2000 in Japan

Events in the year 2000 in Japan.

Incumbents

• Emperor: Akihito
• Prime Minister: Keizo Obuchi (L–Gunma) until April 5, Yoshiro Mori (L–Ishikawa)
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Mikio Aoki (Councillor, L–Shimane) until July 4, Hidenao Nakagawa (L–Hiroshima) until October 27, Yasuo Fukuda (L–Gunma)
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Shigeru Yamaguchi
• President of the House of Representatives: Sōichirō Itō (L–Miyagi) until June 2, Tamisuke Watanuki (L–Toyama) from July 4
• President of the House of Councillors: Jūrō Saitō (L–Mie) until October 19, Yutaka Inoue (L–Chiba)
• Diet sessions: 147th (regular, January 20 to June 2), 148th (special, July 4 to July 6), 149th (extraordinary, July 28th to August 9), 150th (extraordinary, September 21 to December 1)

Events

• January 26: The Southern All-Stars release "Tsunami," the best-selling CD single in Japanese history.
• April 1: Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University opens in Ōita Prefecture.
• April 2: Prime Minister Obuchi suffers a massive stroke and is hospitalized.
• April 4: Obuchi cabinet resigns.
• April 5: Yoshiro Mori is elected prime minister.
• May 14: Obuchi dies.
• May 15: Mori makes his first major gaffe, referring to Japan as a "nation of gods with the Emperor at its center."
• June 25: Japan general election, 2000.
• July 8: Volcanic eruption on Miyakejima.
• July 19: Bank of Japan issues the first 2,000-yen banknotes.
• July 21: G8 Summit held in Okinawa.
• August 1: New 500-yen coins enter circulation.
• September 2: Miyakejima is evacuated as the eruption continues.
• October 6: A Richer Scale 6.6 magunitude earthquake hit in suburb of Yonago, Tottori, injures 182 people.
• November 8: Japanese Red Army leader Fusako Shigenobu is arrested in Osaka.

Births

• February 21: Yuto Miyazawa, child singer.
• August 5: Maya Bond, child singer-songwriter and drummer

Deaths

• January 22 — Masao Harada, athlete
• March 7 — Masami Yoshida , javelin thrower
• April 7 — Masayuki Minami, volleyball player
• May 10 — Kaneto Shiozawa, voice actor
• May 13 — Jumbo Tsuruta, wrestler
• May 14 — Keizo Obuchi, prime minister
• June 16 — Empress Kōjun
• June 19 — Noboru Takeshita, politician
• June 22 — Osamu Takizawa, actor
• July 23 — Ogura Yuki, painter
• August 12 — Noboru Akiyama, basebell pitcher
• September 22 — Saburō Sakai, naval aviator and flying ace
• October 4 — Masaji Iguro, ski jumper
• October 13 — Masao Fujii, baseball player
• October 25 — Mochitsura Hashimoto, officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy
• October 31 — Kazuki Watanabe, musician