Hata Tsutomu

Hata Tsutomu (羽田 孜, b. August 24, 1935) is a Japanese politican and was Prime Minister of Japan for several weeks in 1994.

Born in Tokyo, Hata graduated from Seijo University and was employed by the Odakyu bus company from 1958 to 1969. In 1969, he entered the House of Representatives of Japan, representing Nagano prefecture as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.

He left the LDP in 1993 to found the Shinseito, which became part of Hosokawa Morihiro's anti-LDP coalition government later that year. Hata served as foreign minister in the Hosokawa cabinet.

In 1994, when Hosokawa resigned, Hata became prime minister. However, the Social Democratic Party had recently left the coalition, destroying its majority in the Diet. Rather than face a vote of no confidence, Hata elected to resign in June, allowing SDP leader Murayama Tomiichi to take over the position.

After the Shinseito merged into the Shinshinto in 1996, Hata moved to the Democratic Party of Japan, where he is currently "supreme advisor" to chairman Kan Naoto.

Hata's son, Yuichiro, is a member of the House of Councillors of Japan.