Yōhei Kōno | |
|---|---|
河野 洋平 | |
 Official portrait, 1999 | |
| Speaker of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 19 November 2003 – 21 July 2009 | |
| Monarch | Akihito |
| Deputy | Kansei Nakano Takahiro Yokomichi |
| Preceded by | Tamisuke Watanuki |
| Succeeded by | Takahiro Yokomichi |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 5 October 1999 – 26 April 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Keizo Obuchi Yoshiro Mori |
| Preceded by | Masahiko Kōmura |
| Succeeded by | Makiko Tanaka |
| In office 30 June 1994 – 11 January 1996 | |
| Prime Minister | Tomiichi Murayama |
| Preceded by | Koji Kakizawa |
| Succeeded by | Yukihiko Ikeda |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Japan | |
| In office 30 June 1994 – 2 October 1995 | |
| Prime Minister | Tomiichi Murayama |
| Preceded by | Tsutomu Hata |
| Succeeded by | Ryutaro Hashimoto |
| President of the Liberal Democratic Party | |
| In office 9 August 1993 – 2 October 1995 | |
| Vice President | Keizō Obuchi |
| Secretary-General | |
| Preceded by | Kiichi Miyazawa |
| Succeeded by | Ryutaro Hashimoto |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 9 August 1993 – 30 June 1994 | |
| Prime Minister | Morihiro Hosokawa Tsutomu Hata |
| Preceded by | Sadao Yamahana |
| Succeeded by | Toshiki Kaifu |
| Chief Cabinet Secretary | |
| In office 12 December 1992 – 9 August 1993 | |
| Prime Minister | Kiichi Miyazawa |
| Preceded by | Koichi Kato |
| Succeeded by | Masayoshi Takemura |
| Director-General of the Science and Technology Agency | |
| In office 28 December 1985 – 22 July 1986 | |
| Prime Minister | Yasuhiro Nakasone |
| Preceded by | Reiichi Takeuchi |
| Succeeded by | Yataro Mitsubayashi |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| In office 29 January 1967 – 21 July 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Ichirō Kōno |
| Succeeded by | Yōsuke Kamiyama |
| Constituency | Kanagawa 3rd (1967–1976) Kanagawa 5th (1976–1996) Kanagawa 17th (1996–2009) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1937-01-15)15 January 1937 (age 88) |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic (before 1976; 1986–present) |
| Other political affiliations | New Liberal Club (1976–1986) |
| Children | Taro Kono |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Kenzō Kōno (uncle) Seiichi Tagawa (cousin) |
| Alma mater | Waseda University |
Yōhei Kōno (河野 洋平,Kōno Yōhei; born 15 January 1937) is aJapanese politician and a formerPresident of the Liberal Democratic Party. He served as Speaker of theHouse of Representatives from November 2003 until August 2009, when the LDP lost its majority in the2009 election. Kōno served as speaker for the longest length since the set up of House of Representatives in 1890.[1]
He was the president of theJapan Association of Athletics Federations from 1999 to 2013.[2]
Kōno was born on 15 January 1937, inHiratsuka, Kanagawa, the eldest son of politicianIchirō Kōno. His father served asdeputy prime minister and was in charge of the1964 Tokyo Olympics. His younger uncleKenzō Kōno served as the president of theHouse of Councillors from 1971 to 1977.
After graduating fromWaseda University Senior High School, he studied Economics atWaseda University. Upon graduation, Kōno worked with theMarubeni company. In 1967, Kono's political career began due to the death of his father.
He was Deputy Prime Minister of Japan from 1994 to 1995 which he had strong influence in theMurayama Cabinet. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime MinisterTomiichi Murayama andYoshirō Mori (1993-1995, 1999-2001). He is a member of theLiberal Democratic Party (LDP). He was once President of the LDP from 1993 to 1995, and to date is one of two LDP leaders, along withSadakazu Tanigaki, to have never served asPrime Minister of Japan. As he is one of the pro-China faction of the LDP, he came under pressure domestically in the spring of 2005 when anti-Japanese movements in China became intense due to then Prime MinisterJunichiro Koizumi visited theYasukuni Shrine which he opposed the visit to.
Kōno is known for his acknowledgement ofcomfort women. During his tenure as Chief Cabinet Secretary, in a speech titled theofficial statement he made in 1993, made after historianYoshiaki Yoshimi announced he had discovered in the Defense Agency library in Tokyo documentary evidence that theImperial Japanese Army established and ran comfort stations, he admitted that the Japanese Imperial Army had been involved, directly and indirectly, in the establishment of comfort stations, and that coercion had been used in the recruitment and retention of the women. His subsequent call for historical research and education aimed at remembering the issue became the basis for addressing the subject of forced prostitution in school history textbooks.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position established | President of the New Liberal Club 1976–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the New Liberal Club 1984–1986 | Position abolished |
| Preceded by | President of the Liberal Democratic Party 1993–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Director General of the Science and Technology Agency 1985–1986 | Succeeded by |
| Chairman of theJapanese Atomic Energy Commission 1985–1986 | ||
| Preceded by | Chief Cabinet Secretary 1992–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1994–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister of Japan 1994–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1999–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Japanese House of Representatives 2003–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | President of theJapan Association of Athletics Federations 1999–2013 | Succeeded by Hiroshi Yokokawa |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
