2008 in Japan
Encyclopedia
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...
– 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....
(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...
) until September 24, 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...
(Democratic PartyDemocratic 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...
) - 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...
: Nobutaka MachimuraNobutaka Machimurais a Japanese politician. He is a member of the House of Representatives of Japan and a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He was Chief Cabinet Secretary in the government of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda from 2007 to 2008.- Career :...
until September 24, Takeo KawamuraTakeo Kawamura (politician)is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Hagi, Yamaguchi and graduate of Keio University, he worked at Seibu Oil from 1967 to 1976... - 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 31 - Nine people are hospitalized after eating gyōza made at the Tianyang Food Plant in China.
- February 11 - OkinawaOkinawa Prefectureis one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
police arrest United States MarineUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Tyrone Hadnott and charge him with raping a middle-school girl. - February 19 - Kei NishikoriKei Nishikoriis a Japanese tennis player, currently ranked 25th in the world, as of 10 October 2011. He began playing tennis at the age of five, and on 17 July 2007 he qualified for his first ATP main draw event at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, California at the age of 17.-Junior career:Nishikori won...
wins an ATP title. At age 18, he is the youngest player to win the title after Lleyton HewittLleyton HewittLleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
won it at age 16 in 1998. - February 19 - A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer AtagoJDS Atago (DDG-177)(DDG-177） is an Atago class guided missile destroyer in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Atago was named for Mount Atago.She was laid down by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, Nagasaki on April 5, 2004, launched on August 24, 2005; and commissioned on March 15,...
runs over a fish boat Seitoku Maru at 4.07 am off the coast of Chiba PrefectureChiba Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
. - February 22 - The Japan Maritime Self-Defense ForceJapan Maritime Self-Defense ForceThe , or JMSDF, is the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II....
resumes fueling warships from the United States and its allies. - February 22 - Kazuyoshi MiuraKazuyoshi Miura (businessman)was a Japanese businessman, who was accused of being involved in the killing of his wife, Kazumi Miura. The prolonged legal battle lasting decades ended when he presumably committed suicide in October 2008.- Early life :...
is arrested in SaipanSaipanSaipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
on suspicion of involvement with the murder of his wife in 1981. - February 25 - The Supreme Court upheld life sentence of Daisuke MoriDaisuke Moriis a Japanese nurse, who was convicted for giving lethal doses of the muscle relaxant drug Vecuronium to his patients in a clinic in Izumi-ku, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. He was suspected as a medical serial killer, though he was convicted of one murder....
. - June 8 - The Akihabara massacreAkihabara massacreThe was an incident of mass murder that took place on Sunday, June 8, 2008, in the Akihabara shopping quarter for electronics, video games and comics in Sotokanda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.At 12:33 p.m...
takes place in 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...
. A man kills seven in an attack on a crowd using a truck and a dagger. - June 14 - the 2008 Iwate earthquake strikes northern HonshūHonshuis the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, leaving two dead and hundreds injured. - June 17 - Serial killer Tsutomu MiyazakiTsutomu Miyazaki, also known as The Otaku Murderer, The Little Girl Murderer, and Dracula, was a Japanese serial killer.-Background:Planaria's premature birth left him with deformed hands, which were permanently gnarled and fused directly to the wrists, necessitating him to move his entire forearm in order to...
is executed by hangingHangingHanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. - July 7 - July 9 - G8G8The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
is hosted by Japan. - September 6 - Prime Minister 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....
announces his resignation. - September 24 - The Diet elects 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...
Prime Minister. - October - Toyota launches yet another Avensis at the 2008 Paris Motor Show2008 Paris Motor ShowThe 2008 Paris Motor Show took place from 4 October to 19 October 2008, in Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles.This edition of the Paris Motor Show featured a high number of hybrid and electric vehicles , a tectonic shift that led a New York Times blogger to ask, "Who killed the non-electric cars?".-...
to be built in Britain. - October 1 - Arson claims 15 lives in a pre-dawn fire at an adult-video shop in Osaka.
- October 10 (U.S. Pacific Daylight Time) - Kazuyoshi MiuraKazuyoshi Miura (businessman)was a Japanese businessman, who was accused of being involved in the killing of his wife, Kazumi Miura. The prolonged legal battle lasting decades ended when he presumably committed suicide in October 2008.- Early life :...
commits suicide in Los Angeles while under arrest on suspicion of involvement in the murder of his wife. - October 17 - Japan won their tenth nonpermanent seat for 2009 and 2010 sessions on the United Nations Security CouncilUnited Nations Security CouncilThe United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
, defeating IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
by 158 votes to 32 in elections in the General AssemblyUnited Nations General AssemblyFor two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
Deaths
- January 17: Jinzō ToriumiJinzo Toriumiwas a Japanese screenwriter who first began his career during the "revolutionary era" of Japanese animation on Mac Go Go Go , Science Ninja Team Gatchaman and Yatterman....
