Japan Socialist Party. He served on the council for eight years. Then, in 1963, he was elected to the Prefectural Assembly of Ōita. He served there for nine years.

In 1972, he was elected to the National Diet (Japan's parliament). He was elected nine more times from his district.

Leading the Socialist Party

Murayama became the chairman of the National Diet Committee when Makoto Tanabe became the leader of the Japan Socialist Party (JSP). In 1992, there was a big debate about whether Japan's military, the Japan Self-Defense Forces, should join United Nations peacekeeping missions. Murayama was a main leader against this idea. However, the bill passed.

Because of his role, he worked with leaders from other parties. In 1993, the LDP lost many seats in an election. The JSP also lost seats. New parties formed, and a new government was created without the LDP. The JSP was part of this new government.

After the 1993 election, the JSP leader resigned. Murayama was then chosen as the new leader of the Japan Socialist Party.

Becoming Prime Minister

The new government, led by Morihiro Hosokawa, lasted for about a year. After Hosokawa resigned, there was a lot of discussion about who would be the next prime minister. Eventually, Tsutomu Hata became prime minister.

However, Murayama felt that the JSP was being left out of important decisions. So, he announced that the JSP would leave the government. This left Hata's government with fewer members.

On June 25, 1994, Hata's government resigned. Soon after, leaders from the LDP talked with Murayama. They agreed that Murayama would become the next prime minister. Some LDP members did not like this idea. But in the end, Murayama won the vote. He became the first Socialist Prime Minister since 1955.

Murayama's Time as Prime Minister

Murayama at the plenary session of the House of Representatives, 20 July 1994

The government led by Murayama was a mix of different parties. It helped to end the long-standing conflict between the LDP and the JSP.

Many people praised Murayama's government. They said it helped unite national opinion on important issues.

Key Policies and Goals

Before forming the government, the LDP, New Party Sakigake, and JSP agreed on several main policies. These included:

Respecting the Constitution of Japan.
Making changes to how elections were held.
Reforming the government's administration.
Considering raising the consumption tax (sales tax).
Keeping the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.
Actively joining United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Murayama said he wanted "people-friendly politics." He also wanted "peace of mind politics" for everyone in Japan.

The Murayama Statement

One of Murayama's most important actions was the "Murayama Statement." This happened on August 15, 1995. It was the 50th anniversary of the end of the Pacific War.

In this statement, Murayama officially apologized for Japan's "invasion" and "colonial domination" in Asia. This happened before and during the Pacific War and Second Sino-Japanese War.

All prime ministers after Murayama have said they will follow this statement. The "Murayama Statement" is now the official view of the Japanese government on these historical events.

How the Statement Was Made

The three parties in Murayama's government agreed that a statement was needed. Murayama had visited countries in ASEAN (Southeast Asia). He felt that these countries still had concerns about Japan's past actions.

It was hard to create a statement that everyone agreed on. Many politicians wanted a stronger or weaker apology. But Murayama was determined. He said that if he, as a Socialist Party leader, could not issue such a statement, he would resign.

On August 15, 1995, the statement was read out at a cabinet meeting. All cabinet members approved it without any objections. The Murayama Statement was then released.

Reactions to the Statement

Murayama said he was just "stating the obvious thing." He did not expect that future prime ministers would fully respect it. But they have.

The Murayama Statement is seen as Japan's official understanding of history. Other prime ministers, like Junichiro Koizumi, have also issued statements that follow Murayama's.

Some politicians in Japan have different views. They sometimes deny crimes committed by Japan. This often leads to criticism from countries like China and South Korea. These politicians often say that Japan has already apologized and paid for its past actions.

In 2008, a high-ranking military official was fired for writing a paper that questioned if Japan was an aggressive nation. This showed how important the Murayama Statement was. Even Shinzo Abe, who had been critical of the statement before, said his government would respect it.

Helping Women Affected by War

In July 1995, the Asian Women's Fund was created. Murayama strongly supported this. The fund aimed to help women who suffered during the war.

The idea was for private citizens to donate money to the fund. This way, it would show the sincere feelings of the Japanese people. Murayama himself became the second head of the fund after he left office. The fund worked to support women's honor and dignity. It closed in March 2007 after completing its projects.

Foreign Relations

When Murayama became prime minister, Japan's foreign policy mostly continued from the previous government.

Relations with the United States

At first, then-President of the United States Bill Clinton was unsure about a Socialist prime minister. But at a meeting in 1994, Murayama spoke about his humble background. Clinton was very impressed. He supported Murayama at later international meetings.

Murayama had not traveled much overseas before becoming prime minister. He was nervous but managed well.

Keeping the Japan-US Security Treaty

On July 20, 1994, Murayama made a big announcement. He said that the Self-Defense Forces were allowed by the constitution. He also said that the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty would be kept.

This was a major change for his Socialist Party. Before this, the party had been against the treaty. This decision was made from the top of the party. But the party has since accepted it. Today, the SDP (the new name for the JSP) still supports this more moderate view.

Domestic Policies

Many important issues were handled during Murayama's time as prime minister. These included reforms and new laws.

Accepting Nuclear Power

The Socialist Party had always been against nuclear power. But under Murayama, the party changed its stance. They stated that some nuclear power was necessary to meet electricity needs.

Recycling Law

A new law was passed under Murayama. It was called the Act on Promotion of Separate Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging. This law made it mandatory to separate recyclable items from regular trash.

Narita Airport Issue

The Sanrizuka Struggle was a long-standing conflict over land for Narita International Airport. By Murayama's time, the protests were less violent. In 1995, Murayama apologized to the local people for the problems caused by the airport's construction. This apology helped to ease tensions. Some landowners then agreed to sell their land.

Selective Surname System

Murayama strongly supported allowing married couples to keep their original surnames. This is known as the selective surname system.

Religious Corporations Law

After the Tokyo subway sarin attack by Aum Shinrikyo, Murayama wanted to change the law about religious groups. This led to debates about the Soka Gakkai group. The new law was passed, making it easier to oversee religious organizations.

Murayama was critical of the Soka Gakkai's political activities. He wanted to make sure that no single political party controlled the country.

Strengthening the Prime Minister's Office

Murayama felt that the Prime Minister's Office needed more political staff. He created new positions called "Assistant to the Prime Minister." These assistants were chosen from elected officials. They helped the prime minister with speeches and gathering information. This made the Prime Minister's Office more involved in political decisions.

After Politics

With Yoshihiko Okabe (28 November 2015)

In 2000, Murayama retired from politics. He traveled to North Korea in 2000 to help improve relations between the two countries.

The Asian Women's Fund, which he supported, was dissolved on March 31, 2007. This happened after it had completed its work.

Tomiichi Murayama turned 100 years old on March 3, 2024.

Honours

Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers (2006)