Japan's Former PM Obuchi Dies After Weeks in Coma

Japan's Former PM Obuchi Dies After Weeks in Coma

Former Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, who had been in a coma for six weeks after suffering a stoke, died on Sunday in Tokyo. He was 62.

Obuchi died at 4:07 p.m. (0707 GMT) in Tokyo's Juntendo Hospital, according to Michiko Shimizu, an official in Obuchi's administrative office.

It was reported earlier in the day that Obuchi's blood pressure had dropped to a near-critical level and that he was becoming unresponsive to medication to stimulate circulation.

On Saturday, Japanese media reported that the former prime minister was in a very serious condition and many senior politicians canceled plans to leave Tokyo for the weekend.

Obuchi was elected to the House of Representatives at the age of 26. He served 12 terms in the Diet, or Japanese parliament, and had headed up many important ministries and the Liberal Democratic Party.

In July 1998, Obuchi was elected prime minister amid a decade-long economic crisis. On April 2, he was hospitalized following a stoke. Officials said that he had been in bad condition for "over-exhaustion."

His successor, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, took office on April 5 and pledged to stick to Obuchi's policies.

Obuchi is survived by his wife, Chizuko, two daughters and a son.