January 1 – About 240,000 people in some 93,000 households in
Hachinohe and six other municipalities in
Aomori Prefecture have gone without water for one to six days because of a duct problem.[2]
January 13 – Aid group worker Dr. Keiko Akahane returns to Japan following her release from three months in captivity in
Somalia.[4]
January 14 – Keiji Fujimaki, vice president of
Nishimatsu Construction, and three others are arrested on suspicion of violating
foreign exchange regulations for allegedly bringing in 70 million
Yen in funds from abroad without reporting them to
customs authorities.[5]
February 10 – Norihisa Oga, president of
Oita-based
consultant firm Daiko, is arrested along with six others on suspicion of violating the corporation
tax law by masterminding an elaborate tax dodge including
slush fundsfunneled by
Kajima Construction over the construction of two plants for
Canon.[9]
February 13 –
Japan Post and leasing firm
ORIX agree to cancel their controversial 10.9 billion yen deal involving sell-out of dozens of Kampo no Yado inns and housing facilities.[10]
February 17 – Japanese Finance Minister
Shōichi Nakagawa resigns over allegations of drunkenness at the press conference held after the
G7 meeting in
Rome.[11]
March 3 – The chief secretary of
Ichirō Ozawa, head of the
DPJ is arrested on suspicion of accepting illegal corporate donations from Nishimatsu Construction.[12]
March 4 – 2-trillion-yen stimulus plan, which allows one-time cash handout of 12,000 yen per person, and additional 8,000 yen for age 18 and under and 65 and older, is approved by a two-thirds majority of the
House of Representatives, after rejection by the opposition-controlled
House of Councillors.[13]
April 21 – The
Supreme Court rejects
Masumi Hayashi's not-guilty plea and finalizes death sentence for killing four people with arsenic-laced
curry at a local summer festival in
Wakayama in 1998.[22]
April 28 – "EXPO Y150", celebrating 150th anniversary of the opening of the
Port of Yokohama, is held until September 27.[23]
May 15 –
Fukuoka High Court sentences former
Fukuoka city office worker who drank a "considerable amount of alcohol" before causing a traffic accident that killed three children in 2006, to twenty years in prison, dismissing a 7+1⁄2-year term ruled by Fukuoka Regional Court.[26]
June 1 – A modification of the law on sales of medications takes effect. The law classifies products into three categories and allows over-the-counter sales of two at convenience-stores and supermarkets with a registered sales agent present, while requiring a pharmacist to oversee sales of the third category. Convenience stores begin sales of vitamins, analgesics and cold remedies.[28]
June 1 – Amended
Road Traffic Law, which requires 75 years or older people to take mandatory cognitive function tests upon renewal of their licenses, goes into effect.[29]
June 4 –
Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office decides to release
Toshikazu Sugaya, who allegedly sentenced indefinite imprisonment for kidnapping and murdering a 4-year-old girl in
Ashikaga, Tochigi, after 17 years of imprisonment, due to the result of fresh DNA test which proved that his case was false imprisonment.[30]
June 16 – 10 climbers lost their lives in the
Taisetsu mountain range in
Hokkaido. Hokkaido Police raided the head office and a local branch of Amuse travel on suspicion of improper management of a guided tour on June 18.[32]
July 21 – A massive heavy rain, following devastate flood and landslide in
Hofu, Yamaguchi, 18 people lives. [citation needed]
July 22 –
Total Solar eclipse is observed in
Iwo Jima and over the water around there. It was not observed from
Akusekijima, in which supposed to have longest-lasting solar eclipse, due to stormy conditions over the island around the time of the total solar eclipse.[35]
August 10 – A massive heavy rain, following devastate flood and landslide in
Sayo, Hyogo, which killed 18 people. [citation needed]
August 11 – A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck
Shizuoka Prefecture, killing one and more than 100 injured, part of the
Tomei Expressway is collapsed due to landslide occurred right below.[37]
September 28 - A
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)
NAMCYS-11 a twin-engined
turboprop transport crashed while landing at JMSDF
Ozuki Air Field in
Shimonoseki,
Yamaguchi Prefecture,
Japan. The landing in light rain, the aircraft suffered an overshoot of the runway and crashed through the airfield perimeter fence, crossing a service road and plunged nose-first into a rice field. The 11 JMSDF crew members of the aircraft were uninjured and the NAMC YS-11 aircraft suffered bent propellers.
September 29 -
Toyota launches a massive recall on many vehicles of its own, including those of its luxury brand,
Lexus, relating to floor mats and how they may interfere with the functioning of the
gas pedal.
March 29 –
Chiba gubernatorial election: Supported by parts of the Liberal Democratic Party, former actor Eiji Suzuki (stage name:
Kensaku Morita) beats centre-left supported Taira Yoshida and three other contenders to succeed retiring two-term governor
Akiko Dōmoto, a former Socialist Diet member.
July 12 – In the most populous prefecture of
Tokyo, the LDP
suffers a major defeat, losing its status as strongest party in the assembly for the first time since the 1960s. The loss increases the pressure on LDP president Tarō Asō to resign or call early elections for the national lower house.
