Yōhei Kōno, a Japanese politician who served as deputy prime minister from 1994 to 1995 and as speaker of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009, died on June 10, 2026.
He was 89. Born on January 15, 1937, in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, he was the eldest son of politician Ichirō Kōno.
Kōno also led the Liberal Democratic Party and later became known for holding the House speakership longer than anyone since the chamber was established in 1890. A graduate of Waseda University, he began his career in 1967 and served in public life until 2009. He also received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers and the Order of Friendship.