Koji Hashimoto (橋本 幸治 Hashimoto Kōji) was a Japanese film director and producer. He was best known for directing two major science-fiction films for Toho in 1984, Bye-Bye Jupiter and The Return of Godzilla. They were his only two directorial jobs after over 70 assignments as an assistant director, including several Ishiro Honda kaiju films and one Akira Kurosawa film, Dodes'ka-den.[1] Following The Return of Godzilla, Hashimoto become a producer for Toho. He passed away of coronary heart disease on January 9, 2005 at the age of 69.