2002 in Japan
Encyclopedia
Events in the year 2002 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...
: Yasuo FukudaYasuo Fukudawas the 91st Prime Minister of Japan, serving from 2007 to 2008. He was previously the longest-serving Chief Cabinet Secretary in Japanese history, serving for three and a half years under Prime Ministers Yoshirō Mori and Junichiro Koizumi.... - 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
- January 15: UFJ Bank founded.
- January 29: Koizumi fires Foreign Minister Makiko TanakaMakiko Tanakais a Japanese politician, the daughter of former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.Tanaka attended high school at Germantown Friends School in the United States and graduated from Waseda University...
. - February 1: Yoriko KawaguchiYoriko Kawaguchiis a Japanese politician. She was born in Tokyo. She holds a B.A. in international relations from the University of Tokyo, and a master's in economics from Yale University. She was the minister of the environment of Japan from 2000 until 2002 and the foreign minister of Japan from February 2002...
is appointed foreign minister; her previous portfolio of Environment Minister is assumed by Hiroshi Oki. - February 19: U.S. president George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
addresses a joint session of the Diet. - March 7: Futoshi MatsunagaFutoshi Matsunagais a Japanese serial killer who both defrauded and tortured his victims. He was convicted of six murders and one manslaughter, including two children, between the years 1996 and 1998. He murdered his victims with an accomplice, Junko Ogata....
and Junko OgataJunko Ogatais a Japanese woman who acted as an accomplice to serial killer Futoshi Matsunaga.-Early life and murders:Ogata was born on Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, and grew up in a wealthy family. She was Matsunaga's schoolmate in high school, but she did not know him very well, and he transferred to another...
are arrested for confinement of a 17-year-old girl. They are arrested for seven murders later. - April 1: Mizuho BankMizuho Bankis the core retail banking unit of Mizuho Financial Group, which is the second-largest financial services company in Japan and one of the three so-called Japanese "megabanks"...
founded. - April 1: Domestic Violence Prevention Act becomes effective.
- April 21: E231 seriesE231 seriesThe is an electric multiple unit type used for commuter and outer-suburban services operated by East Japan Railway Company in Japan since 2000.-Design:...
trains are introduced on the Yamanote LineYamanote LineThe is commuter rail loop line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company . It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban centres, including the Yūrakuchō/Ginza area, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro, with all but two of its...
in Tokyo. - May 31: World Cup Korea/Japan 20022002 World Cup2002 World Cup may refer to:*Alpine skiing – 2002 Alpine Skiing World Cup*Athletics – 2002 IAAF World Cup*Field Hockey:** 2002 Men's World Hockey Cup** 2002 Women's World Hockey Cup...
begins. - June 11: Solar eclipseSolar eclipseAs seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
visible throughout Japan. - June 30: World Cup ends.
- June 30: Izumi Garden TowerIzumi Garden TowerThe is a 216 m high-rise building in the Roppongi district of Tokyo. The tower features a high-end hotel, luxury apartments with views of Tokyo and the Tokyo Tower, a fitness center, offices, shops and restaurants...
is completed. - August 30: The last Mazda 626Mazda 626The Mazda 626 is an automobile that was produced by Mazda for the export market. It was based on the Japan-market Mazda Capella. The 626 replaced the 616/618 and RX-2 in 1979 and was sold through 2002, when the new Mazda6 took over as Mazda's large family car...
rolls off the production line after 23 years. Its successor, the 6, enters production on October 1. - September 17: Koizumi visits North KoreaNorth KoreaThe Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
; Kim Jong-ilKim Jong-ilKim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
admits to the North Korean abduction of Japanese citizens. - October 15: Five Japanese abductees return from North Korea.
- December 1: Tōhoku ShinkansenTohoku ShinkansenThe is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata...
extension to Hachinohe StationHachinohe Stationis a railway station operated by the East Japan Railway Company in Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan.-Lines:Hachinohe Station is served by the high-speed Tōhoku Shinkansen line between Tokyo and , and forms the starting point of the Hachinohe Line to...
opens. - December 1: Saikyo LineSaikyo LineThe is a railway line between Ōsaki Station in Shinagawa, Tokyo, and Ōmiya Station in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It is a part of the East Japan Railway Company network...
and Rinkai LineRinkai LineThe is a railway line located in Tokyo, Japan. It is the only line operated by the third-sector company Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit. It connects central Tokyo to the artificial islands of Aomi and Odaiba...
extensions to Osaki StationOsaki Stationis a railway stationin Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. It is one of the stations where trains on the Yamanote Line loop are put into and taken out of service...
open, allowing through service. - December 1: Iwate Ginga Railway and Aoimori Railway begin operations.
