Ryutaro Hashimoto
![Official portrait, 1996](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Ryutaro_Hashimoto_19960111.jpg)
was a Japanese politician who served as the
Prime Minister of Japan from 1996 to 1998. He was the leader of one of the largest factions within the ruling
LDP through most of the 1990s and remained a powerful back-room player in Japanese politics until scandal forced him to resign his leadership position in 2004. Disgraced, he chose not to stand in the
general election of 2005, and effectively retired from politics.
Provided by Wikipedia