First Lady of Japan

Nobuko Kan, First Lady of Japan

Nobuko, 64, the mother of two sons, is expected to make her diplomatic debut as Japan’s first lady at a Group of Eight summit meeting starting June 25 in Canada.

Born in Okayama Prefecture, she graduated from Tsuda College and Waseda University before tying the knot with Kan. The two, who are cousins, became close when she lived in Kan’s house in Tokyo while attending Tsuda, a prestigious women’s college.

As both of them are known for their outstanding debating skills, 70 to 80% of their discussions at home revolve around political issues, Nobuko once said.

She is known for having pushed Kan to accept the health minister’s post in the Cabinet of the late Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto so that he could battle with bureaucrats over a scandal involving the spread of HIV among hemophiliacs through tainted blood products—something Kan is now credited for.

‘‘Politicians have totally neglected to tackle this issue. Since you are a member of the ruling party, you should be able to do it. If you can’t, you’d better quit as a lawmaker,’’ she told Kan.

When a weekly magazine reported in 1998 that Kan, who was president of the Democratic Party of Japan at the time, was having an affair, she scolded him, saying, ‘‘In the first place, you tend to be off-guard. You idiot.’‘

In June 2004, Nobuko, who is one year older than Kan, had an operation after suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage but has since recovered.

Miyuki Hatoyama, Former First Lady of Japan

Miyuki Hatoyama (鳩山幸 Hatoyama Miyuki?, born 1943 Shanghai, China) is the wife of Prime Minister of Japan Yukio Hatoyama. Hatoyama, originally an actress by profession, describes herself as “constantly curious” and a “life composer,” who pursues a variety of interests, including a stylist, interior designer and cookbook author.

In an interview, then Prime Minister-designate Yukio Hatoyama credited Miyuki with his professional success and praised her enthusiasm. Hatoyama has indicated that Miyuki will take an unusually prominent role for the wife of a Japanese prime minister during his administration.

Hatoyama was born in Shanghai, China, in 1943 while the city was under Japanese occupation during World War II. She was raised in the Japanese city of Kobe.

Hatoyama was an actress in the all-female Takarazuka Revue during the 1960s. She quit the troupe and her stage career when she was in her mid-20s and moved to the United States.

Hatoyama has authored a number of cookbooks. Among her books authored is Spiritual Food, which focuses on Hawaiian macrobiotic recipes. She just recently published another book titled Very Strange Things I’ve Encountered. In the book, she claims “While my body was asleep, I think my soul rode on a triangular-shaped UFO and went to Venus… It was a very beautiful place, and it was very green.” She wrote that her ex-husband told her it was “probably just a dream” but that Yukio would “surely say, ‘Oh, that’s great.

Miyuki met her future husband, Yukio Hatoyama, in San Francisco, California, while Yukio was a student at Stanford University. Miyuki and Yukio married in 1975, after Miyuki divorced her previous husband, a restaurateur. The couple has one son, Kiichiro, who is currently an engineering researcher studying in Russia.

Hatoyama often appears on Japanese talk shows, discussing a range of topics including food, religion and politics. She has listed her interests as picking vegetables, pottery and creating art from stained glass. Hatoyama recently appeared on a Japanese talk show wearing a shirt made from coffee sacks which she acquired in Hawaii. In another interview, she claimed that she knew Tom Cruise in a former incarnation – when he was Japanese – and is now looking forward to making a Hollywood movie with him. “I believe he’d get it if I said to him, ‘Long time no see’, when we meet.” She has also claimed to “eat the sun” every day to gain energy. and that her “soul went to Venus while her “body was asleep”.

An avid hallyu fan, Hatoyama has often mentioned her love of Korean culture, especially South Korean drama and cuisine. She has even stated that her youthful appearance can be attributed to watching South Korean drama and claims to eat kimchi every day with her husband. Some have commented that her enthusiasm for all things Korean has helped improve relations between Japan and South Korea. When Hatoyama visited the country with her husband for an official state visit in October 2009, she received applause from the crowd as she walked down the street in Seoul’s Insadong area.

She has served as her husband’s chief stylist and image coordinator during his political career and campaign during the 2009 general election. Hatoyama coordinates what her husband wears for public events and styles his hair.