Iichirō Hatoyama

was a Japanese politician and diplomat. Between 1976 and 1977, he served as Foreign Minister under Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda. He was the son and father of two former Prime Ministers, Ichirō and Yukio respectively.

Early years Hatoyama was born in Tokyo to Ichirō Hatoyama, who was prime minister of Japan and the founder of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Iichirō graduated from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law in 1941. Upon graduation, he began working for the Ministry of Finance and served in the navy during the Second World War as part of a programme that offered a shortened period of service to young, educated individuals in roles considered essential to the country. In the navy, he worked within the budget bureau. In 1942, he married Yasuko Ishibashi, daughter of the founder of the tyre manufacturing company Bridgestone.

At end of the war, Iichirō was one of 6.6 million Japanese military personnel and civilians who were stranded overseas. At the time, this was about 8 percent of Japan's entire population. Iichirō was unable to return home until December 31, 1945.

Career In 1946, he returned to the Ministry of Finance and began making a place for himself in the meritocracy of the Budget Bureau. In this work, he caught the attention of men like Takeo Fukuda, who would figure prominently in later life.

In due course, Iichirō was promoted to the position of Deputy Director General in 1963; and he became Director General in 1965. He served as administrative Vice Minister in the Finance Ministry from 1971 to 1972.

The capstone of his political career was the period in which he served as Foreign Minister in 1976–1977. The couple have two sons. Kunio Hatoyama, like his brother Yukio, may be described as a fourth generation politician and most recently the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The Hatoyamas have been described in the media as the "Kennedys of Japan".