Koichi Kato, former lawmaker of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and former president of Japan-China Friendship Association (JCFA), passed away on Friday at the age of 77, local media reported Saturday.

Koichi Kato died of pneumonia at a hospital in Tokyo Friday, said local reports.

Kato held a seat in the House of Representatives in the National Diet for 13 terms between 1972 and 2012. He also served as chief cabinet secretary and LDP secretary general at different times.

Kato always called for Japan to reflect on its history of aggression. He was also a known critic of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's new security laws.

Kato was president of the Japan-China friendship Association between 2008 and 2015. He paid many visits to China in his life, including a visit to the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing in 1994.

Source : XINHUA