Yohei Kono, the veteran politician who issued a 1993 apology over Japan's wartime sexual abuse of comfort women, has died at 89. Officials confirmed he passed away of old age on Monday.
Yohei Kono served as chief Cabinet secretary when he delivered the apology following a government investigation. The statement acknowledged the Japanese military's role in forcing tens of thousands of women into frontline brothels. His remarks paved the way for a broader 1995 apology by then-Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama on Japan's wartime actions. Kono, born in January 1937, entered politics in 1967 and later held posts including speaker of the lower house and Liberal Democratic Party president until 2009. Kono remained engaged in diplomacy in later years, visiting China almost annually to support ties with neighbors. He died Monday, his son's office stated.