Japan’s ex-Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone dead at 101

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, a giant of his country’s post-World War II politics who pushed for a more assertive Japan while strengning military ties with United States, has died. He was 101. office of his son, Hirofumi Nakasone, confirmed that Nakasone died Friday at a Tokyo hospital where he was recently treated. As a World War II navy officer, Yasuhiro Nakasone witnessed depths of his country’s utter defeat and devastation. Four deces later, he presided over Japan in 1980s at pinnacle of its ecomic success.

In recent years, he lobbied for revision of war-reuncing U.S.-drafted constitution, a longtime cause that postwar leer has achieved to date. Nakasone began his political career as a fiery nationalist deuncing U.S. occupation that lasted from 1945 to 1952, but by 1980s he was a stalwart ally of America kwn for his warm relations with President Ronald Reagan. He boosted defense spending, tried to revise Japan’s U.S.-drafted pacifist constitution and drew criticism for his unabashed appeals to patriotism.

In 1950s, he was a driving force behind building nuclear reactors in resource-poor Japan, a move that helped propel Japan’s strong ecomic growth after World War II but drew renewed scrutiny in aftermath of meltdowns at a nuclear plant in Fukushima swamped by a tsunami in 2011. son of a lumber merchant, Nakasone was born May 27, 1918, last year of World War I. He went to Tokyo Imperial University before entering Interior Ministry and n navy, where he rose to rank of lieutenant commander during World War II.

In his last news conference as prime minister, he said his political ambitions were sparked after war by “ conviction I felt as I gazed bewildered at burned ruins of Tokyo.” “How can this country be revived into a happy and flourishing state?” he said. He established his nationalist credentials by campaigning for parliament riding a white bicycle bearing “rising sun,” or “Himaru” national flag, which Japan’s wartime military h used. He won a seat in 1947, becoming youngest member of parliament at 28.

Nakasone became a leing figure in Liberal Democratic Party that has dominated postwar politics. During more than a half-century in parliament, he served as defense chief, top of powerful Ministry of International Tre and Industry, and secretary-general of ruling Liberal Democratic Party before becoming prime minister. Nakasone assailed U.S.-drafted postwar constitution, demanding revision of document’s war-reuncing Article 9 and urging a military buildup.

He was a key figure behind crafting and ramming through government funding for nuclear research in 1954, less than a dece after U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing 200,000 people in last days of war. In 1955, he helped pass legislation designed to promote nuclear power. “Atomic power used to be a beast, but w it’s cattle,” he told a parliamentary session in 1954.

In a 2006 speech marking 50th anniversary of Japan’s first nuclear institute in Tokaimura, Nakasone said he was intrigued by nuclear power as he tried to figure out why Japan lost war. “My conclusion was that one of biggest reasons was ( lack of) science and techlogy,” he said. “I felt strongly that Japan would end up being a lowly farming nation forever unless we take a bold step to develop science and techlogy.” After Fukushima disaster in 2011, re was a public backlash against nuclear energy, but Nakasone said it remained indispensable to maintain Japan’s industrial growth.

As prime minister from 1982 to 1987, Nakasone broke mold of Japanese politician. His outspokenness appealed to voters, and he was praised for putting a human face on Japanese politics. His tongue sometimes got him in trouble. He sparked outr in 1986 by suggesting Japan was an ecomic success because it didn’t have mirities with lower intellectual levels. He was first Japanese prime minister to visit South Korea, a country with bitter memories of its 1910-1945 colonization by Japan. That was his first trip abro as leer, a break from his predecessors, who me Washington ir first stop.

Despite that gesture, Nakasone was staunchly committed to Japan’s alliance with U.S., and his warm friendship with Reagan was kwn as “Ron-Yasu” diplomacy. His premiership coincided with a period of major tre disputes with West. Responding to U.S. complaints that Japanese markets were closed, Nakasone initiated packs to reduce tariffs and or import barriers, including a long-term plan to shift Japan’s export-dependent ecomy to focus more on domestic growth. He also privatized sprawling Japan National Railways — today’s Japan Railways group — as well as state telephone and tobacco companies.

Nakasone’s nationalist legacy includes first official visit in 1985 by a postwar prime minister to Yasukuni Shrine, which hors war de, including Japan’s convicted war criminals. His visit fueled disputes with china and South Korea over World War II history that persist to this day. Nakasone overcame opposition from Japan’s strong pacifist forces to boost defense budgets, and excluded military techlogy cooperation with U.S. from Japan’s ban on arms exports.

“Japanese cowered under (postwar U.S.) occupation and occupation policies,” Nakasone said just before stepping down as prime minister in 1987. “It is important to revive from that cowered spirit — that is healthy nationalism.” But Nakasone also said Japan should remain a war-reuncing nation. “We must stick to our commitment as a pacifist nation. We have caused tremendous trouble to our neighboring countries in past war,” Nakasone said in a 2011 interview with public brocaster NHK. “Our commitment to peace must be centerpiece of Japan’s domestic and diplomatic policies.”

Both nationalist and wrestling with same issues — stronger military, constitutional revision and tre friction with U.S. — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been compared to Nakasone by some Japanese media and analysts. But Japan that Abe les today is longer at its peak and China is w a rival to U.S., and Abe is seen more hawkish toward Beijing’s aspirations.

In later life, Nakasone became one of Japan’s leing elder statesmen. He promoted his longtime dream of revising U.S.-drafted constitution and prouncing his views on national and international affairs. He h attended an annual May rally campaigning for a constitutional revision until he skipped one just before turning 100, when he h a hand injury and couldn’t use his cane to rise from his wheelchair. He retired from parliament in 2003, at 85, when he was pushed to retire from parliament after n-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged him to step aside in upcoming elections to make way for a younger lawmaker. Nakasone complied, but he accused Koizumi of discrimination and lack of respect for his elders.

He publicly re a haiku poem. In his 100th birthday mess, Nakasone said that he was t done yet, and that same haiku still best described his spirit:

Even after dusk,

Cica persists in song,

While it still has life.

Nakasone is survived by his son Hirofumi — a parliamentarian — two daughters, and three grandchildren.