Iichirō Hatoyama

Iichirō Hatoyama (鳩山 威一郎, Hatoyama Iichirō) was born on November 11, 1918, in Tokyo, Japan. He was the eldest son of Ichirō Hatoyama, who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1955 to 1956 and was the founder of the Liberal Democratic Party. His grandfather, Kazuo Hatoyama, was the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the first Imperial Diet.

He graduated in 1941 from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law. After graduation, he began working for the Ministry of Finance. During World War II, he served in the Japanese navy as part of a program that provided shortened service to young, educated personnel in roles deemed essential. In the navy, he worked within the Budget Bureau. In 1942, he married Yasuko Ishibashi, the daughter of Shojiro Ishibashi, the founder of Bridgestone Corporation.

At the end of World War II, approximately 6.6 million Japanese military personnel and civilians, including Hatoyama, were stranded overseas. He was unable to return to Japan until December 31, 1945. Following his return, in 1946, he resumed work at the Ministry of Finance, where he advanced through roles in the Budget Bureau, eventually being promoted to Deputy Director General in 1963 and Director General in 1965. He served as administrative Vice Minister of Finance from 1971 to 1972, a position equivalent in rank to a "permanent secretary" in other civil service systems.

In 1974, after retiring from civil service, Hatoyama entered politics in response to family expectations. He was elected to the House of Councillors in Japan’s National Diet. Among his notable political roles was serving as Japan’s Foreign Minister from 1976 to 1977 under Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda.

He was part of a prominent political family. His father, Ichirō Hatoyama, was a former Prime Minister, and his grandfather was Speaker of the House of Representatives. Despite family influence, Hatoyama sought a career outside politics initially. His sons, Yukio Hatoyama and Kunio Hatoyama, followed political careers, with Yukio serving as Prime Minister after winning the 2009 general elections. Kunio served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. The Hatoyama family has been characterized as the "Kennedys of Japan."

Iichirō Hatoyama passed away on December 19, 1993. His contributions to Japanese politics and diplomacy are part of his legacy.