Former Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata, who served 14 terms in the Lower House, died Monday morning at the age of 82, sources close to him said.

The Tokyo native graduated from Seijo University in the capital and worked for a bus company before entering politics.

After the Recruit shares-for-favors scandal in the late 1980s, he spearheaded political reforms, including the adoption of single-member electoral districts, as head of the Liberal Democratic Party's election system research committee.