Hatoyama Yukio (鳩山由紀夫, born February 11, 1947) is a Japanese politician and the 93rd Prime Minister of Japan, serving from September 2009 to June 2010.
Background
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Family: Comes from the influential Hatoyama political dynasty. His grandfather, Hatoyama Ichirō, was Prime Minister (1954–1956), and his father, Hatoyama Iichirō, served as Foreign Minister.
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Education: Studied engineering at the University of Tokyo, later earned a Ph.D. in engineering from Stanford University.
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Political career: Began in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), later co-founded the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in 1996 together with Kan Naoto.
Prime Ministership (2009–2010)
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Rise to power: In 2009, the DPJ won a landslide victory, ending decades of near-continuous LDP rule. Hatoyama became Prime Minister.
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Policies and vision: Advocated for a more independent Japanese foreign policy, emphasizing closer relations with Asian neighbors (China, South Korea) under his philosophy of yuai (fraternity).
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Challenges: His administration struggled with the U.S. military’s Futenma base relocation issue in Okinawa, causing friction with Washington and loss of domestic support.
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Resignation: Stepped down in June 2010 after less than a year in office, partly due to declining approval ratings and a political funding scandal.
Later Years
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Remains active in international diplomacy, especially in Japan–China and Japan–Korea relations.
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Sometimes criticized at home for being too conciliatory toward China and Russia.
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Known for promoting Asian regional cooperation and voicing criticism of Japan’s reliance on the U.S.
