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Offshore Leaks Database

Data from
Paradise Papers - The Power Players
Former prime minister, Japan (2009-2010)

Yukio Hatoyama

Related to

Japan Bermuda

About

Yukio Hatoyama was Japan’s prime minister from 2009 to 2010. He resigned after only nine months in power after a term mired in fundraising irregularities and his inability to follow through on a campaign pledge to relocate U.S. troops from Okinawa.

In the data

In March 2013 Hatoyama was appointed honorary chairman and senior consultant of Hoifu Energy Group Ltd., an oil and gas exploration and production company incorporated in Bermuda in 2000.

According to a company report, his role was to use his “amicable relationship” with the energy industry in the United States, Japan, China and Africa as the directors planned to expand Hoifu’s oil and gas business. The directors of the company, which is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, include Hui Chi Ming, one of China’s wealthiest oil tycoons with business interests in Madagascar, and international investor Neil Bush, the brother of former U.S. President George W. Bush.

Response

Hatoyama confirmed that he is the honorary chairman of Hoifu but said that “in substance” the title “has no meaning,” because he doesn’t attend management meetings nor is he involved with the company’s business. He also told Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun that Hoifu may have wanted to use his name to “earn trust” in China. Hatoyama said he receives consulting fees in his personal capacity which are regularly disclosed in his tax filings.

Hatoyama said he doesn’t know why the company was incorporated in Bermuda and not in Hong Kong, where it is listed. The company did not respond to requests for comments.

This visualization contains relevant information in relation to the profiled individual. Some additional connections might show up once we release the full structured data connected to the Paradise Papers investigation in the coming weeks. Record manually added from leaked documents.

Disclaimer

There are legitimate uses for offshore companies and trusts. The inclusion of a person or entity in the ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database is not intended to suggest or imply that they have engaged in illegal or improper conduct. Many people and entities have the same or similar names. We suggest you confirm the identities of any individuals or entities included in the database based on addresses or other identifiable information. The data comes directly from the leaked files ICIJ has received in connection with various investigations and each dataset encompasses a defined time period specified in the database. Some information may have changed over time. Please contact us if you find an error in the database.

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