2005 in Japan
Encyclopedia
Events in the year 2005 in Japan
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Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
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Incumbents
- EmperorEmperor of JapanThe Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
: AkihitoAkihitois the current , the 125th emperor of his line according to Japan's traditional order of succession. He acceded to the throne in 1989.-Name:In Japan, the emperor is never referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor" which may be shortened to . In... - Prime MinisterPrime Minister of JapanThe is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
: Junichiro KoizumiJunichiro Koizumiis a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the... - Chief Cabinet SecretaryChief Cabinet Secretary__notoc__The of Japan is a Minister of State who is responsible for directing the Cabinet Secretariat. The main function of Chief Cabinet Secretary is to coordinate the policies of ministries and agencies in the executive branch...
: Hiroyuki HosodaHiroyuki Hosodais a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . From 2004 to 2005, he was the Chief Cabinet Secretary in Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinets, succeeded by Shinzō Abe on October 31, 2005....
, Shinzo AbeShinzo Abewas the 90th Prime Minister of Japan, elected by a special session of the National Diet on 26 September 2006. He was Japan's youngest post–World War II prime minister and the first born after the war. Abe served as prime minister for nearly twelve months, before resigning on 12 September 2007... - Governor of Tokyo: Shintaro IshiharaShintaro Ishiharais a Japanese author, actor, politician and the governor of Tokyo since 1999.- Early life and artistic career :Shintarō was born in Suma-ku, Kobe. His father Kiyoshi was an employee, later a general manager, of a shipping company. Shintarō grew up in Zushi...
Events
- February 17: Chubu Centrair International AirportChubu Centrair International Airportis an airport on an artificial island in Ise Bay, Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture, south of Nagoya in central Japan.Centrair is classified as a first class airport and is the main international gateway for the Chūbu region of Japan...
opens. - March 16: The Shimane PrefectureShimane Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...
assembly declares "Takeshima Day" to commemorate the centennial anniversary of Japan's claim to Liancourt RocksLiancourt RocksThe Liancourt Rocks, also known as Dokdo or Tokto in Korean or in Japanese, are a group of small islets in the Sea of Japan . Sovereignty over the islets is disputed between Japan and South Korea...
(known as Takeshima in Japan, and Dokdo in Korea), starting a wave of protests in South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
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- March 25: Expo 2005Expo 2005Expo 2005 was the World's Fair held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. It was a Specialized International Exhibition under the scheme of the 1972 protocol of the Convention relating to International Exhibitions...
opens in Aichi PrefectureAichi Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
. - April 1: Shizuoka CityShizuoka, Shizuokais the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 "designated cities" in 2005.-Geography:...
is designated by government ordinanceCity designated by government ordinance (Japan)A , also known as a or , is a Japanese city that has a population greater than 500,000 and has been designated as such by an order of the cabinet of Japan under Article 252, Section 19 of the Local Autonomy Law.-Overview:...
. - April 1: The Japan-MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
free trade agreement becomes effective. - April 25: 107 commuters are killed in the Amagasaki rail crashAmagasaki rail crashThe Amagasaki rail crash occurred on 25 April 2005 at 09:19 local time , just after the local rush hour. The Rapid Service came off the tracks on the West Japan Railway Company Fukuchiyama Line in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, near Osaka, just before Amagasaki Station on its way for Dōshisha-mae...
near Osaka. - August 8: Postal service privatization, the keystone of Prime Minister Koizumi's platform, is voted down in the House of Councillors. Later in the day, Koizumi announces the dissolution of the House of Representatives and snap elections to be held the following month.
- August 24: The Tsukuba Express line opens.
- September 11: In the Japan general election, 2005Japan general election, 2005A general election in Japan was held on 11 September 2005 for all 480 seats of the House of Representatives of Japan, the lower house of the Diet of Japan, almost two years before the end of the term taken from the last election in 2003...
, the Liberal Democratic PartyLiberal Democratic Party (Japan)The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
wins the largest House of Representatives majority in postwar history, holding a two-thirds supermajority along with coalition partner New Komeito. - September 17: Seiji MaeharaSeiji Maeharais a Japanese politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives of Japan since 1993. He was the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan from 2005 to 2006, and later served as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and Minister of Foreign Affairs under the cabinets...
defeats Naoto KanNaoto Kanis a Japanese politician, and former Prime Minister of Japan. In June 2010, then-Finance Minister Kan was elected as the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan and designated Prime Minister by the Diet to succeed Yukio Hatoyama. On 26 August 2011, Kan announced his resignation...
for the presidency of the Democratic Party of JapanDemocratic Party of JapanThe is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
. - September 21: Koizumi is re-elected as prime minister at an extraordinary session of the Diet.
- September 25: Expo 2005 ends.
- October 14: The Postal Privatization Bill enters the Diet.
