Yukio Hatoyama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yukio Hatoyama
鳩山 友紀夫
Official portrait,c. 2007
Prime Minister of Japan
In office 16 September 2009 – 8 June 2010
Monarch	Akihito
Deputy	Naoto Kan
Preceded by	Tarō Asō
Succeeded by	Naoto Kan
President of the Democratic Party
In office 16 May 2009 – 4 June 2010
Preceded by	Ichirō Ozawa
Succeeded by	Naoto Kan
In office 25 September 1999 – 10 December 2002
Preceded by	Naoto Kan
Succeeded by	Naoto Kan
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 23 June 1986 – 16 December 2012
Preceded by	Multi-member district
Succeeded by	Manabu Horii
Constituency	Hokkaido 4th (1986–1996) Hokkaido 9th (1996–2012)
Majority	122,345 (40.2%) (2009)
Personal details
Born	(1947-02-11) 11 February 1947 (age 78) Bunkyō, Tokyo, Empire of Japan
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	LDP (before 1993) NPS (1993–1996) DP (1996–1998) DPJ (1998–2012) Independent (2012–2020) Kyowa (2020–2022)
Spouse	Miyuki Hatoyama ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	Kiichirō Hatoyama
Parents	Iichirō Hatoyama Yasuko Hatoyama
Relatives	Hatoyama family
Education	University of Tokyo (BE) Stanford University (PhD)
Signature
Website	Official website: https://www.hatoyama.gr.jp/

Yukio Hatoyama (鳩山 友紀夫, born 鳩山 由紀夫, Hatoyama Yukio, born 11 February 1947) is a Japanese politician who is now retired. He served as the Prime Minister of Japan and was the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) from 2009 to 2010. He was the first Prime Minister from the modern Democratic Party of Japan.

Hatoyama was first elected to the House of Representatives, which is like a parliament, in 1986. In May 2009, he became the leader of the DPJ, which was the main opposition party at the time. He then led his party to a big win in the 2009 general election. This victory ended the long rule of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which had been in power for more than ten years. He represented the Hokkaido 9th district in the House of Representatives from 1986 until 2012.

In 2012, Hatoyama announced that he was retiring from politics. Since then, he has been very active online, especially on Twitter, sharing his political opinions. He caused some discussion when he visited Crimea in 2015. He also made a controversial statement in 2023 about a possible nuclear strike, for which he later apologized. Hatoyama helped start a small political group called the Kyowa Party in 2020, but he later left it.

Early Life and Family Background

Ichirō Hatoyama with his grandsons, Yukio and Kunio

Yukio Hatoyama comes from a very important political family in Japan. This family is sometimes compared to the Kennedy family in the United States because of their strong presence in politics.

Hatoyama was born in Bunkyō, Tokyo. He is a fourth-generation politician, meaning his family has been involved in politics for many generations. His great-grandfather, Kazuo Hatoyama, was the speaker of the House of Representatives in Japan from 1896 to 1897. Kazuo also served as the president of Waseda University. His great-grandmother, Haruko Hatoyama, helped start what is now known as Kyoritsu Women's University.

His grandfather, Ichirō Hatoyama, was also a very important politician. He served as Prime Minister and was one of the founders and the first leader of the Liberal Democratic Party in 1956. As Prime Minister, he helped Japan restore its relationships with the Soviet Union. This paved the way for Japan to become a member of the United Nations.

Yukio Hatoyama's father, Iichirō Hatoyama, was the Foreign Minister for a period. His mother, Yasuko Hatoyama, is the daughter of Shojiro Ishibashi, who founded the famous Bridgestone Corporation. Yasuko Hatoyama was known for giving a lot of financial support to her sons' political careers. She donated a lot of money when Yukio and his brother Kunio started their first Democratic Party of Japan in 1996.

His younger brother, Kunio Hatoyama, also served as a government minister. Yukio Hatoyama met his wife, Miyuki Hatoyama, while he was studying at Stanford University in the United States. They got married in 1975. Their son, Kiichirō (紀一郎), is an engineering researcher. Kiichirō Hatoyama followed his father into politics and was elected to the House of Representatives in the October 2024 election.

