TOKYO — Yohei Kono, a senior Japanese politician who delivered a historic apology to Asian women for wartime sexual slavery, has died at the age of 89, officials said.
Kono placed great emphasis on fostering friendly relations with China, South Korea and other Asian nations affected by Japan’s actions before and during World War II. He died of natural causes on Monday, according to the office of his son, former foreign minister Taro Kono.
As chief cabinet secretary in 1993, Kono publicly apologized to tens of thousands of “comfort women,” acknowledging that the Japanese military had forced them to work in frontline brothels following a government investigation.
His statement paved the way for a broader apology in 1995 by then‑prime minister Tomiichi Murayama, which was seen internationally as a sign that Japan was confronting its wartime past and helped improve ties with its Asian neighbors.
In recent years, however, Japanese conservatives have criticized these apologies, arguing that Japan should focus less on historical guilt to restore national pride.
Kono faced increasing criticism and attempts to revise his 1993 apology, particularly during the tenure of nationalist former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
He warned that any effort to whitewash historical facts “hurts the Japanese people’s reputation.”
Born in January 1937, Kono entered politics in 1967 after the death of his father, Ichiro Kono, a prominent Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker. Yohei Kono held key posts, including speaker of the lower house and LDP president, before retiring in 2009.
Even after retirement, he remained active, traveling to China almost annually with political and business delegations to help stabilize delicate bilateral ties.
Earlier this year he was still considering a visit to China when relations between Tokyo and Beijing hit a low point after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks in November, which suggested a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan would justify Japanese military involvement.