Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda dies at 90

Former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda died on Thursday at the age of 90, his son announced on Monday, The Japan Times reported. Local media, including the Nikkei business daily, said he died of heart failure at a Tokyo hospital.

Fukuda took office in September 2007 after Shinzo Abe's abrupt resignation and stepped down in 2008, less than a year later. He and his father, Takeo Fukuda, were Japan's first father-and-son pair to serve as prime minister. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed "deep sorrow" at his death, Reuters reported.

Why it matters: Fukuda was known for seeking closer ties with China and other Asian neighbors, both in office and afterward.