CNN news: Former Prime Minister of Japan Kiichi Miyazawa, whose career stretched from Japan’s defeat in World War Two through the 1990s “lost decade” of economic stagnation, died on Thursday at the age of 87, his office said.

A finance expert at ease on the world stage and a diplomatic dove keen on better ties with Asia, Miyazawa first served as finance minister from 1986 to 1988, when low interest rates fueled soaring stock and land prices.

He was forced to resign the post over a shares-for-favors scandal that ensnared his party — only to return as prime minister just three years later.

For some, Miyazawa’s most enduring image was captured in 1992 when he cradled the head of U.S. President George Bush in his lap after Bush collapsed at a state banquet in Tokyo.(Source - CNN)