2003 in Japan
Encyclopedia
Events in the year 2003 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 - Toyota launches all-new Avensis to be built in Britain.
- March 19: Extension of the Eidan Hanzomon LineTokyo Metro Hanzomon LineThe is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro located in Tokyo, Japan.-Overview:The 16.8 km line serves the wards of Shibuya, Minato, Chiyoda, Chūō, Kōtō and Sumida. Hanzōmon Line trains run through onto the Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line from Shibuya Station and the Tōbu Isesaki Line from...
from Suitengumae to Oshiage becomes operational. - March 31: Agriculture Minister Tadamori OshimaTadamori Oshimais a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Hachinohe, Aomori and graduate of Keio University, he worked at the national newspaper Mainichi Shimbun from 1970 to 1974 and was elected to the assembly of Aomori Prefecture...
resigns due to a farm subsidy scandal; Koizumi replaces him with Yoshiyuki KameiYoshiyuki Kameiwas a Japanese politician and member of the House of Representatives of Japan representing Kanagawa Prefecture. Keio University graduation.He was Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in the cabinet of Junichiro Koizumi, before being replaced by Yoshinobu Shimamura.-References:*...
. - April 1: The Postal Agency becomes Japan PostJapan Postwas a government-owned corporation in Japan, that existed from 2003–2007, offering postal and package delivery services, banking services, and life insurance. It had over 400,000 employees and ran 24,700 post offices throughout Japan and was the nation's largest employer. One third of all Japanese...
, a public corporation. - April 1: SaitamaSaitama, Saitama' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
becomes a city designated by government ordinance. - April 25: Grand opening of Roppongi HillsRoppongi Hillsis a New Urban Centre and one of Japan's largest integrated property developments, located in the Roppongi district of Minato, Tokyo.Constructed by building tycoon Minoru Mori, the mega-complex incorporates office space, apartments, shops, restaurants, cafés, movie theaters, a museum, a hotel, a...
. - July 7: Noto AirportNoto Airport, also unofficially known as is a domestic airport located south southeast of the city of Wajima on the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.The airport is a four-story building with two jetways...
opens. - July 26: Diet of JapanDiet of JapanThe is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
authorizes the deployment of Japanese troops to IraqDeployment of Japanese troops to IraqThe Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group or also known as the refers to a battalion-sized, largely humanitarian contingent of the Japan Self-Defense Forces that was sent to Samawah, Southern Iraq in early January 2004 and withdrawn by late July 2006....
. - August 10: Okinawa Monorail opens.
- September 20: Koizumi announces a new cabinet: 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...
becomes Minister of Internal Affairs, Shoichi NakagawaShoichi Nakagawawas a Japanese conservative politician in the Liberal Democratic Party , who served as Minister of Finance from September 24, 2008 to February 17, 2009. He previously held the posts of Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in the cabinet of...
becomes Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Sadakazu TanigakiSadakazu Tanigakiis a conservative Japanese politician who served as Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2006, in the cabinet of Jun'ichirō Koizumi. He also served as Minister of Construction and Transport in the cabinet of Yasuo Fukuda and is serving his ninth term as a member of the House of Representatives,...
becomes Minister of Finance and Yuriko KoikeYuriko Koikeis a Japanese politician, who was the Minister of Defense in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but resigned August 27, 2007 after only 54 days in office...
becomes Minister of Environment. - September 26: The Liberal PartyLiberal Party (Japan)Liberal Party is the name of different political parties in different time periods in Japan.They are:*Liberal Party of Japan , founded by Itagaki Taisuke in October 1881. The party stood for popular rights and espoused the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The main objective of the party in the...
merges into 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...
. - October 1: Shinagawa StationShinagawa Stationis the first major station south ofTokyo Station and is a major interchange for trains operated by JR East, JR Central, and Keikyu. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen and other trains to the Miura Peninsula, Izu Peninsula and the Tōkai region pass through here...
opens platforms for the Tōkaidō Shinkansen. - October 10: House of Representatives is dissolved.
