2002 in Japan

2002
in
Japan

Decades:	1980s • 1990s • 2000s • 2010s
See also:	Other events of 2002 List of years in Japan

Events in the year 2002 in Japan.

Incumbents

Emperor: Akihito
Prime Minister: Junichiro Koizumi (L–Kanagawa)
Chief Cabinet Secretary: Yasuo Fukuda (L–Gunma)
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Shigeru Yamaguchi until October 30, Akira Machida from November 6
President of the House of Representatives: Tamisuke Watanuki (L–Toyama)
President of the House of Councillors: Yutaka Inoue (L–Chiba) until April 22, Hiroyuki Kurata (L–Chiba)
Diet sessions: 154th (regular, January 21 to July 31), 155th (extraordinary, October 18 to December 13)

January 15: UFJ Bank founded.
January 29: Koizumi fires Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka.
February 1: Yoriko Kawaguchi is appointed foreign minister; her previous portfolio of Environment Minister is assumed by Hiroshi Oki.
February 19: U.S. president George W. Bush addresses a joint session of the Diet.
March 7: Futoshi Matsunaga and Junko Ogata are arrested for confinement of a 17-year-old girl. They are arrested for seven murders later.
April 1: Mizuho Bank founded.
April 1: Domestic Violence Prevention Act becomes effective.
April 21: E231 series trains are introduced on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo.
May 31: World Cup Korea/Japan 2002 begins.
June 11: Solar eclipse visible throughout Japan.
June 30: World Cup ends.
June 30: Izumi Garden Tower is completed.
August 30: The last Mazda 626 rolls off the production line after 23 years. Its successor, the 6, enters production on October 1.
September 17: Koizumi visits North Korea; Kim Jong-il admits to the North Korean abduction of Japanese citizens.
October 15: Five Japanese abductees return from North Korea.
December 1: Tōhoku Shinkansen extension to Hachinohe Station opens.
December 1: Saikyo Line and Rinkai Line extensions to Osaki Station open, allowing through service.
December 1: Iwate Ginga Railway and Aoimori Railway begin operations.

Years in Japan (1868–present)

Meiji period (1868–1912)

1868 1869 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1877 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912

Taishō period (1912–1926)

1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926

Shōwa period (1926–1989)

1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

Heisei period (1989–present)

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011