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Former Japanese lower house speaker Kono dies

File photo taken in January 1994 at the parliament building in Tokyo shows Liberal Democratic Party leader Yohei Kono (L) shaking hands with Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa. Kono, former speaker of the House of Representatives, known for announcing the Japanese government's landmark apology over Korean "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, died on June 8, 2026, aged 89.

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Former Japanese lower house speaker Kono dies

File photo taken in Tokyo on Aug. 4, 2016, shows Yohei Kono speaking during an interview. Kono, former speaker of the House of Representatives, known for announcing the Japanese government's landmark apology over Korean "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, died on June 8, 2026, aged 89.

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Former Japanese lower house speaker Kono dies

File photo taken in November 2015 shows Yohei Kono, former speaker of the House of Representatives, known for announcing the Japanese government's landmark apology over Korean "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels. He died on June 8, 2026, aged 89.

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Former Japanese lower house speaker Kono dies

File photo taken in August 1993 at the prime minister's office in Tokyo shows Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono issuing an official statement acknowledging the Japanese military's responsibility for the forced labor of Korean "comfort women" in Japan's wartime military brothels, and announcing the government's landmark apology for the issue. Kono, former speaker of the House of Representatives, died on June 8, 2026, aged 89.

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Former Japanese lower house speaker Kono dies

File photo taken in June 1994 at the parliament building in Tokyo shows (from R) Liberal Democratic Party leader Yohei Kono, Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama of the Japan Socialist Party and New Party Sakigake leader Masayoshi Takemura shaking hands before a meeting to form the Cabinet of their new coalition government. Kono, former speaker of the House of Representatives, known for announcing the Japanese government's landmark apology over Korean "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, died on June 8, 2026, aged 89.

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Former Japanese lower house speaker Kono dies

File photo taken in July 1993 at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo shows Yohei Kono (L) following his victory in the party's presidential election. Kono, former speaker of the House of Representatives, known for announcing the Japanese government's landmark apology over Korean "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, died on June 8, 2026, aged 89.

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Former Japanese lower house speaker Kono dies

File photo taken on July 5, 2023, shows Yohei Kono (L), leader of a delegation from the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade, meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Kono, former speaker of the House of Representatives, known for announcing the Japanese government's landmark apology over Korean "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, died on June 8, 2026, aged 89.

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Former Japanese lower house speaker Kono dies

File photo taken in September 2005 shows Yohei Kono (L) and his son Taro pointing at their nameplates as they arrived at the parliament building in Tokyo following a general election of the Japanese House of Representatives. Yohei Kono, former speaker of the House of Representatives, known for announcing the Japanese government's landmark apology over Korean "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, died on June 8, 2026, aged 89.

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Former Japanese lower house speaker Kono dies

File photo taken in Tokyo on March 23, 2025, shows Yohei Kono (L), former speaker of the Japanese House of Representatives, posing for a photo with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Kono, former speaker of the House of Representatives, known for announcing the Japanese government's landmark apology over Korean "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, died on June 8, 2026, aged 89.

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Former Japanese lower house speaker Kono dies

File photo taken in Tokyo on July 21, 2009, shows Japanese House of Representatives speaker Yohei Kono announcing the dissolution of the lower house during its plenary session. Kono, former speaker of the House of Representatives, known for announcing the Japanese government's landmark apology over Korean "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, died on June 8, 2026, aged 89.

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Former Japanese lower house speaker Kono dies

File photo taken in July 1994 shows Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono (R) chatting with Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama ahead of a Cabinet meeting at the premier's office in Tokyo. Kono, former speaker of the House of Representatives, known for announcing the Japanese government's landmark apology over Korean "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, died on June 8, 2026, aged 89.

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"Comfort women" statue in Seoul

Members of a South Korean citizens' group rally on Feb. 11, 2026, in front of a statue in Seoul symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, calling on the Japanese government to apologize.

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"Comfort women" statue in Seoul

Members of a South Korean citizens' group rally on Feb. 11, 2026, in front of a statue in Seoul symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, calling on the Japanese government to apologize.

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"Comfort women" statue in Seoul

Members of a South Korean citizens' group rally on Feb. 11, 2026, in front of a statue in Seoul symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, calling on the Japanese government to apologize.

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"Comfort women" statue removed in Berlin

Photo taken in Berlin on Oct. 17, 2025, shows the site where a statue representing so-called "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels had stood. Local authorities removed the statue, erected by a South Korean-related citizens' group in 2020, earlier in the day, as the group had defied their order to transfer it from public land to nearby private land.

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"Comfort women" statue in Berlin

Photo taken on Oct. 7, 2025, shows a statue representing so-called "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels on public land in Berlin. Members of a South Korean citizens' group rallied near the statue the same day, calling for its preservation in defiance of authorities' order to remove it by the day.

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"Comfort women" statue in Berlin

People march near a statue (not pictured) representing so-called "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels during a rally in Berlin on Oct. 7, 2025, calling for its preservation in defiance of authorities' order to remove it by the same day. The statue was erected on public land by a South Korean citizens' group in 2020.

