Former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi died yesterday in a Tokyo hospital where he had been in coma since suffering a stroke 43 days ago. Obuchi was 62 years old. He was greatly admired in Okinawa where he had maintained many close relations since his student days. He was also the man behind the decision to have the 2000 G8 Summit in the prefecture. Okinawa Governor Keiichi Inamine expressed shock when commenting the news about the former Prime Minister’s death. “Okinawa has so much to thank for Mr. Obuchi as he did so much for this prefecture. It had been his dream to see the Summit. We must thrive to make it a great success in his memory,” Inamine said. Nago City Mayor Tateo Kishimoto said his city would also remember the former Prime Minister. Kishimoto said, “Obuchi visited Nago many times during his lifetime. We have lost a great friend.”
