Yohei Kono, Japanese lawmaker who issued landmark apology over wartime brothels, dies at 89
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- Yohei Kono died Monday at age 89, according to local media; no cause was specified
- As Japan's chief cabinet secretary in August 1993, Kono issued the Kono Statement — the first time Tokyo acknowledged the Imperial Army forced women, many Korean, into military brothels
- Kono was a rare moderate in the LDP and a staunch opponent of former PM Shinzo Abe's push to revise Japan's pacifist constitution and expand military capabilities
- In 2014, a Japanese government review concluded South Korea helped draft the original 1993 statement; Seoul disputed the finding, calling it an attempt to gloss over the facts
- Kono served as deputy premier in Tomiichi Murayama's 1995 coalition government, which issued a separate 'heartfelt apology' for Japan's wartime aggression
- Kono's son Taro Kono — also a lawmaker — donated part of his liver to his father in 2002 after Kono's liver failed from decades-long hepatitis; the surgery succeeded
Why it matters: Kono's death removes one of the last LDP figures to publicly own Japan's wartime sexual slavery, with PM Takaichi honoring his contrition in a public tribute. His 1993 admission remains a diplomatic flashpoint with South Korea, where a 2014 government review finding that Seoul helped draft the apology is still disputed by Seoul.