- October 31: Koizumi reshuffles his cabinet, naming Shinzo AbeShinzo Abewas the 90th Prime Minister of Japan, elected by a special session of the National Diet on 26 September 2006. He was Japan's youngest post–World War II prime minister and the first born after the war. Abe served as prime minister for nearly twelve months, before resigning on 12 September 2007...
as Chief Cabinet Secretary, Heizo TakenakaHeizo Takenakais a Japanese economist and retired politician, last serving as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications and Minister of State for Privatization of the Postal Services in the cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi...
as Minister of Internal Affairs and Taro AsoTaro Asowas the 92nd Prime Minister of Japan serving from September 2008 to September 2009, and was defeated in the August 2009 election.He has served in the House of Representatives since 1979. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007, and was Secretary-General of the LDP briefly in 2007 and...
as Minister of Foreign Affairs. - November 15: Princess SayakoSayako Kuroda, formerly , is the third child and only daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. She held the childhood appellation "Nori no miya" . She married Yoshiki Kuroda on 15 November 2005...
marries commoner Yoshiki Kuroda, thus giving up her imperial title. - November 17: Structural Calculation Forgery Problem is discovered, and it becomes a serious social problem.
- December 25: An AkitaAkita Stationis a railway station in Akita, Akita, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company .-Platforms:- Limited express trains :* Komachi * Tsugaru * Inaho * Akebono * Nihonkai -Surrounding area:...
-NiigataNiigata Stationis a train station operated by East Japan Railway Company in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Japan. It opened on May 3, 1904.The station is at the centre of Niigata city, the largest city on the Sea of Japan coast in Honshū...
of Inaho Inaho Express crash by strong wind in Uetsu Line, Shonai, YamagataShonai, Yamagatais a town located in Higashitagawa District, Yamagata, Japan. It was created by the merger of the towns of Amarume and Tachikawa in 2005.As of 2005, the town has an estimated population of 24,921 and the density of 249.26 persons per km²...
, with kill 5 people and injure 32. http://shippai.jst.go.jp/fkd/Detail?fn=0&id=CZ0200715& - Unknown date: Japanese official abndoned national project and development of superconducting passenger ferry Techno Superliner, due to high fuel cost.
Deaths
- January 4: Kishibe ShigeoKishibe ShigeoKishibe Shigeo was a Japanese musicologist specializing in the study of East Asian music.-Life:Kishibe was born in Tokyo in the district of Kanda-Jinbōchō, to Kishibe Fukuo, an educator and children’s writer...
, musicologist (born 1912) - January 14: Takeshi Suzuki, professor of Urdu (born 1932)
- January 16: Yoshito MatsushigeYoshito Matsushigewas a Japanese photojournalist who survived the dropping of the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 and took five photographs on the day of the bombing in Hiroshima, the only photographs taken that day within Hiroshima that are known....
, photojournalist (born 1913) - January 23: Mutsuko SakuraMutsuko Sakurawas a Japanese actress.Her hobby was golf. She started work at Shochiku in 1950, and played supporting roles in some of Yasujirō Ozu's films. She was a constant in Japanese film and TV drama for half a 20th century.- Filmography :* Chichi Koishi...
, actress (born 1921) - February 19: Kihachi OkamotoKihachi Okamotowas a Japanese film director who has worked in several different genres, including jidaigeki.-Career:Born in Yonago, Okamoto attended Meiji University, but was drafted in 1943 and entered World War II during its most difficult hours, an experience that had a profound effect on his later film work,...
, film director (born 1924) - February 28: Yukio KoshimoriYukio Koshimoriwas a Japanese politician. He was mayor of Okushiri, Hokkaidō when Okushiri Island was hit by a devastating earthquake with tsunami that caused 201 deaths on 12 July 1993.Koshimori was elected to Okushiri's assembly in April 1959...
, politician (born 1930) - March 6: Sadako KuriharaSadako Kuriharawas a Japanese poet who lived in Hiroshima and survived the atomic bombing during World War II. She is best known for her poem Umashimenkana .-Biography:...
, poet (born 1913) - April 20: Fumio NiwaFumio Niwawas a Japanese novelist with a long list of works, the most famous in the West being his novel The Buddha Tree .-Career:...
, author (born 1904) - May 23: Tetsuya IshidaTetsuya Ishidawas a Japanese painter, best known for his surreal portrayal of an ordinary Japanese life. He was accidentally killed by a train in 2005.- Biography :...
, painter (born 1973) - June: Satoru AnabukiSatoru Anabukiwas, depending on the source, the second or third highest flying ace of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II, with 39 victories . Strangely enough there are 53 claimed victories to be found in his autobiography "Soku no Kawa" , where his first triple kill was mis-counted as just...
, flying ace (born 1921) - June 10: Yumiko KurahashiYumiko Kurahashiwas a Japanese writer. Her married name was , but she wrote under her birth name.Her work was experimental and antirealist, questioning prevailing societal norms regarding sexual relations, violence, and social order...
