Rutaro Hashimoto

Born in July 1937 in Tokyo. Hashimto was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1963 following the death of his father, also a politician. During his long career at the very heart of Japan's conservative money-and-faction politics, Hashimoto never lost the image of a maverick with no truly faithful friends. He served as prime minister between Jan. 11, 1996 and July 30, 1998. Photo was taken on April 28, 2000.