Morihiro Hosokawa

Born in January 1938, Hosokawa is a descendant of the Hosokawa daimyos, or feudal lords, who ruled Kumamoto, southern Japan, from 1632 to 1868. His grandfather Prince Fumimaro Konoe was prime minister from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1940 to 1941. Only one year and three months after launching his conservative Japan New Party with the aim of reorganizing Japan's political scene, Hosokawa became prime minister on Aug. 9, 1933, leading Japan's first coalition government in more than four decades. After serving as prime minister until April 28, 1994, he retired from politics in 1998.