Kumiko Hashimoto

Kumiko Hashimoto (born November 27, 1941) is the wife of a Japanese politician and serves as the chairperson of the Japan Assistance Dog Association, a social welfare organization. She is the wife of Ryuutarou Hashimoto, who served as Japan's 82nd and 83rd Prime Minister.

Life and Educational Background

Born in Tokyo Prefecture (now Tokyo Metropolis). Her father was the second son of Viscount Kanō Kuro, and her maternal grandfather was Nakamu ra Hisaji, president of Sun Wave Industry. She is also a great-great-granddaughter of Eiichi Shibusawa, often called the father of Japanese capitalism. During wartime, she was evacuated to Gotemba Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, and Hayama Town, Miura District, Kanagawa Prefecture.

After the war, she initially attended the Toa Eiwa Jogakuin Elementary School near her family’s residence in Azabu, but in fifth grade, she transferred to Sacred Heart Girls’ Elementary School. From then on, she attended Sacred Heart Girls’ School continuously through to university, majoring in English Literature at Sacred Heart Girls’ University. During her studies, she was the captain of the girls’ tennis club and won the women's doubles at the Kanto Student Tennis Championships in her third year of university.

Marriage and Family

After graduating from Sacred Heart Girls' University in March 1964, she worked as a telephone operator at the athlete’s village during the Tokyo Olympics. In 1966, she married Ryuutarou Hashimoto, a single-term member of the House of Representatives who was elected in the previous election. Her encounter with Ryuutarou Hashimoto, whom she met during late elementary school, was through a distant familial connection—she became related through a re-marriage of her grandmother after her grandfather’s death. Although there is no blood relation with her grandfather’s second wife’s sister, they occasionally interacted.

Her first date with him was reportedly more casual, akin to meeting a friend—sharing meals at the Imperial Hotel and watching movies at a theater.

Social Activities and Publications

She has held various public positions, including chairwoman of the Japan Women’s Association of Latin America, chairperson of the International Naginata Federation, chairwoman of the Japan Assistance Dog Association, and head of the Okayama branch of the Omotokae Society of the Urasenke school of tea ceremony. In 2007, she published a book titled "Husband Ryuutarou Hashimoto: Let Me Call Him ‘Ryu’ Once Again," through Sankei Shimbun Publishing.

Major Works

- "Husband Ryuutarou Hashimoto: Let Me Call Him ‘Ryu’ Once Again" (October 2007, Sankei Shimbun Publishing)