Before entering politics, Hatoyama worked as an assistant professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology and later as an associate professor at Senshu University.

Political Journey

Hatoyama with Vladimir Putin (5 September 2000)

Yukio Hatoyama began his political career in 1986 when he was elected to the House of Representatives. He represented the Hokkaido 9th District as a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). In 1993, he left the LDP to help form a new party called the New Party Sakigake. He later joined the newly formed Democratic Party (Japan, 1996).

Hatoyama and his younger brother, Kunio Hatoyama, together created the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Their mother, Yasuko, provided significant financial support for this new party. Kunio Hatoyama later left the DPJ, feeling it had moved too far from its original ideas, and rejoined the LDP. Yukio, however, stayed with the DPJ as it grew and merged with other opposition parties in 1998.

Yukio Hatoyama became the chairman and leader of the opposition for the Democratic Party of Japan from 1999 to 2002. He later became the Secretary-General of the DPJ. In May 2009, he became the party leader after the previous leader resigned. He was chosen by other party members, winning a majority of the votes.

Because of his unique appearance and style, some people nicknamed him "ET" or "The Alien." His wife said he earned this nickname because he was so different from traditional Japanese politicians. Another common nickname was "Popo," which comes from a Japanese children's song about a pigeon, as the first part of his last name, "Hato," means pigeon.

Time as Prime Minister (2009–2010)

Hatoyama with Barack Obama (at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 23 September 2009)

Hatoyama with Robert Gates (at the Prime Minister's Official Residence on 21 October 2009)

When Hatoyama became Prime Minister, he had a high approval rating from the public. The DPJ had promised to stop wasteful spending on large public projects. They wanted to use that money instead for tax cuts and support for families. People had high hopes that he would bring big changes compared to the previous government.

However, Hatoyama's popularity began to drop. The DPJ found it hard to meet all the high expectations they had set, especially as the economy was struggling. In May 2010, he faced the possibility of a vote to remove him from office. On June 2, 2010, Hatoyama announced that he would resign as Prime Minister.

Even though Yukio Hatoyama was Prime Minister for less than a year, he achieved several things during his time in office. These included:

• Starting a government payment for families with young children.
• Making public high school tuition free.
• Introducing a program to support rice farmers' income.
• Bringing back a special allowance for single-mother households.
• Greatly increasing spending on social programs, including child care, nursing care, and medical care.
• Increasing the education budget.
• Expanding the student scholarship system to help more students.
• Extending employment insurance to cover all workers.
• Reducing medical costs for unemployed people.
• Ending age-based differences in medical services.
• Expanding help for public rental housing that supports elderly people and families with children.
• Introducing free welfare services and equipment for low-income people with disabilities.

Money Matters and Spending

In December 2009, a financial issue caused Hatoyama's popularity to fall. It was found that he received donations that were not properly reported. Much of the money came from his wealthy mother. This issue raised questions about his trustworthiness and highlighted his privileged background. Prosecutors decided not to pursue charges against him, saying there wasn't enough evidence of criminal activity.

The DPJ also created a group to review government spending. They promised to cut a large amount of money, but they only managed to cut a smaller portion. Hatoyama even had to go back on a promise to cut road-related taxes, including a gasoline tax. He faced criticism from some members of his own party.

Foreign Policy Goals

Hatoyama with Dmitry Medvedev (23 September 2009)

Hatoyama with Herman Van Rompuy and José Manuel Barroso (at the EU–Japan Summit on 28 April 2010)

Hatoyama with Hillary Clinton (at the Prime Minister's Official Residence on 21 May 2010)

Hatoyama wanted to change Japan's foreign policy. He aimed to shift Japan's focus from being mainly centered on America to having a stronger focus on Asia. He also wanted to make foreign policy decisions with America more open and clear.

The DPJ's election plan suggested looking closely at Japan's relationship with the United States. Hatoyama called for a "close and equal" relationship between Japan and the U.S., meaning Japan would have more independence in its role.

