Irina Mutsuovna Khakamada was born on April 13, 1955, in Moscow, Russia. Her father, Mutsuo Hakamada, was a Japanese communist who defected to the Soviet Union in 1939, while her mother, Nina Sinelnikova, was a Russian and Armenian schoolteacher who had a tumultuous childhood, having lost her father to the Stalinist purges and her mother to suicide after the family was forced to relocate to Khabarovsk.
Khakamada's paternal uncle, Satomi Hakamada, was a prominent figure in the Japanese Communist Party leadership. She also has a half-brother, Shigeki Hakamada, who is a professor of political science at Aoyama Gakuin University and an expert on Russia.
In addition to her political career, Khakamada has also pursued a career in acting, appearing in several films and television series, including the 2012 film "Brief Guide To A Happy Life".
Her family name is written in Kanji as and in katakana as イリーナ・ハカマダ.
