2006 in Japan

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

««« 2005 2004 2003	2006 in Japan	»»» 2007 2008 2009
Decades: 1980s • 1990s • 2000s • 2010s See also: Other events of 2006 List of years in Japan

Events in the year 2006 in Japan.

Incumbents

• Emperor: Akihito
• Prime Minister: Junichiro Koizumi (L–Kanagawa) until September 26, Shinzō Abe (L–Yamaguchi)
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Shinzō Abe (L–Yamaguchi) until September 26, Yasuhisa Shiozaki (L–Ehime)
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Akira Machida until October 15, Nirō Shimada from October 16
• President of the House of Representatives: Yōhei Kōno (L–Kanagawa)
• President of the House of Councillors: Chikage Ōgi (L–proportional)
• Diet sessions: 164th (regular, January 20 to June 18), 165th (extraordinary, September 26 to December 19)

Events

• 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 23 - 2006 Winter Olympics Shizuka Arakawa Gold medal acquisition.
• 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.
• April 7 - Ichirō Ozawa is elected president of the Democratic Party of Japan.
• April 26 - Takahumi Horie is released from custody.
• April 26 - Hidetsugu Aneha is arrested for his role in the Structural Calculation 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.

Nintendo's Wii

• 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 Hokkaidō.
• September 22 - Junichiro Koizumi's term as president of the Liberal Democratic Party expires.
• December 2 - Nintendo's Wii is released in Japan.

Births

• September 6: Prince Hisahito of Akishino

Deaths

• January 3: Shiro Azuma, soldier
• April 29: Yoichi Numata, actor
• May 1: Kikuo Takano, poet and mathematician
• May 10: Raizo Matsuno, politician
• May 16: Takahiro Tamura, actor
• May 29: Masumi Okada, actor
• June 1: Shokichi Iyanaga, mathematician
• June 13: Hiroyuki Iwaki, conductor and percussionist
• June 17: Hiroaki Shukuzawa, rugby coach
• July 1: Ryutaro Hashimoto, former prime minister
• July 7: Reizō Nomoto, voice actor
• August 6: Hirotaka Suzuoki, voice actor and actor
• August 9: Chinatsu Mori, shot putter
• September 13: Shokichi Natsui, judoka
• September 17: Kazuyuki Sogabe, voice actor
• September 25: Tetsurō Tamba, actor
• October 1: Yoshihiro Yonezawa, manga critic and author
• October 29: Reiko Mutō, voice actress
• November 10: Taira Hara, manga artist and torento
• December 17: Kyōko Kishida, actress
• December 20: Yukio Aoshima, politician

Statistics

• Wealthiest person in Japan: Masayoshi Son (net worth 7 billion USD)