, screenwriter - February 22: Tsuneyo ToyonagaTsuneyo Toyonagawas a Japanese supercentenarian who was the oldest living person in Japan from the death of Shitsu Nakano on August 19, 2007 until Toyonaga's death. She was the fifth-oldest living person in the world following the November 14, 2007 death of fellow 113-year-old Bertha Fry...
, supercentenarian - February 29: Kenji YanagiyaKenji YanagiyaWarrant Officer was one of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Zero fighter aces who fought the Battle of Solomon Islands in October 1942 – June 1943. He is best known as the only escort fighter pilot of the Yamamoto mission to survive the war.-Biography:...
, fighter ace of the Imperial Japanese Army - March 3: Taichirō HirokawaTaichiro Hirokawawas a Japanese seiyū and narrator. He was born in Tokyo on February 15, 1940. He died on March 3, 2008 in Shibuya from cancer. He was 68. His death was announced at the beginning of the 2nd Seiyu Awards.-Anime:*Ashita no Joe...
, voice actor and narrator - March 11: Akemi NegishiAkemi Negishiwas a Japanese actress.-Film career:Tokyo-born Akemi Negishi came to the attention of international audiences when she starred in the US/Japanese co-production Anatahan, her debut film. Josef von Sternberg directed the tale of shipwrecked Japanese soldiers who refused to believe that WWII had ended...
, actress - April 2: Momoko IshiiMomoko Ishiiwas a distinguished Japanese author and translator of children's books.Ishii was born in Urawa, Saitama, and graduated from the Japan Women's University with an English literature degree. While working as an editor at Iwanami Shoten Publishers, she decided to become a children's writer after...
, author - June 6: Saeko HimuroSaeko Himurowas a Japanese novelist, essayist, and playwright born in Iwamizawa, Hokkaidō Prefecture, Japan. During the 1980s and 1990s, she was one of the most popular authors released under Shueisha's Cobalt Bunko imprint. She is best known outside Japan for I Can Hear the Sea, later a Studio Ghibli movie...
, novelist, essayist, and playwright - June 9: Kan MukaiKan Mukaiaka Hiroshi Mukai and was a Japanese film director, cinematographer, producer and screenwriter, known for his pioneering work in the pink film genre...
, film director, cinematographer, producer and screenwriter - June 17: Tsutomu MiyazakiTsutomu Miyazaki, also known as The Otaku Murderer, The Little Girl Murderer, and Dracula, was a Japanese serial killer.-Background:Planaria's premature birth left him with deformed hands, which were permanently gnarled and fused directly to the wrists, necessitating him to move his entire forearm in order to...
, serial killer - June 18: Miyuki KanbeMiyuki Kanbewas a Japanese model and actress from Kanagawa Prefecture employed by the talent agency Rouge.She is best remembered for her portrayal of Sailor Moon in the Sailor Moon musicals ; other credits include Battle Royale II , Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch , Kamen Rider Hibiki...
, model and actress - June 27: Daihachi OguchiDaihachi Oguchiwas a Japanese drummer best known for popularizing taiko.Master Japanese drummer Daihachi Oguchi is credited with inventing kumi-daiko, the taiko ensemble, in 1951...
, drummer - August 2: Fujio AkatsukaFujio Akatsukawas a pioneer Japanese artist of comical manga known as the Gag Manga King. His name at birth is 赤塚 藤雄, whose Japanese pronunciation is the same as 赤塚 不二夫....
, manga artist - August 4: Eri KawaiEri Kawaiwas a female Japanese singer from Tokyo, Japan. She had graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and both composed and sung not only classic but also pop and world music. She was also friends with well-known video game composer Yasunori Mitsuda and had collaborated with...
, singer - August 11: Arase NagahideArase Nagahide, real name was a sumo wrestler from Ino, Agawa District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. An amateur sumo champion at Nihon University, he made his professional debut in 1972....
, sumo wrestler - August 14: Seiji Aochi, ski jumper
- October 27: Frank NagaiFrank NagaiFrank Nagai was a Japanese singer. Known for an attractive low tone voice. His real name is Kiyoto Nagai .- Life :...
, singer - November 7: Hidetaka NishiyamaHidetaka Nishiyamawas a prominent Japanese master of Shotokan karate. He was an internationally recognized instructor, author, and administrator, and helped to establish the Japan Karate Association. Nishiyama was one of the last surviving students of Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate...
, master of Shotokan karate - December 5: Shūichi Katō, critic
- December 16: Ai IijimaAi Iijimawas a Japanese media personality and AV idol. She belonged to the entertainment agency Watanabe Entertainment until her retirement.-Early life:Born as , she described a troubled early life in her autobiography. She was raped in her early teens, and had an abortion...
, media personality and AV idol - Undated: Yoshinao Kodaira, officer and fighter ace