Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, at age 90, still has an amazingly clear mind when China Daily did an exclusive interview with him at his home. Also, his talks were awash with wit and humor. For him, an advanced age does not mean sissy. He does whatever he can and deals with his own busy schedule – he is invited to deliver speeches on Japan's war history, war responsibilities and future on every corner of Japan. He is gratified to find that his talks are well received by his young audience. Murayama, though retired, is still a towering figure in Japan's politics.

Q: What's your opinion on Japanese prime minister's visit to Yasukuni Shrine?

A: I don't think it is an issue when ordinary Japanese people pay respects to Japan's fallen soldiers or their own relatives at Yasukuni. However, a visit by a Japanese prime minister is a clear violation of the peace treaty Japan signed with its neighboring countries after the war. Japan accepted the convictions of the Class A war criminals by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. As a result, Japan has grown into what it is today. A prime minister's pilgrimage to the shrine means that Japan is going back on its political pledge. He should not visit.

Q: What do you think that Japan should do to resolve the Yasukuni issue, which causes such diplomatic fallout?

A: Japanese prime ministers should shun the shrine, not least to support separation of religion and the state. Yasukuni was a Shinto site where Japan honored its fallen soldiers before the war. Now it pays homage to war criminals, and exhibitions within its walls extol wars. Those prime ministers who make pilgrimages to the shrine should be publicly criticized.