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"Comfort women" statue in Berlin

People pose for a photo on Aug. 14, 2025, surrounding a statue symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, erected on publicly owned land in Berlin, ahead of the 80th anniversary the following day of Japan's surrender in World War II. Authorities have urged that the statue, erected by a South Korean-related citizens' group in 2020, be moved to nearby private land, a proposal repeatedly rejected by the group.

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"Comfort women" statue in Berlin

People stand on Aug. 14, 2025, by a statue symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, erected on publicly owned land in Berlin, ahead of the 80th anniversary the following day of Japan's surrender in World War II. Authorities have urged that the statue, erected by a South Korean-related citizens' group in 2020, be moved to nearby private land, a proposal repeatedly rejected by the group.

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"Comfort women" statue in Berlin

People stand on Aug. 14, 2025, by a statue symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, erected on publicly owned land in Berlin, ahead of the 80th anniversary the following day of Japan's surrender in World War II. Authorities have urged that the statue, erected by a South Korean-related citizens' group in 2020, be moved to nearby private land, a proposal repeatedly rejected by the group.

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[Breaking News]Protest rally in Manila over "comfort" women

MANILA, Philippines, Aug. 14 Kyodo - Members of a group supporting former "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels in the Philippines rally in Manila on Aug. 14, 2025, seeking the Japanese government's apology to the women, now estimated at fewer than 10. (Kyodo)

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"Comfort women" statue in Berlin

Photo taken on Aug. 14, 2025, shows a statue symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels on publicly owned land in Berlin, a day ahead of the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. Authorities have urged that the statue, erected by a South Korean-related citizens' group in 2020, be moved to nearby private land, a proposal repeatedly rejected by the group.

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"Comfort women" statue in Berlin

People lay flowers on Aug. 14, 2025, at a statue symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, erected on publicly owned land in Berlin, ahead of the 80th anniversary the following day of Japan's surrender in World War II. Authorities have urged that the statue, erected by a South Korean-related citizens' group in 2020, be moved to nearby private land, a proposal repeatedly rejected by the group.

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"Comfort women" statue in Berlin

People lay flowers on Aug. 14, 2025, at a statue symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, erected on publicly owned land in Berlin, ahead of the 80th anniversary the following day of Japan's surrender in World War II. Authorities have urged that the statue, erected by a South Korean-related citizens' group in 2020, be moved to nearby private land, a proposal repeatedly rejected by the group.

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"Comfort women" statue in Berlin

People lay flowers on Aug. 14, 2025, at a statue symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, erected on publicly owned land in Berlin, ahead of the 80th anniversary the following day of Japan's surrender in World War II. Authorities have urged that the statue, erected by a South Korean-related citizens' group in 2020, be moved to nearby private land, a proposal repeatedly rejected by the group.

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Protest rally in Manila over "comfort" women

Members of a group supporting former "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels in the Philippines rally in Manila on Aug. 14, 2025, seeking the Japanese government's apology to the women, now estimated at fewer than 10.

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Protest rally in Manila over "comfort" women

Members of a group supporting former "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels in the Philippines rally in Manila on Aug. 14, 2025, seeking the Japanese government's apology to the women, now estimated at fewer than 10.

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Day to remember "comfort women" in Seoul

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (in screen) speaks in a video message projected at a ceremony in Seoul on Aug. 14, 2025, a day commemorating "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels.

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Right-wing rally in Seoul

A right-wing group stages a protest in Seoul on July 23, 2025, against the removal of a statue (R) symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels.

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Right-wing rally in Seoul

A right-wing group stages a protest in Seoul on July 23, 2025, against the removal of a statue (R) symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels.

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Right-wing rally in Seoul

A right-wing group stages a protest in Seoul on July 23, 2025, against the removal of a statue (C) symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels.

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Right-wing rally in Seoul

A right-wing group stages a protest in Seoul on July 23, 2025, against the removal of a statue (C) symbolizing "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels.

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"Comfort women" statue in Berlin

Photo taken on July 8, 2025, shows a statue symbolizing "comfort women," forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, on publicly owned land in Berlin. Authorities recently urged that the statue, erected by a South Korean-related citizens' group in 2020, be moved to nearby private land, a proposal rejected by the group.

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Protest over "comfort women" issue in Seoul

A protest is held for the resolution of the issue of "comfort women," a euphemistic term for women from the Korean Peninsula and elsewhere forced to work at wartime Japanese military brothels, in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Aug. 14, 2024, the memorial day for Korean "comfort women."

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"Comfort women" statue

Photo taken on Sept. 21, 2023, shows a statue symbolizing "comfort women," forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels, in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul.

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Japan, South Korea Reach Deal To Resolve "Comfort Women" Row

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - DEC. 28: Japan and South Korea reached an agreement Monday to resolve the issue of women who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels through creating a new fund, in a move that could finally put to rest a thorny dispute that has long hurt bilateral ties. The two Asian neighbors struck the deal to end their protracted dispute regarding so-called "comfort women" following talks between Kishida and his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung Se, in Seoul. -- The Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of Japan have intensively discussed the issue of comfort women between the ROK and Japan at bilateral meetings including the Director-General consultations.

