Hatoyama was born to a Japanese mother, Sadako Takami and Australian father, J. K. (Jimmy) Beard, a sergeant in the Australian Army who had been stationed in Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force.
While some sources state that the family was forced to remain in Japan because the Australian government barred immigration by Japanese people, that particular barrier was removed several years before Hatoyama was born.
In fact, Beard worked for a trading company in Japan after leaving the Army.
This included being a cover model for Shōjo Friend by Kodansha,[3] Hatoyama started working as an actress during the 1970s and made her debut as a singer in 1972.
Hatoyama's older sister, Marjorie Beard, also worked as an actress, under the name Risa Takami, in Toei movies and commercials during the mid-1960s.