Japan and its leaders on Friday mourned the death of former South African President Nelson Mandela, calling the country's first black president a "great leader" and a man "filled with warmness."
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that Mandela, who died Thursday at age 95, "fought (with) a strong will to eliminate apartheid and achieved a great deal by putting national reconciliation at the center of his nation-building."
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida offered his condolences to Mandela's family as well as the government and people of South Africa.