, writer (born 1935) - June 28: Yumika HayashiYumika Hayashiwas a Japanese AV idol and pink film actress. She earned the title of "Japan's Original Adult Video Queen" during a 16-year career in which she starred in nearly 200 AVs and appeared in over 180 films...
, AV idol and pink film actress (born 1970) - July 3: Kohachi ShigetakaKohachi Shigetakawas a supercentenarian and the oldest male in Japan from July 2004 until his death from pneumonia, aged 110 years 54 days old. Japan's oldest man on record is Yukichi Chuganji , 114 years 189 days old.-External links:*...
, supercentenarian (born 1895) - July 11: Shinya HashimotoShinya Hashimoto, was a Japanese professional wrestler. Along with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the "Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro Wrestling in the mid 1980s and dominated the promotion in the 1990s....
, wrestler (born 1965) - July 16: Gu, Prince Imperial HoeunGu, Prince Imperial HoeunPrince Yi Ku was a claimant to the throne of Korea, contested twenty-ninth head of the Korean Imperial family, and the grandson of Gojong of the Korean Joseon Dynasty....
(born 1931) - July 19: Toku NishioToku Nishiowas a Japanese actor and voice actor from Gifu Prefecture, Japan. He was represented by Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society.He was most known for the roles of Mammoth Nishi , Musashi , and Mister Popo ....
, actor and voice actor (born 1939) - August 12: Teruo IshiiTeruo Ishiiwas a Japanese film director best known in the West for his early films in the Super Giant series, and for his films in the Ero guro subgenre of pinku eiga such as Shogun's Joys of Torture . He also directed the 1965 film, Abashiri Prison, which helped to make Ken Takakura a major star in Japan...
, film director (born 1924) - November 4: Hiro TakahashiHiro Takahashi, born as , was a Japanese singer, lyricist, and composer.- Biography :On the music program Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, he mentioned he composed two songs at the age of 11 - Heart of a Woman and Northern Town....
, singer, lyricist, and composer (born 19641964 in JapanEvents in the year 1964 in Japan.1964 is considered a seminal year in modern Japanese history. The Tokyo Olympics and first run of the bullet train reflected a society-wide sense that post-war reconstruction was over and that Japan had rejoined the international family of nations...
) - November 4: Mana NishiuraMana Nishiurawas a drummer for Japanese alternative rock bands Shonen Knife and DMBQ. She died in a car accident in 2005.-Life and career:...
, drummer (born 1971) - November 6: Minako HondaMinako Honda, born Minako Kudo was a Japanese "idol" pop-star and musical singer. She became famous and popular as "Japan's Madonna" because of her sexy fashion and live performances in the mid to late 1980s...
, idol pop star and singer (born 1967) - November 22: Airi Kinoshita, murder victim (born 19981998 in Japan-Incumbents:* Emperor: Akihito* Prime Minister: Ryutaro Hashimoto, Keizo Obuchi* Chief Cabinet Secretary: Kanezo Muraoka, Hiromu Nonaka-Events:* February 7–February 22 - The 1998 Winter Olympics are held in Nagano....
) - November 25: Yoshio ShigaYoshio Shigawas an officer, ace fighter pilot, and leader in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific theater of World War II. At the December 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor, Shiga led one of the aircraft carrier Kaga's fighter divisions during the first strike on American...
, fighter ace (born 1914) - November 26: Takanori ArisawaTakanori Arisawawas a Japanese composer and arranger best known for composing the Sailor Moon anime series. He wrote music for the series, including its video games. Born in Tokyo, Arisawa began to learn piano at the age of 20. After graduating from Senzoku Gakuen College, Arisawa started his career in 1980 by...
, composer and arranger (born 1951) - December 10: Sayano Horimoto, murder victim (born 19931993 in Japan-Incumbents:* Emperor: Akihito* Prime Minister: Kiichi Miyazawa and Hosokawa Morihiro-Events:* July 7: G7 summit is held in Tokyo.* July 18: General elections for the House of Representatives of Japan are held. The Liberal Democratic Party fails to secure a majority.* August 6: Hosokawa Morihiro is...
) - Undated: Masao SasakibaraMasao Sasakibarawas an ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Participating in many of the Pacific War battles and campaigns as a member of several units, Sasakibara was officially credited with destroying 12 enemy aircraft. He was seriously injured while supporting the Ke operation...
, figher ace (born 1921)
Statistics
- Wealthiest person in Japan: Nobutada SajiNobutada Sajiis a Japanese businessman, chief executive of Suntory Ltd, Japan's fourth-largest brewer and food manufacturer. He was the wealthiest individual in Japan as of 2004, with a net worth of $6.9 billion; however, a Forbes survey in June 2006 downgraded him to the fourth-richest, with a net worth of $5...
(net worth 5.8 billion USD)