Politicians, businesspeople and close friends were among those who mourned on Friday the death of former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, as they praised his contribution to shaping Japan and boosting its presence as a member of the Western bloc.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who described Nakasone as someone who navigated the nation at a critical juncture in its postwar history, said in a statement, "I can't help but feel deeply sad. Together with the rest of Japan, I offer my heartfelt condolences."

Reflecting on Nakasone's legacy, Abe added, "He carried the heavy responsibility of being prime minister for five years amid difficult affairs at home and abroad, including the Cold War and the height of the U.S.-Japan trade war."

Abe also touched on Nakasone's close bond with former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and his pursuit of a robust bilateral alliance, saying, "He played an important role in maintaining world peace and economic stability, and greatly advanced Japan's international standing."

Hirofumi Nakasone, son of the former prime minister, said his father was considering the nation's future until the last moment. "He lived out his life as politician," the former foreign minister said in a statement.

Taku Yamasaki, who served as deputy chief Cabinet secretary under Nakasone, spoke highly of the former prime minister's character.

"Out of all the politicians in postwar Japan, he had the most dignity and aura," Yamasaki told reporters in Fukuoka.

Hiroaki Nakanishi, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, the country's biggest business lobby, said Nakasone "was one of our greatest politicians who in many ways created the foundation (for Japan)."

Tsuneo Watanabe, editor-in-chief of The Yomiuri Shimbun daily and a close friend of Nakasone, said, "I feel the same shock as if my parents died. I don't know anyone as hardworking or well-read as him, and there's nobody I respect more."

Nakasone, in office between 1982 and 1987, was known for the "Ron-Yasu" relationship in which he and Reagan called each other on a first-name basis, at the time of Japan's rise as an economic power and bilateral trade friction.

"I'm sure there were difficult times, but he left behind immense achievements," said 58-year-old Shinichiro Numata, a representative of sweets store Koshindo in Hinode, western Tokyo, which started selling commemorative "Ron-Yasu" steamed buns when Nakasone hosted Reagan and his wife Nancy at a villa in the town in 1983.

"The steamed buns even now remain a special product," Numata said.

Meanwhile, Shoshu Hirai, the 51-year-old head priest of Zenshoan, a Zen temple in Tokyo's Yanaka district, said Nakasone "was a sincere and frank person who listened diligently even to people young enough to be his grandchildren."

Nakasone is said to have frequented the temple almost every week during his tenure as prime minister to practice Zen meditation with Hirai's father, the head priest at the time, for around an hour and a half.

Amid lots of political issues, Nakasone then said he could renew his mind through the meditation and face his duties afresh, Hirai recounted.

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