1935
Born in Fukuoka, Japan on 17th April. Moved to northern Manchuria with family and attended the elementary school of the Oita Northern Manchuria Land Development Group. Returned Japan after World War II and attended junior high and senior high school in Hita, Oita, Japan.

1958
Graduated from Faculty of Biology, Tokyo University, and entered masters course in the same faculty.

1960
Joined Gakken Co., Ltd., assigned to Documentary Film Production Dept.

1968
First book published, prompting resignation from Gakken and start of life as an author. The book won the 16th Essayist Club of Japan Prize.

1971
Moved to Kembogi, an uninhabited island off the coast of Hamanaka-cho in eastern Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, with a Hokkaido brown bear cub and some Hokkaido ponies. In the following year, moved to the mainland to found Mutsugoro Animal Kingdom, his private menagerie, in Hamanaka-cho. Produced a stream of heartwarming and highly popular books about his life with the animals and staff at the Animal Kingdom.

1977
Won the 25th Kikuchi Kan Award for his collected works, published afresh as a collection, and including Mutsugoro’s Young Days and Mutsugoro’s Communicating with Animals.

1980
Start of highly popular TV series Mutsugoro and his Wonderful Pals that continued for 21 years. The two-hour documentaries, four or five of which were broadcast every year, presented the life of Hata and his animals and staff in the Animal Kingdom, and his adventures with domestic and wild animals throughout the world.

1986
Directed the motion picture Milo and Otis, the adventures of a pug and a stray kitten.

1992
Translated and published Japanese language edition of James Herriot’s Dogs Stories.

2003
Translated and published Japanese language edition of Danielle Steel’s His Bright Light.

2004
Released a collection of his paintings called Mutsugoro and his Wonderful Pals.

2006
Published Mutsugoro World Travels series: South America & Mauritius, Africa, New Zealand & China, Alaska, Silk Road, India & Turkey.

2007
Published Dogs: Where Did They Come From? And What Are They?

2008
Held his 25th annual show of paintings at a Ginza gallery in Tokyo.