Hashimoto addressed U.S.-Japanese relations, saying he hoped "small sources of friction" wouldn't disrupt the common ground already established between the two nations.
Hashimoto served as Japan's prime minister from 1996 to 1998, significantly strengthening his nation's relations with Russia and the United States while he was in office.
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In addition to an introduction by Andrew Gordon, director of the Reischauer Institute for Japanese Studies, Hashimoto was welcomed yesterday by University President Neil L. Rudenstine and a Japanese flag outside University Hall.