PROFILE: Political blueblood Yukio Hatoyama set for top spot in Japan

By Chie Matsumoto Aug 30, 2009, 13:16 GMT

Tokyo - Yukio Hatoyama seems set to follow firmly in his family's footsteps after a landslide victory by his Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in Sunday's House of Representatives election.

A win would mean Hatoyama, 62, is poised to become Japan's next prime minister, a position once held by his grandfather.

But there is a twist. While his grandfather, Ichiro, helped found the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Hatoyama's DPJ victory spells an end to nearly a half century of unbroken LDP control of Japanese politics.

It's a big step for a man whose family is so firmly tied into the LDP. Along with his grandfather's founding role, Hatoyama's father served the LDP as a foreign minister. Hatoyama also has a younger brother who has held a minister's job in that party.

The jump into political power is a large one for Hatoyama, who pursued engineering rather than political science at the University of Tokyo and Stanford University in California, where he met his future wife, Yukie.

The scion of a political dynasty taught engineering for some years before he decided to enter the family business as an LDP member in 1986. But by 1993, he had left the LDP to found a new party, Sakigake. Later, he helped establish the DPJ.

Hatoyama, who looks up to the assassinated US President John F Kennedy, has promised his party will bring change to Japan, taking a page from the playbook of US President Barack Obama.

The native of the northern island of Hokkaido long served as right-hand man to former party president Ichiro Ozawa, until Ozawa stepped down in May over a scandal about a corporate political contribution.

While backing his mentor in the scandal, Hatoyama also found himself caught in the misreporting of political contributions. He apologized to the public for using deceased people's names to report about 22 million yen (239,000 dollars) made during 2005-09.

Ironically, Hatoyama is the richest lawmaker in the more powerful chamber of Japan's Diet, having a mother from the founding family of Bridgestone Co, the world's largest tyre manufacturer. He is said to provide financial assistance to other DPJ members for campaigning.

As he was set to take the baton in the new government, Hatoyama was expected to build a more self-assertive Japan with an independent voice from its closest ally, the United States.

Hatoyama has also said his party would try to improve Japan's relations with East Asian neighbours with 'the correct recognition of history.' Toward that end, he would not visit Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honours more than 2.5 million war dead, including war criminals from World War II.

Previous premiers and other government officials have visited the shrine, provoking protests from other Asian nations such as the Koreas and China, which suffered under Japan's brutal colonial rule before and during World War II.

Affectionately called 'alien' at times, both for his tendency to voice personal views off the cuff and simply for his looks, he released a record in 1988 called Take Heart: Fly Away, Peace Dove. Listening to classical music is one of his pastime activities.

Although not considered up to par in Japanese pop culture with outgoing prime minister Taro Aso, Hatoyama still enjoys familiarizing himself with Korean pop culture and says he is easily influenced by TV dramas.

He favours home cooking by Yukie, a well-known macrobiotic chef. His wife also coordinates the future prime minister's hairdo and outfit.

The couple has a son, who studies engineering in Russia, and a golden retriever.