Hatoyama ended an eight-year mission in Afghanistan where Japan had been refueling ships. This was a significant move because the mission had been criticized for possibly going against Japan's peaceful Constitution. To keep good relations with Washington, Hatoyama offered $5 billion in aid for Afghanistan's rebuilding.

Hatoyama also faced the issue of moving the American Futenma Marine Corps Air Base. The U.S. government hoped Hatoyama would follow an agreement from 2006 to move the base to a less populated part of Okinawa. However, some in the DPJ wanted all American military bases to leave Okinawa. Hatoyama had to balance public opinion in Okinawa with the desire to keep strong ties with the U.S.

To build stronger ties with Asia, Hatoyama worked to improve relations with nearby East Asian countries. He even said that "the Japanese Islands don't belong to only Japanese." He pushed for closer economic ties in Asia, suggesting a free trade zone by 2020. Relations with China also improved under Hatoyama. There were exchanges of visits, and discussions about promoting understanding over historical issues.

Resignation from Office

On June 2, 2010, Hatoyama announced his resignation as Prime Minister. He said the main reason was breaking a promise to close an American military base on Okinawa. On May 28, 2010, he had agreed with U.S. President Barack Obama to keep the base for security reasons, but this decision was not popular in Japan. He also mentioned money issues involving a top party leader, Ichirō Ozawa, who also resigned. Hatoyama was pressured to step down by members of his party because his approval ratings were low before an upcoming election.

Hatoyama's Cabinet

Ministers of Hatoyama Government (at the Prime Minister's Official Residence on 16 September 2009)

After Being Prime Minister

Yukio Hatoyama at the Horasis Asia Meeting in November 2016

After stepping down as Prime Minister, Hatoyama continued to serve as a member of the DPJ in the Diet (Japan's parliament). When Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda proposed a law to raise the consumption tax, Hatoyama was one of the lawmakers who voted against it. His membership in the DPJ was temporarily suspended.

Hatoyama did not leave the DPJ to join other parties. He continued to work within the DPJ to oppose both the consumption tax increase and the restart of nuclear power plants. In July 2012, he spoke to protesters outside the prime minister's residence, saying it was too soon to restart nuclear reactors.

Before the general election in December 2012, the DPJ announced that it would not support candidates who disagreed with its current policies. On November 21, Hatoyama announced that he would retire from politics.

In January 2013, Hatoyama expressed an apology to the victims of Japanese war crimes in China during a visit to Nanjing. He also urged the Japanese government to acknowledge the disagreement between the two countries about the ownership of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands.

In March 2015, Hatoyama visited Crimea. In August 2015, Hatoyama visited the Seodaemun Prison History Hall in Korea. He knelt and bowed before a memorial for Korean independence activists who died during Japan's occupation. He expressed his regret for Japan's occupation of Korea.

Hatoyama practices a meditation technique called Transcendental Meditation. He gave a speech at Maharishi University of Management in May 2015 and received an honorary degree.

Hatoyama continues to share his opinions openly even after retiring from politics. He is one of the most followed Japanese politicians on Twitter and regularly comments on current events. In 2023, he made a controversial statement on Twitter about Ukraine, for which he later apologized, explaining it was a translation issue.

In 2020, Hatoyama formed the Kyowa Party with Nobuhiko Shuto. He announced he wanted to run for office in the next election. However, his former DPJ colleagues were surprised because he claimed to form a party without clear political allies. He stepped down from the party in September 2022.

His son, Kiichirō, was elected to the House of Representatives in the October 2024 election as a candidate for the Democratic Party For the People.

Awards and Recognition

Sustainable Development Leadership Award

On February 5, 2010, Hatoyama received the Sustainable Development Leadership Award at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. He was given this award for his efforts to address climate change and for making it a main issue for his government.

Time 100

In 2010, Time magazine included Hatoyama in its "Time 100" list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The magazine noted that Hatoyama had "helped change his country from a de facto one-party state into a functional democracy" through the DPJ's victory in the 2009 general election.

See also

In Spanish: Yukio Hatoyama para niños

• Hatoyama Hall