Taro Kono

Taro Kono is a Japanese politician serving as the Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform since 2020. He previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and is widely seen as a potential candidate for future prime ministerial elections. He is also a member of the House of Representatives for Kanagawa's 15th district since 1996. He was the runner-up in the 2021 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election, losing in a second round runoff to Fumio Kishida.