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Yōhei Kōno

Yōhei Kōno
河野 洋平
Yōhei Kōno cropped.jpg
Speaker of the House of Representative of Japan
In office
19 November 2003 – 21 July 2009
Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi
Shinzō Abe
Yasuo Fukuda
Tarō Asō
Preceded by Tamisuke Watanuki
Succeeded by Takahiro Yokomichi
President of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations
In office
1999–2013
Preceded by Hanji Aoki
Succeeded by Hiroshi Yokokawa
Personal details
Born (1937-01-15) 15 January 1937 (age 80)
Hiratsuka, Japan
Alma mater Waseda University

Yōhei Kōno (河野 洋平 Kōno Yōhei?, born 15 January 1937 in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa) is a Japanese politician and a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from November 2003 until August 2009, when the LDP lost its majority in the 2009 election. Kōno served as speaker for the longest length since the set up of House of Representatives in 1890. He was the president of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations from 1999 to 2013.

Kōno is the eldest son of Ichirō Kōno, a former minister dealing with the Tokyo Olympic Games. Kenzō Kōno, the chairman of the House of Councillors is his younger uncle.

After graduating from Waseda University, Kōno worked with the Marubeni company. In 1967, Kono's political career began due to the death of his father.

He was Deputy Prime Minister from 1994 to 1995. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and Murayama's successor Yoshirō Mori. He is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He was once President of the LDP from 1993 to 1995, and to date is the only LDP leader except for Sadakazu Tanigaki to have never served as Prime Minister of Japan. As he is one of the pro-Chinese members of the LDP, he came under pressure domestically in the spring of 2005 when anti-Japanese movements in China became intense.


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