2006 in Japan
Encyclopedia
Events in the year 2006 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
- 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...
: 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...
- 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...
Events
- January 16 - TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
prosecutors raid LivedoorLivedooris an Internet service provider based in Tokyo, Japan, that runs a web portal and numerous other businesses. The company was founded and led in its first 10 years by Takafumi Horie, known as "Horiemon" in Japan...
for suspected violations of securities laws. - January 18 - Following the Livedoor raid, the Tokyo Stock ExchangeTokyo Stock ExchangeThe , called or TSE for short, is located in Tokyo, Japan and is the third largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies...
is overloaded with sell orders and is forced to stop trading. - January 23 - Livedoor CEO Takafumi HorieTakafumi Horieis a Japanese entrepreneur who founded Livedoor, a website design operation that grew into a popular internet portal. After being arrested on accusations of securities fraud in 2006, he severed all connections with the company. He was granted bail, and the trial began on September 4, 2006...
and three other company officials are arrested and placed in detention. - February 1 - Transit operators in the Kansai region introduce the PiTaPaPiTaPais a contactless smart card ticketing and electronic money system used in the Kansai region of Japan. The name PiTaPa is an acronym of "Postpay IC for Touch and Pay"...
contactless fare card system. - February 6 - Construction Ministry officials cite Toyoko Inns for multiple violations of building codes and disability access laws.
- February 23 - 2006 Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
Shizuka Arakawa Gold medal acquisition. - March 3–5 - Asian round of the World Baseball ClassicWorld Baseball ClassicThe World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation and created by Major League Baseball , the Major League Baseball Players Association , and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world...
is held at the Tokyo DomeTokyo DomeTokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
. - March 4 - SoftbankSoftBankis a Japanese telecommunications and internet corporation, with operations in broadband, fixed-line telecommunications, e-Commerce, Internet, broadmedia, technology services, finance, media and marketing, and other businesses....
announces its intention to purchase the Japanese subsidiary of VodafoneVodafoneVodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
. - April 7 - Ichirō OzawaIchiro Ozawais a Japanese politician. Formerly a chief secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party , he later defected from the LDP. He was the president of Japan's main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan , from 2006 until May 2009, when he resigned over a fund scandal, and secretary general of the...
is elected president 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...
. - April 26 - Takahumi Horie is released from custody.
- April 26 - Hidetsugu AnehaHidetsugu Anehais a former Japanese architect and builder accused of falsifying structural data regarding the earthquake resistance of various condominiums and hotels....
is arrested for his role in the Structural Calculation Forgery Problem. - May 1 - The new Corporations Act goes into effect, abolishing yugen kaishaYugen kaishaA yūgen gaisha or yūgen kaisha is a form of business organization in Japan....
and altering kabushiki kaishaKabushiki kaishais a type of business defined under Japanese law.-Usage in language:Both kabushiki kaisha and the rendaku form kabushiki gaisha are used. The "K" spelling is much more common in the names of companies and in English-language legal literature, whereas the "G" pronunciation is dominant in...
. - June - Minato Ward 2006 elevator accidentMinato Ward 2006 elevator accidentThe Minato Ward 2006 elevator accident was an incident in June 2006 which shook Japanese public confidence in the safety of elevators around the country. In June 2006, in Minato, Tokyo, a 16-year old high school student was killed by an elevator maintained by SEC Elevator Co Ltd...
, a 16 year old student killed in Minato, TokyoMinato, Tokyois one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a population density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...
- June 5 - Yoshiaki Murakami, manager of the Murakami Fund, is arrested for insider tradingInsider tradingInsider trading is the trading of a corporation's stock or other securities by individuals with potential access to non-public information about the company...
. - June 15 - A cross-party organization of 135 Diet members led by Taku YamasakiTaku Yamasakiis a Japanese politician, a member of the House of Representatives of Japan. Born in Dalian, Manchukuo, he is a graduate of Waseda University. He worked at Bridgestone.He lost his vision in one eye in childhood....
proposes a secular replacement for Yasukuni ShrineYasukuni Shrineis a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is dedicated to the soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. Currently, its Symbolic Registry of Divinities lists the names of over 2,466,000 enshrined men and women whose lives were dedicated to the service of...
