What's happened
Former Japanese politician Yohei Kono has died at 89. He is remembered for the Kono Statement of 1993 acknowledging coercion of
What's behind the headline?
How we got here
Yohei Kono, a longtime Liberal Democratic Party figure, has died at age 89. He served as chief cabinet secretary in the early 1990s and helped push Japan's wartime apologias. His 1993 Kono Statement acknowledged the Imperial Army's involvement in forcing women into wartime brothels, a milestone in Japan's postwar apologies and its ties with neighbors. Despite his role, conservative factions later pressed to revisit or soften these admissions. He remained active in politics and engaged in diplomacy with China and other Asian nations, visiting them with delegations until recent years.
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Go deeper
- What is the legacy of Kono's 1993 statement on current East Asian diplomacy?
- How have recent Japanese governments treated wartime apologies with Korea and China?
- What did Kono advocate in diplomacy regarding China and regional ties?
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