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S. Korea summons Japanese envoy to protest Kono statement probe

SEOUL, South Korea - Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koro Bessho (L) is summoned to the South Korean foreign ministry in Seoul on June 23, 2014, by South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yong (R) to protest Japan's recent unveiling of the outcome of an investigation into how Japan composed a 1993 apology to women forced into wartime Japanese military brothels.

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S. Korea summons Japanese envoy to protest Kono statement probe

SEOUL, South Korea - Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Koro Bessho leaves the South Korean foreign ministry in Seoul on June 23, 2014, after being summoned by South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae Yong to protest Japan's recent unveiling of the outcome of an investigation into how Japan composed a 1993 apology to women forced into wartime Japanese military brothels.

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"Comfort women" memorial removed from Manila baywalk

MANILA, Philippines, April 28 Kyodo - Photo taken on April 28, 2018, shows debris left after the demolition the previous day of a bronze statue of a blindfolded, early 1900's-era Filipino woman, which had stood on Roxas Boulevard in Manila as a memorial dedicated to Filipino "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese brothels during World War II.

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Japan rejects new S. Korean policy on "comfort women" deal

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 10 Kyodo - A Person (L) walks by a statue symbolizing so-called "comfort women" in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Jan. 9, 2018. Tokyo and Seoul have been at odds over a 2015 settlement of the issue related to women who were forced to work in wartime Japanese military brothels.

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S. Korea to keep pushing for "comfort women" UNESCO listing

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 17 Kyodo - South Korean gender equality and family minister Chung Hyun Back (R) and Lee Yong Soo, who was forced to work as a "comfort woman" in wartime Japanese military brothels, attend a meeting in Seoul on Nov. 17, 2017, to promote documents related to such women to be nominated on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.

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Ex-Japanese lawmaker meets China's 4th-ranked politician

BEIJING, China - Yohei Kono (L), a former senior member of Japan's main ruling party known for his apology in the 1990s to women who worked against their will in wartime military brothels, holds talks with China's fourth-ranking Communist Party member Yu Zhengsheng at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Dec. 19, 2014. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Ex-Japanese lawmaker meets China's 4th-ranked politician

BEIJING, China - Yohei Kono (L), a former senior member of Japan's main ruling party known for his apology in the 1990s to women who worked against their will in wartime military brothels, shakes hands with China's fourth-ranking Communist Party member Yu Zhengsheng ahead of their talks at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Dec. 19, 2014. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

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Japan asks for partial retraction of U.N. report on wartime brothels

TOKYO, Japan - Undated file photo of Radhika Coomaraswamy, a Sri Lankan lawyer who compiled a United Nations report on "comfort women" in 1996. Coomaraswamy has rejected the Japanese government's request to retract part of the report's contents that Tokyo sees as false, the top government spokesman said on Oct. 16, 2014.

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Ex-sex slaves in their 80s recount ordeals with Japanese soldiers

MANILA, Philippines - Hilaria Bustamante, a former Filipino "comfort woman," talks about her experiences in Japanese wartime military brothels on Oct. 2, 2014, in Manila, the Philippines, while presenting a letter of apology she received from then Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.

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Ex-sex slaves in their 80s recount ordeals with Japanese soldiers

DAEGU, South Korea - Lee Yong Soo, a former South Korean "comfort woman," talks about her life in the country's southeastern city of Daegu on Oct. 6, 2014. Through recounting her experiences as a "comfort woman" in Japanese wartime military brothels, she has become a symbol of Korean sex slaves.

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"Comfort women" were victims of sexual slavery

WASHINGTON, United States - Mike Mochizuki, an associate professor at George Washington University, says in an interview with Kyodo News that women who served in Japanese wartime military brothels can be viewed as victims of sexual slavery as they were recruited against their will.

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S. Korea, Japan to hold talks on wartime sexual slavery

SEOUL, South Korea - Junichi Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, arrives at Seoul's Gimpo airport on July 23, 2014, for talks with Lee Sang Deok, director general of the Northeast Asian affairs bureau of South Korea's Foreign Ministry, on bilateral issues such as Korean women forced to serve at brothels for the wartime Japanese military.

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Japan reviews 'Kono statement' on wartime sex slavery

TOKYO, Japan - Keiichi Tadaki, a former prosecutor general, holds a press conference at the Cabinet Office in Tokyo on June 20, 2014, on the results of a review on how the 1993 "Kono statement," regarding Asian women who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, was compiled. Tadaki headed a panel of experts picked by the government to conduct the review.

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"Comfort women" memorial unveiled in Washington suburb

FAIRFAX, United States - A stone monument commemorating women who were recruited to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, euphemistically called "comfort women," is unveiled at the premises of Fairfax County's government office, Virginia, on May 30, 2014. A group of Korean Americans led a project to establish the monument in the Comfort Women Memorial Peace Garden on the premises of the northern Virginia county, west of Washington.