. - July 14 - Bank of JapanBank of Japanis the central bank of Japan. The Bank is often called for short. It has its headquarters in Chuo, Tokyo.-History:Like most modern Japanese institutions, the Bank of Japan was founded after the Meiji Restoration...
abolishes the zero interest rate policyZero interest rate policyThe zero interest rate policy is a macroeconomic concept describing conditions with a very low interest rate, such as contemporary Japan and, since December 16, 2008, the United States. It can be associated with slow economic growth....
. - July 20 - A memorandum from an Imperial Household Agency official is published in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun showing that Emperor Hirohito refused to visit Yasukuni ShrineYasukuni Shrineis a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is dedicated to the soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. Currently, its Symbolic Registry of Divinities lists the names of over 2,466,000 enshrined men and women whose lives were dedicated to the service of...
after Class A war criminals were added to its rolls. - August 9 - Beef imported from the United States goes on sale in Japan for the first time in months following a lengthy ban.
- August 14 - A blackout occurs throughout Tokyo, Chiba and Saitama during the morning rush hour after a barge-mounted crane disrupts a high-voltage line.
- August 15 - On the anniversary of the end of World War II, Koizumi makes his final visit to Yasukuni ShrineYasukuni Shrineis a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is dedicated to the soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. Currently, its Symbolic Registry of Divinities lists the names of over 2,466,000 enshrined men and women whose lives were dedicated to the service of...
. - August 16 - A fishing boat is fired upon after crossing into Russian-claimed waters off the east coast of HokkaidōHokkaido, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
. - September 22 - 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...
's term as president of 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...
expires. - December 2 - Nintendo's WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
is released in Japan.
Deaths
- January 3: Shiro AzumaShiro Azumawas a Japanese soldier who openly admitted his participation in Japanese war crimes against the Chinese during the Second World War. He was one of the few former soldiers of the Empire of Japan to admit to his participation in the 1937 Nanking Massacre...
, soldier - April 29: Yoichi NumataYoichi NumataYoichi Numata was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 27 films between 1949 and 2001.-Selected filmography:* The Princess Blade * Ring * Jigoku * Man in the Storm...
, actor - May 1: Kikuo TakanoKikuo Takanowas a Japanese poet and mathematician. He was born on Sado Island in 1927. He graduated from Utsunomiya Agricultural College in 1948.He began to write poems from the next day Japan had ended its role in World War II. Being inspired from surrealism and Heidegger, he wrote poems that asks the meaning...
, poet and mathematician - May 10: Raizo MatsunoRaizo Matsunowas a Japanese politician.He successively held Director-General for the Prime Minister's Office, the Minister of Labor, a Director General of the Defense Agency, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Chairman of the Policy Affairs Research Council at Liberal Democratic Party, the...
, politician - May 16: Takahiro TamuraTakahiro TamuraTakahiro Tamura was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1954 and 2005. He and his younger brothers Masakazu and Ryō were known as the three Tamura brothers...
, actor - May 29: Masumi OkadaMasumi Okadawas a professional actor, singer, stand-up comedian, and film producer. Also known by his nickname, "Fanfan", he was born in Nice, France, to a Japanese father, Minoru Okada, who was an artist, and a Danish mother, Ingeborg Sevaldsen, who was the sister of Eline Eriksen, the model for the "Mermaid...
, actor - June 1: Shokichi IyanagaShokichi Iyanagawas a Japanese mathematician.-Early life:Iyanaga was born in Tokyo, Japan on April 2, 1906. He studied at the University of Tokyo from 1926 to 1929. He studied under Teiji Takagi. As an undergraduate, he published two papers in the Japanese Journal of Mathematics and the Proceedings of the Imperial...
, mathematician - June 13: Hiroyuki IwakiHiroyuki Iwakiwas a Japanese conductor and percussionist.-Biography:Iwaki was born in Tokyo in 1932. Shortly after he entered an elementary school, he moved to Kyoto due to his father's transference. He came to play the xylophone at nine years old...
