2006 in Japan
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| Years in Japan: | 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 |
| Centuries: | 20th Century · 21st century · 22nd century |
| Decades: | 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s |
| Years: | 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 |
2006 is the 18th year of Heisei in Japan.
Contents |
[edit] Incumbents
- Emperor: Akihito
- Prime Minister: Junichiro Koizumi
- Chief Cabinet Secretary: Shinzo Abe
- Governor of Tokyo: Shintaro Ishihara
[edit] Events
- January 4: Bus and train service stops due to heavy snow in Akita Prefecture; the Akita Shinkansen is shut down for the first time.
- January 16: Tokyo prosecutors raid Livedoor for suspected violations of securities laws.
- January 18: Following the Livedoor raid, the Tokyo Stock Exchange is overloaded with sell orders and is forced to stop trading.
- January 23: Livedoor CEO Takafumi Horie and three other company officials are arrested and placed in detention.
- February 1: Transit operators in the Kansai region introduce the PiTaPa contactless fare card system.
- February 6: Construction Ministry officials cite Toyoko Inns for multiple violations of building codes and disability access laws.
- February 16: Kobe Airport opens.
- March 3-5: Asian round of the World Baseball Classic is held at the Tokyo Dome.
- March 4: Softbank announces its intention to purchase the Japanese subsidiary of Vodafone.
- March 16: New Kitakyushu Airport opens.
- March 27: Extension of the Yurikamome rail line in Tokyo is completed.
- March 31: "IC payphones" operated by NTT are decommissioned.
- April 1: Sakai, Osaka becomes a city designated by government ordinance.
- April 7: Ichiro Ozawa is elected president of the Democratic Party of Japan.
- April 26: Horie is released from custody.
- April 26: Hidetsugu Aneha is arrested in Construction Accounting Statement Forgery Problem.
- May 1: The new Corporations Act goes into effect, abolishing yugen kaisha and altering kabushiki kaisha.
- June: Minato Ward 2006 elevator accident, a 16 year old student killed in Minato, Tokyo
- June 5: Yoshiaki Murakami, manager of the Murakami Fund, is arrested for insider trading.
- June 15: A cross-party organization of 135 Diet members led by Taku Yamasaki proposes a secular replacement for Yasukuni Shrine.
- July 14: Bank of Japan abolishes the zero interest rate policy.
- 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 Shrine 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 Shrine.
- August 16: A fishing boat is fired upon after crossing into Russian-claimed waters off the east coast of Hokkaido.
Anticipated events
- September 22: Junichiro Koizumi's term as president of the Liberal Democratic Party expires.
- September 30: The last YS-11 aircraft are retired from domestic commuter service.
- November 11: The Sony PlayStation 3 goes on sale in Japan.
[edit] Deaths
- July 1: Ryutaro Hashimoto, former prime minister
[edit] Statistics
- Wealthiest person in Japan: Masayoshi Son (net worth 7 billion USD)