January 1 – About 240,000 people in some 93,000 households in
Hachinohe and six other municipalities in
Aomori Prefecture have gone without water for one to six days because of a duct problem.[2]
January 13 – Aid group worker Dr. Keiko Akahane returns to Japan following her release from three months in captivity in
Somalia.[4]
January 14 – Keiji Fujimaki, vice president of
Nishimatsu Construction, and three others are arrested on suspicion of violating
foreign exchange regulations for allegedly bringing in 70 million
Yen in funds from abroad without reporting them to
customs authorities.[5]
February 10 – Norihisa Oga, president of
Oita-based
consultant firm Daiko, is arrested along with six others on suspicion of violating the corporation
tax law by masterminding an elaborate tax dodge including
slush fundsfunneled by
Kajima Construction over the construction of two plants for
Canon.[9]
February 13 –
Japan Post and leasing firm
ORIX agree to cancel their controversial 10.9 billion yen deal involving sell-out of dozens of Kampo no Yado inns and housing facilities.[10]
February 17 – Japanese Finance Minister
Shōichi Nakagawa resigns over allegations of drunkenness at the press conference held after the
G7 meeting in
Rome.[11]
March 3 – The chief secretary of
Ichirō Ozawa, head of the
DPJ is arrested on suspicion of accepting illegal corporate donations from Nishimatsu Construction.[12]
March 4 – 2-trillion-yen stimulus plan, which allows one-time cash handout of 12,000 yen per person, and additional 8,000 yen for age 18 and under and 65 and older, is approved by a two-thirds majority of the
House of Representatives, after rejection by the opposition-controlled
House of Councillors.[13]
April 21 – The
Supreme Court rejects
Masumi Hayashi's not-guilty plea and finalizes death sentence for killing four people with arsenic-laced
curry at a local summer festival in
Wakayama in 1998.[22]
April 28 – "EXPO Y150", celebrating 150th anniversary of the opening of the
Port of Yokohama, is held until September 27.[23]
May 15 –
Fukuoka High Court sentences former
Fukuoka city office worker who drank a "considerable amount of alcohol" before causing a traffic accident that killed three children in 2006, to twenty years in prison, dismissing a 7+1⁄2-year term ruled by Fukuoka Regional Court.[26]
June 1 – A modification of the law on sales of medications takes effect. The law classifies products into three categories and allows over-the-counter sales of two at convenience-stores and supermarkets with a registered sales agent present, while requiring a pharmacist to oversee sales of the third category. Convenience stores begin sales of vitamins, analgesics and cold remedies.[28]
June 1 – Amended
Road Traffic Law, which requires 75 years or older people to take mandatory cognitive function tests upon renewal of their licenses, goes into effect.[29]
June 4 –
Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office decides to release
Toshikazu Sugaya, who allegedly sentenced indefinite imprisonment for kidnapping and murdering a 4-year-old girl in
Ashikaga, Tochigi, after 17 years of imprisonment, due to the result of fresh DNA test which proved that his case was false imprisonment.[30]
June 16 – 10 climbers lost their lives in the
Taisetsu mountain range in
Hokkaido. Hokkaido Police raided the head office and a local branch of Amuse travel on suspicion of improper management of a guided tour on June 18.[32]
July 21 – A massive heavy rain, following devastate flood and landslide in
Hofu, Yamaguchi, 18 people lives. [citation needed]
July 22 –
Total Solar eclipse is observed in
Iwo Jima and over the water around there. It was not observed from
Akusekijima, in which supposed to have longest-lasting solar eclipse, due to stormy conditions over the island around the time of the total solar eclipse.[35]
August 10 – A massive heavy rain, following devastate flood and landslide in
Sayo, Hyogo, which killed 18 people. [citation needed]
August 11 – A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck
Shizuoka Prefecture, killing one and more than 100 injured, part of the
Tomei Expressway is collapsed due to landslide occurred right below.[37]
September 28 - A
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)
NAMCYS-11 a twin-engined
turboprop transport crashed while landing at JMSDF
Ozuki Air Field in
Shimonoseki,
Yamaguchi Prefecture,
Japan. The landing in light rain, the aircraft suffered an overshoot of the runway and crashed through the airfield perimeter fence, crossing a service road and plunged nose-first into a rice field. The 11 JMSDF crew members of the aircraft were uninjured and the NAMC YS-11 aircraft suffered bent propellers.
September 29 -
Toyota launches a massive recall on many vehicles of its own, including those of its luxury brand,
Lexus, relating to floor mats and how they may interfere with the functioning of the
gas pedal.
March 29 –
Chiba gubernatorial election: Supported by parts of the Liberal Democratic Party, former actor Eiji Suzuki (stage name:
Kensaku Morita) beats centre-left supported Taira Yoshida and three other contenders to succeed retiring two-term governor
Akiko Dōmoto, a former Socialist Diet member.
July 12 – In the most populous prefecture of
Tokyo, the LDP
suffers a major defeat, losing its status as strongest party in the assembly for the first time since the 1960s. The loss increases the pressure on LDP president Tarō Asō to resign or call early elections for the national lower house.