Adney Y. Komatsu

Who was Adney Y. Komatsu?

Adney Yoshio Komatsu was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1975 until his death. Komatsu was the first person of Asian descent to become a general authority of the LDS Church.

Born of Japanese parents in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, Komatsu became a convert to the LDS Church in 1941 at age 17. He was the first Latter-day Saint of Japanese descent to become a bishop of the church. Later, Komatsu became the first person of Asian descent to serve as a Regional Representative of the Twelve Apostles. In 1965, Komatsu became the first person of Asian descent to preside over a mission of the Church; he was president of the church's Northern Far East Mission from 1965 to 1968.

On April 4, 1975, Church President Spencer W. Kimball asked Komatsu to become an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and a General Authority of the Church. In 1976, when the calling of Assistant to the Twelve was discontinued, Komatsu was ordained to the office of Seventy and became a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He served in this capacity until October 1993, when he was given general authority emeritus status and excused from full-time ecclesiastical duties. During his tenure as a general authority, Komatsu served for several years as the president of the Tokyo Japan Temple.