Ryuutarou Hashimoto
Ryuutarou Hashimoto (橋本 龍太郎) was prime minister of Japan.
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History
Hashimoto was elected to the diet in 1963 for the LDP.
In the JSP-led coalition government, Hashimoto served as Minister of International Trade and Industry. In September 1995 a leadership contest was held, in which Hashimoto beat out rivals including Junichiro Koizumi.
Tomiichi Murayama resigned after the JSP performed poorly in the 1995 House of Councillors elections. While the JSP reformed into the Social Democratic Party, Hashimoto led the LDP into coalition leadership. The 1996 general elections dealt another blow to the SDP and the coalition devolved into a supply-and-confidence agreement.
Trying to solve the issue of leading a minority government, Hashimoto called for the 1998 House of Councilors elections. Instead the LDP lost seats. Hashimoto resigned as a result and Keizou Obuchi became prime minister.