- November 9: In the Japan general election, 2003Japan general election, 2003A general election took place in Japan on November 9, 2003. Incumbent Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of the Liberal Democrat Party won the election but with a reduced majority. The main opposition Democratic Party made considerable gains, winning 177 of the 480 seats in the House 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...
realizes a slight gain against the ruling 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...
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Deaths
- January 12: Kenji Fukasaku, film director
- February 28: Yō Inoue, voice actress
- March 25: Masato FuruoyaMasato Furuoyawas a Japanese actor. He won the award for best actor at the 2nd Yokohama Film Festival and at the 5th Hochi Film Award for Disciples of Hippocrates and at the 12th Yokohama Film Festival for Uchū no hōsoku. He committed suicide on March 25, 2003 by hanging himself...
, actor - April 7: Masato YamanouchiMasato YamanouchiMasato Yamanouchi was a seiyū who died on April 7, 2003 due to complications from lung cancer just four days after his 74th birthday.-Notable voice roles:...
, voice actor - April 8: Maki IshiiMaki Ishiiwas a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music, and brother of composer Kan Ishii.-Biography:Born in Tokyo, Ishii studied composition privately and conducting with Watanabe from 1952 to 1958 in Tokyo, then moved to Berlin, where he continued his studies under Boris Blacher and Josef Rufer...
, composer - April 17: Koji Kondo, football player
- April 20: Daijiro KatoDaijiro Katowas a Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and the 2001 World Champion in the 250cc class.-Biography:Kato was born in Saitama, and started racing miniature bikes at an early age, becoming a four-time national champion in the Japanese pocket-bike championship.He began road racing in 1992, and...
, motorcycle racer - May 1: Kenji YoshidaKenji Yoshidais a Japanese anime producer and illustrator. He is the co-founder of the Tatsunoko Production animation studio and former president . Yoshida is the younger brother of Tatsuo Yoshida and the older brother of Ippei Kuri.-External links:...
, animation film director and film producer - July 8: Etsuko InadaEtsuko Inadawas a Japanese figure skater. She won the Japan Figure Skating Championships seven times. She represented Japan at the 1936 Winter Olympics. At this time, she was 12 years old.-Competitive highlights:-External links:* -Navigation:...
, figure skater - September 5: Yūji AokiYuji Aokiwas a Japanese manga artist born in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, Japan. He is best known for , for which he won the 1992 Kodansha Manga Award for general manga and the 1998 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Award for Excellence.Takahiro Kochi was his assistant....
, manga artist - October 31: Kamato HongoKamato Hongowas a Japanese supercentenarian and apparently the world's oldest recognized living person from March 2002 until her death. Aged 116 years 45 days at the time of her death, she was the last remaining documented person born before 1889.-Biography:...
, oldest person in the world - November 1: Toshitaka ShimizuToshitaka Shimizu' was a male seiyū from Saitama Prefecture, affiliated with Mausu Promotion. He committed suicide on November 1, 2003 at the age of 34.He was best known for dubbing over the voice of Eddy in the Cartoon Network program Ed, Edd n Eddy...
, voice actor - November 13: Mitoyo KawateMitoyo Kawatewas a Japanese supercentenarian and, at the age of 114 years 182 days, briefly the oldest recognized living person after the death of either Kamato Hongo or Yukichi Chuganji, both also from Japan....
, oldest person in the world - December 26: Yoshio ShiraiYoshio ShiraiYoshio Shirai was a professional boxer from Tokyo, Japan. He won the world flyweight title in 1952, becoming the first Japanese boxer to win a world title.- Childhood and Early Career :...
, boxer - Undated: Masahiro YoshimuraMasahiro YoshimuraMasahiro Yoshimura is a Japanese swimmer and Olympic medalist. He participated at the 1956 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in 200 metre breaststroke.-References:...
, swimmer