President Lee Jae-myung of South Korea expressed condolences on the passing of former Japanese Diet member Yohei Kono, calling the "Kono Statement" a crucial cornerstone for future-oriented Korea-Japan relations based on mutual respect and trust.
Japan's government reaffirmed its stance on the "comfort women" issue, stating it will continue to uphold the 1993 Kono Statement. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed the government's basic position is to inherit the statement, which acknowledged the military's involvement and coercion in the recruitment of wartime sex slaves.
South Korean PM Kim Min-seok expressed condolences for the passing of former LDP President Yohei Kono, praising him as a unique politician who established the principle of 'accepting history and moving towards the future' with the 1993 Kono Statement on comfort women.
Former Japanese Lower House Speaker Kono Yohei, who issued the 1993 'Kono Statement' officially acknowledging and apologizing for the Japanese military's involvement and coercion in the recruitment and transport of comfort women, has passed away. The statement was a significant turning point in the comfort women issue.
