Taro Kono

Taro Kono (河野 太郎, Kōno Tarō, born 10 January 1963) is a Japanese politician serving as the Minister of Digital Affairs of Japan 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.

Kono has developed a reputation as a political maverick, with a tendency to hold positions on issues contrary to his party. He is also known for his large following on social media and his fluency in English, having attended college in the United States. He also has been speculated as a potential future Prime Minister, running in the 2021 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election, but losing to Fumio Kishida in a second round run-off.