Yohei Kono, former speaker of Japan's House of Representatives who released the "Kono Statement" expressing apology and remorse over the issue of the Imperial Japanese Army's wartime comfort women, died on the 8th at age 89.
Born in 1937 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kono came from one of Japan's prominent political families. His father was Ichiro Kono, a former agriculture minister and construction minister, and his uncle was Kenzo Kono, who served as president of the House of Councilors. His son is lawmaker Taro Kono, a former digital minister.
Kono is well known in Korea as the figure who released the "Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono Statement" on Aug. 4, 1993, conveying the Japanese government's apology and remorse regarding the comfort women issue.
Through the statement at the time, Kono said the comfort women system was carried out under the military's involvement and inflicted deep wounds on the honor and dignity of many women.
Kono was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1967 as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. After entering politics by inheriting his father's constituency, he won 14 consecutive elections and led Japanese politics for a long time.
In 2003, he became speaker of the House of Representatives and served for about five and a half years. He did not run in the 2009 lower house election and retired from politics thereafter.