Taro Kono

Taro Kono
河野 太郎
Official portrait, 2021
Minister for Digital Transformation
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 August 2022
Prime Minister	Fumio Kishida
Preceded by	Karen Makishima
Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform
In office 16 September 2020 – 4 October 2021
Prime Minister	Yoshihide Suga
Preceded by	Ryota Takeda
Succeeded by	Karen Makishima
In office 7 October 2015 – 3 August 2016
Prime Minister	Shinzo Abe
Preceded by	Haruko Arimura
Succeeded by	Kozo Yamamoto
Minister of Defense
In office 11 September 2019 – 16 September 2020
Prime Minister	Shinzo Abe
Preceded by	Takeshi Iwaya
Succeeded by	Nobuo Kishi
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office 3 August 2017 – 11 September 2019
Prime Minister	Shinzo Abe
Preceded by	Fumio Kishida
Succeeded by	Toshimitsu Motegi
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission
In office 7 October 2015 – 3 August 2016
Prime Minister	Shinzo Abe
Preceded by	Eriko Yamatani
Succeeded by	Jun Matsumoto
Member of the House of Representatives for Kanagawa's 15th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 October 1996
Preceded by	Constituency established
Personal details
Born	(1963-01-10) 10 January 1963 (age 61) Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, Japan
Political party	Liberal Democratic Party
Spouse	Kaori Kono
Children	1
Parent	Yōhei Kōno (father)
Relatives	Ichirō Kōno (paternal grandfather) Kenzō Kōno (great-uncle) Jihei Kōno (great-grandfather) Heizaburo Tagawa (great-grandfather)
Alma mater	Georgetown University (BS)
Website	Official website

Taro Kono (河野 太郎, Kōno Tarō, born 10 January 1963) is a Japanese politician serving as the Minister for Digital Transformation since August 2022. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, he previously served as Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform from 2015 to 2016 and from 2020 to 2021, and was the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He is also a member of the House of Representatives representing Kanagawa's 15th district since 1996.

Born in 1963 the eldest son of House Speaker and LDP President Yōhei Kōno, Kono grew up in a political family. Originally planning to study economics in Japan, he dropped out to attend Georgetown University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service in 1983. After working in the private sector for more than a decade, Kono was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. In his career in the House, Kono served on various committees before running in the 2009 LDP leadership election; after losing to Sadakazu Tanigaki, he became Deputy Secretary-General of the LDP. After two years in the opposition, the LDP returned to power in the 2012 general election, while Kono remained a backbencher. In October 2015, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed Kono Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform, a position he served in for less than year before resigning amidst a cabinet reshuffle. Kono returned to government in 2017 as Foreign Minister under Abe. His tenure oversaw a trade dispute with South Korea and deepening of ties with the United States. After about two years in that role, Abe designated Kono as Minister of Defense in 2019. As Defense Minister, he presided over the cancellation of the Aegis Ashore missile defense system, a more tense relationship with China, and the strengthening of security partnerships with nations in the Indo-Pacific. After Abe resigned in 2020, he was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga who retained Kono in his cabinet. Kono returned to his prior role as the Administrative Reform Minister, organizing Japan's vaccine rollout in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Suga supported Kono to replace him as party president in the 2021 LDP leadership election, losing to Fumio Kishida in a second round run-off. After spending less than a year in the backbenches, Kono was appointed Digital Affairs Minister by Kishida in 2022. In this role he has attempted to revive the My Number card system, and has rolled out reforms for thousands of regulations in an effort to cut down on bureaucratic red tape.

Kono has developed a reputation as a political maverick, with a tendency to hold positions on issues contrary to his party. Belonging to the conservative and centre-right Shikōkai faction, he is considered a centrist within the LDP, supporting same-sex marriage and more acceptance of immigrants into Japan. Kono also favors a strong national defense, strengthening alliances with the US, as well as pacific partners like Australia and South Korea, and is a proponent of the concept of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. He is also known for his large following on social media and his fluency in English.^[1][2] Kono also has been speculated as a potential future Prime Minister, and is speculated to be planning to run in the 2024 Liberal Democratic Party presidential election.