, conductor and percussionist - June 17: Hiroaki ShukuzawaHiroaki Shukuzawawas a successful rugby coach of the Japan national rugby union team until now. As a player, he was capped three times by Japan as a scrum-half, and he also advised the Japan Rugby Football Union. He held important posts as a banker also....
, rugby coach - July 1: Ryutaro HashimotoRyutaro Hashimotowas a Japanese politician who served as the 82nd and 83rd Prime Minister of Japan from January 11, 1996 to July 30, 1998. He was the leader of one of the largest factions within the ruling LDP through most of the 1990s and remained a powerful back-room player in Japanese politics until scandal...
, former prime minister - July 7: Reizō NomotoReizo Nomotowas a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo, Japan. His birth name was . On July 7, 2006, Nomoto vomited blood at home and died at a hospital transported to. The cause of his death is unknown...
, voice actor - August 6: Hirotaka SuzuokiHirotaka Suzuokiwas a Japanese voice actor and actor from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture who graduated from Tokyo Keizai University.His best known roles include Mobile Suit Gundam , Captain Tsubasa , Saint Seiya , Dragon Ball Z , The Transformers , Ranma ½ , Rurouni Kenshin , Pokémon...
, voice actor and actor - August 9: Chinatsu MoriChinatsu Moriwas a Japanese shot putter. Her personal best throw is 18.22 metres, achieved in April 2004 in Hamamatsu. This is the current Japanese record....
, shot putter - September 13: Shokichi NatsuiShokichi Natsuiwas a Japanese judoka from the Akita Prefecture. He became the first world champion in judo, winning the title at the 1956 World Judo Championships in Tokyo, by beating Yoshihiko Yoshimatsu in the final...
, judoka - September 17: Kazuyuki SogabeKazuyuki SogabeKazuyuki Sogabe was a Japanese voice actor born in Chiba Prefecture. Sogabe retired from voice acting on December 31, 2000 when he felt a weakness in his own voice. After his retirement, many of his current roles went to voice actors Tetsu Inada and Ryotaro Okiayu. Kazuyuki, however, was active in...
, voice actor - September 25: Tetsurō TambaTetsuro Tambawas a Japanese actor.-Biography:Tamba is perhaps best known by Western audiences for his role as Tiger Tanaka in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice . By then, he had among other roles appeared in two films by director Masaki Kobayashi: Harakiri and Kwaidan...
, actor - October 1: Yoshihiro YonezawaYoshihiro Yonezawawas a Japanese manga critic and author. He is also known for being Comiket's co-founder and president. He died of lung cancer at 53...
, manga critic and author - October 29: Reiko MutōReiko Mutowas a Japanese voice actress. She is best known for playing the voice of Elizabeth Taylor in Japanese dubbed television and films, and playing main characters in Marvelous Melmo , Astro Boy as Uran , and Moomin...
, voice actress - November 10: Taira HaraTaira Harawas a Japanese manga artist and tarento born in Tosayamada , Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. He was a long-time resident of Koishikawa, Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. He made his professional manga debut in 1963 with his story , published in Weekly Manga Times.-History:Hara was the oldest son, though he had an...
, manga artist and torento - December 17: Kyōko KishidaKyoko Kishidawas a Japanese actress, voice actress, and writer of children's books.Her father was Kunio Kishida, a playwright and the founder of the Bungaku-za. She became an actress in 1950, and starred in a Yukio Mishima production of the 1960 film Salome. Her film and television drama credits number in the...
, actress - December 20: Yukio AoshimaYukio Aoshimawas a Japanese politician who served as a Governor of Tokyo Metropolitan Government from 1995 to 1999. He is also well known as a novelist, a film director and a TV-actor.- Early life :...
, politician
Statistics
- Wealthiest person in Japan: Masayoshi SonMasayoshi SonMasayoshi Son , born a Zainichi Korean and now a naturalized Japanese citizen, is a businessman and the founder and current chief executive officer of SoftBank Capital, and the chief executive officer of SoftBank Mobile...
(net worth 7 billion USD)