PROFILE: LDP chief candidate Kono known as outspoken, proactive lawmaker

Taro Kono, a senior Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker who has announced he will stand in the Sept. 29 leadership election for the governing party, is known as an outspoken and reform-minded politician, traits that have earned him consistent popularity in opinion polls as a potential future prime minister.Kono, 58, who is the minister in charge of vaccination as well as administrative and regulatory reform minister, has been spearheading the country's coronavirus vaccine program under outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.A Georgetown University graduate, Kono was foreign minister between 2…READ FULL ARTICLE