Deaths
- March 8: Sanji HaseSanji Hase', born ' on January 2, 1936 in Tokyo, Japan, was a seiyū and the father of Macross star Arihiro Hase. He died of lung cancer on March 8, 2002 at the age of 66...
, voice actor - April 10: Yuji HyakutakeYuji Hyakutakewas a Japanese amateur astronomer who discovered Comet Hyakutake on January 30, 1996 while using 25×150 binoculars.His only other discovery was comet C/1995 Y1. The media has stated that Hyakutake became interested in astronomy after seeing Comet Ikeya-Seki .He died in 2002, at age 51, of an...
, amateur astronomer - May 13: Morihiro SaitoMorihiro SaitoMorihiro Saito was a teacher of the Japanese martial art of aikido, with many students around the world. Saito's practice of aikido spanned 56 years, from the age of 18, when he first met aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba, until his death in 2002.-Early life:Morihiro Saito was born in Ibaraki...
, aikidoka - May 16: Shoichi AraiShoichi AraiShoichi Arai was a Japanese professional wrestling promoter who ran Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling from 1995 until its demise in 2002...
, professional wrestling promoter - May 24: Toshihito ItoToshihito Ito) was a Japanese actor and member of the Tokyo Sunshine Boys theatrical troupe. He was born on February 16, 1962 in Niigata, Japan. He died on May 24th, 2002 from a Subarachnoid hemorrhage in the brain....
, actor - May 25: Genichi KawakamiGenichi Kawakamiwas the president of the Yamaha Corporation from 1950 to 1977, and again from 1980 to 1983. He is often credited with the international success of Yamaha and was also widely influential as a community music educator....
, president of Yamaha Corporation from 1950 to 1977 - June 13: Hideo MurataHideo Muratawas a Japanese rōkyoku and enka singer. He had taken part in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen 27 times.Murata was born as a son of rōkyoku singer and . However, he was immediately adopted by and became his stepfather. His real name was . He studied rōkyoku under one of Kumoemon Tochuken's disciples, Kumo...
, rōkyoku and enka singer - June 15: Hideo Murota, actor
- September 12: Mitsuo IkedaMitsuo Ikedawas a Japanese wrestler and Olympic champion in Freestyle wrestling.-Olympics:Mitsuo Ikeda competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne where he received a gold medal in Freestyle wrestling, the welterweight class.-References:...
, wrestler - October 12: Nozomi MomoiNozomi Momoiwas a popular and prolific Japanese AV idol, known for her "baby face that topped off a huge set of boobs" She appeared in over 100 movies, appearing in up to ten releases per month. In an incident that shocked the nation, she was murdered at the age of 24.-Early life:Nozomi Momoi was born in Tokyo...
, AV idol - November 15: Sohn Kee-chungSohn Kee-chungSohn Kee-Chung became the first medal-winning Korean Olympian, when he won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a member of the Japanese delegation....
, marathon runner - December 15: Mr. C.B.Mr. C.B.Mr. C.B. was a Japanese thoroughbred racehorse, sired by Tosho Boy, a son of Tesco Boy, out of C.B. Queen, a daughter of Topyo. Mr. C.B. won the Japanese Triple Crown in 1983, and was inducted into the Japan Racing Association Hall of Fame in 1986...
, thoroughbred racehorse - December 21: Prince TakamadoPrince Takamadowas a member of the Imperial House of Japan and the third son of HIH Prince Mikasa and HIH Princess Mikasa. He was a first cousin of Emperor Akihito, and formerly was seventh in line to the Chrysanthemum throne.-Education:...
- December 28: Koreyoshi KuraharaKoreyoshi Kuraharawas a Japanese screenwriter and director. He is perhaps best known for directing Antarctica , which won several awards and was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival...
, screenwriter and director