Takeo Fukuda; Former Japanese Prime Minister

Former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, one of Japan’s most conservative leaders, who embodied the nation’s old work ethic but also fought pressures to enlarge military spending, died Wednesday in a Tokyo hospital of emphysema. He was 90.

Fukuda, who led Japan from 1976 to 1978, was known for promising Asians that Japan would never again make itself a military power and for resisting Americans who urged Japan to spend more to build up its military establishment.

The pacifist streak came from Fukuda’s experience as budget director in the Finance Ministry in the waning days of World War II. In interviews decades later, Fukuda recalled presiding over allocations for military spending of up to 52% of Japan’s gross national product as the nation headed toward defeat.

His achievements as prime minister included a peace and friendship treaty with China, and a “Fukuda Doctrine” to promote ties between Japan and Southeast Asia and support increased cooperation among Southeast Asians, including Vietnamese. The no-military-giant pledge was part of the doctrine.

He also persuaded then-President Jimmy Carter to allow Japan to proceed with the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel--a decision that was later to assume controversial proportions as Japan began producing large amounts of plutonium that can be used to make nuclear bombs.

Critics faulted Fukuda for promoting what he called an “all-directional foreign policy,” including promotion of ties with Communist countries--despite Japan’s alliance with the United States, and for paying a $6-million ransom and releasing prisoners to meet the demands of airline hijackers in 1977.

Fukuda often boasted of reminding Americans, including then-Vice President George Bush, that Japan had once built one of the world’s three strongest navies and one of its five strongest armies.

“Now, with the economy 25 times bigger and great advances in scientific and technological capacity, Japan could very quickly become a great military power--indeed, a super-great military power,” he recalled arguing in the 1970s and 1980s. “Would that meet your wishes?”

“Absolutely not!” he quoted Bush as responding in a 1981 meeting.

Fukuda was so diligent that he dubbed his government the “Let’s Work Cabinet.” He railed against what he viewed as a social trend of “irresponsibility” and of ignoring service to the nation. Particularly distasteful to him was a popular love song titled “The World Exists for the Two of Us.” He insisted that Japanese should live by the opposite standard, dedicating themselves to the world.