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- In this Japanese name, the family name is Hatoyama.
| Yukio Hatoyama 鳩山 由紀夫 |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 16 September 2009 |
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| Monarch | Akihito |
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| Deputy | Naoto Kan |
| Preceded by | Taro Aso |
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Member of the Japanese House of Representatives for the 9th Hokkaidō District
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 23 June 1986 |
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| Born | 11 February 1947 Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan |
| Political party | Democratic Party (1998–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Liberal Democratic Party (Before 1993) New Party Sakigake (1993–1996) Democratic Party[1] (1996–1998) |
| Spouse(s) | Miyuki Hatoyama (1975–present) |
| Children | Kiichiro Hatoyama |
| Alma mater | University of Tokyo Stanford University |
| Profession | Engineer, Professor, Politician |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Website | http://www.hatoyama.gr.jp/ |
Yukio Hatoyama (鳩山由紀夫 Hatoyama Yukio, born 11 February 1947) is a Japanese politician who has been Prime Minister of Japan since September 2009. First elected to the House of Representatives in 1986, Hatoyama became President of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the main opposition party, in May 2009. He then led the party to victory in the August 2009 general election, defeating the long-governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He represents the 9th district of Hokkaidō in the House of Representatives.
Hatoyama is only the second Japanese Prime Minister to be born after the end of World War II; the first was Shinzō Abe.
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Early life and family
Hatoyama comes from a prominent Japanese political family which has been called the "Kennedy family of Japan."[2]
Hatoyama, who was born in Bunkyō, Tokyo, is a fourth generation politician. His paternal great-grandfather, Kazuo Hatoyama, was speaker of the House of Representatives of the Diet of Japan from 1896 to 1897 during the Meiji era.[3] Kazuo later served as the president of Waseda University.[3] His paternal great-grandmother, Haruko Hatoyama, was a co-founder of what is known today as Kyoritsu Women's University. His paternal grandfather, Ichirō Hatoyama, was a major politician; he served as Prime Minister and was a founder and the first President of the Liberal Democratic Party (ja:自由民主党総裁 Jiyū-Minshutō Sōsai, 1956). As Prime Minister, he restored diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, which cleared the way for Japan's membership in the United Nations.[3]
Hatoyama is the son of Iichirō Hatoyama, who was Foreign Minister for a time. His mother, Yasuko Hatoyama, is a daughter of Shojiro Ishibashi, the founder of Bridgestone Corporation and heir to his significant inheritance.[2] Yasuko Hatoyama is known as the "Godmother" within the Japanese political world for her financial contributions to both of her sons' political ambitions.[3] In particular, Yasuko donated billions of yen when Kunio and Yukio co-created the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in 1996 to help establish her sons' fledgling political party.[3]
His younger brother, Kunio Hatoyama, served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications under Prime Minister Taro Aso until 12 June 2009.
Hatoyama graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1969 and received a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University in 1976.[4] He met his wife, Miyuki Hatoyama, while studying at Stanford.[3] The couple married in 1975 after she divorced her previous husband.[2] The couple's son, Kiichiro, is a visiting engineering researcher at Moscow State University.[3]
Hatoyama worked as a research assistant at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and later moved to Senshu University and was promoted to assistant professor.
Political career
Hatoyama ran for a seat in Hokkaidō's 8th district and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1986 representing the ruling LDP. In 1993 he left the LDP to form the New Party Sakigake with Naoto Kan, Masayoshi Takemura and Shūsei Tanaka (ja:田中秀征). He and Kan then left to join the newly formed Democratic Party of Japan (1996).
Hatoyama and his younger brother, Kunio Hatoyama, co-created the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in 1996, using billions of yen donated by their mother, Yasuko.[3] Kunio Hatoyama eventually left the DPJ, saying the party had drifted too far to the left from its original centrist roots, and rejoined the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).[3] Yukio remained with the party through its merger with several other opposition parties in 1998.
The elder Hatoyama became the Democratic Party of Japan's Party Chairman and leader of the opposition from 1999 to 2002, after which he resigned to take responsibility for the confusion that arose from rumors of mergers with Ichirō Ozawa's then Liberal Party. He was Secretary-General of the DPJ[4] before he succeeded Ozawa as party leader following Ozawa's resignation on 11 May 2009. Hatoyama was chosen by fellow party representatives on 16 May 2009, winning 124 of the 219 votes and defeating rival Katsuya Okada.[5] Hatoyama has indicated that his wife, Miyuki Hatoyama, will take a prominent role for a Japanese First Lady during his administration.[6]
Because of his quirky hairstyle, prominent eyes, and eccentric manner, he is known by his supporters and his opposition alike as "ET" or "The Alien"[7], a nickname his wife states he earned because of how different he is from old-style Japanese politicians. She claims he is not motivated by personal interest or greed.[8]
See also
- Count Richard Nikolaus von Coudenhove-Kalergi - Advocate of Fraternity (友愛 Yūai).
Notes
- ^ ja:民主党 1996-1998 (Minshutō 1996-1998)
- ^ a b c Suzuki, Miwa (2009-08-24). "Japan's first lady hopeful an outgoing TV lifestyle guru". Agence France-Presse (France 24). http://www.france24.com/en/20090824-japans-first-lady-hopeful-outgoing-tv-lifestyle-guru. Retrieved 2009-08-31.; Hayashi, Yuka. "Japan's Hatoyama Sustains Family Political Tradition," Wall Street Journal (WSJ). 1 August 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Takahashi, Kosuke. "Japan on the brink of a new era", Asia Times, 29 August 2009.
- ^ a b "Yukio Hatoyama". The Democratic Party of Japan. Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20070807191659/http://www.dpj.or.jp/english/about_us/sec_gen.html.
- ^ "Hatoyama Wins Election to Head Japan’s Biggest Opposition Party". Bloomberg News. 2009-05-16. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aObYYioBhmXg&refer=japan. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
- ^ Klaus, Mary (2009-08-31). "Japanese election: Hatoyama's agenda includes tax breaks and distance from US". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/6116139/Japanese-election-Hatoyamas-agenda-includes-tax-breaks-and-distance-from-US.html. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
- ^ "New Japan PM earned alien name, wife says". Brisbane Times. 2009-08-31. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/its-in-the-blood-brothers-set-to-be-nations-political-rivals-20090830-f404.html. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
- ^ Willacy, Mark (2009-09-01). "New Japan PM earned alien name, wife says". ABC News (Australia). http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/01/2673604.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
References
- Itoh, Mayumi. (2003). The Hatoyama Dynasty: Japanese Political Leadership through the Generations, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 10-ISBN 1-403-96331-2; 13-ISBN 978-1-403-96331-4; OCLC 248918078
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yukio Hatoyama |
- Official website (Japanese)
- Yuai Youth Association (Chairperson: Yukio Hatoyama) Official website: “Yuai” for Understanding; Origin of Yuai idea (English), (Japanese)
- Washington Post: Likely Japanese PM Hardly a Natural Politician
- HATOYAMA in NYT on his preferred economic model for Japan, its role between increased chinese importance and decreased us-american importance in the future and his aim of regional integration in east asia
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Taro Aso |
Prime Minister of Japan 2009–present |
Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| New political party | Leader of the Democratic Party 1996–1997 Served alongside: Naoto Kan |
Succeeded by Naoto Kan |
| Preceded by Naoto Kan |
President of the Democratic Party 1999–2002 |
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| Preceded by Ichirō Ozawa |
President of the Democratic Party 2009–present |
Incumbent |
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