2011 in Japan

««« 2010 2009 2008	2011 in Japan	»»» 2012 2013 2014
Decades: 1990s • 2000s • 2010s See also: Other events of 2011 List of years in Japan

Events in the year 2011 in Japan.

Contents 1 Incumbents 2 Events 3 Other events 3.1 Unknown dates 4 Deaths 5 References

Incumbents

• Emperor – Akihito
• Prime Minister – Naoto Kan (Democratic Party) until September 2, Yoshihiko Noda
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Yoshito Sengoku until January 14, Yukio Edano until September 2, Osamu Fujimura
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Hironobu Takesaki
• President of the House of Representatives: Takahiro Yokomichi (D–Hokkaidō)
• President of the House of Councillors: Takeo Nishioka (D–proportional) until November 5, Kenji Hirata (D–Gifu) from November 14
• Diet sessions: 177th (regular, January 24 to August 31), 178th (extraordinary, September 13 to September 30), 179th (extraordinary, October 20 to December 9)

Events

• January and February – 2011 cold wave and heavy snow in Japan; according to officials, at least 127 people die, 1465 are injured. Many vehicles stuck in snow in Yonago, Aizuwakamatsu and Fukui.
• January 14 – Prime Minister of Japan Naoto Kan reshuffles his Cabinet.^[1]
• January 22 – An unmanned Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle HTV-2 Resupply Craft was launched atop the H-IIB rocket on a mission to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.^[2]
• January 26 - Shinmoedake erupt and surrounding area, and continue to March, in southern Kyushu Island.
• February 6 - The Japan Sumo Association cancels the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in light of a match fixing scandal, the first time the event has been canceled since 1946.^[3][4]
• February 26 - Nintendo's first 3D portable game console "Nintendo 3DS" is released in Japan.^[5]
• March 7 - Seiji Maehara resigns as Foreign Minister of Japan after becoming involved in an illegal political donation scandal.^[6]
• March 9 - Takeaki Matsumoto is sworn in as the Foreign Minister of Japan replacing Seiji Maehara who resigned following a political donations scandal.^[7]
• March 11 - An 9.0 magnitude earthquake hits offshore of Japan's Miyagi prefecture, resulting in tsunami waves as high as 10 metres,^[8][9] causing an accident at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
• March 12 - Kyushu Shinkansen open between Yatsushiro and Hakata of Fukuoka, with start to direct high-speed train, between Osaka to Kagoshima.
• March 23 - Tokyo tap water contaminated by radiation.^[10]
• March 23 - The Grand Bench of the Supreme Court rules that voting weight disparity in the 2009 general election for the House of Representatives was in an unconstitutional state.^[11]
• March 25 - Vegetables grown in Tokyo contaminated by radiation.^[12]
• March 31 - The Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka was due to be closed on this date, but remained open through June 2011 to house people displaced by the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear alert.
• May 4 - Osaka Station City, which largest terminal shopping mall in Japan, include cinema complex, department store, and commercial facilities are open.
• May 12 - Worst heist in Japan, 604-million yen robbery, in which a 36 year-old security company's workers are injured in Tachikawa, Tokyo. Six men are arrested on suspicion the heist on July 31.
• June 19 - Termination of service for 1000-yen for unlimited rides for vehicles with ETC at expressway by nationwide (exclude Tohoku region) has been over two years and three months.
• July 17 - The Japan women's national football team defeats the United States women's national football team on penalties, after a 2-2 extra-time scoreline, to win the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
• July 21 - Tatsuya Ichihashi is sentenced to life in prison for the Murder of Lindsay Hawker.
• July 24 - Analog television ceases operations in 44 of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Most television stations were required to cease normal transmission of analog signals at noon and sign off at midnight.
• August 15 - Japan's Cabinet approves a plan to establish a new energy watchdog under the Environment Ministry.^[13]
• August 26 - Naoto Kan announces his resignation as Prime Minister of Japan.
• September 2 - Yoshihiko Noda becomes Prime Minister of Japan.
• September 5 - Typhoon Talas, following massivie rain and landslide in Kii Peninsula, resulting to death toll number of 94 persons.
• September 17 - A strong 6.6 magnitude earthquake and a series of aftershocks occur off the coast of Honshu in Japan.^[14]
• October 26 - Tsuyoshi Kikukawa resigns as the President and Chairman of Olympus Corporation, as financial and law enforcement bodies in Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom investigate the optical equipment company's acquisitions in recent years.^[15]
• November 18 - Hidetoshi Kiyotake, General manager of Yomiuri Giants, resign.
• December 19 - A software Winnie developer Iasmu Kaneko, confirmed the acquittal by Supreme Court.

Other events

• Analog television broadcasts ended; stations now send their signals digitally.
• Prefectural and selected municipal elections in major cities:
  • January 30 – Yamanashi gubernatorial election, 2011.
  • February 6 – Triple election in Nagoya, Aichi: Aichi gubernatorial election, 2011, Nagoya mayoral election, 2011 and Nagoya city council recall referendum.
  • March 13 – Nagoya city council election, 2011.
  • April 10 and 24 – Japanese unified regional elections, 2011 (12 governors, 41 parliaments, mayors and councils in several hundred municipalities).
  • June 5 – Aomori gubernatorial election, 2011.
  • July 3 – Gunma gubernatorial election, 2011.
  • July 31 – Saitama gubernatorial election, 2011.
  • August 28 – Sendai city council election, 2011 (originally scheduled for the unified elections but postponed following the Tōhoku earthquake).
  • September 11 -Iwate gubernatorial election, 2011 and Iwate prefectural election, 2011 (originally scheduled for the unified elections but postponed following the Tōhoku earthquake).
  • November 13 – Miyagi prefectural election, 2011 (originally scheduled for the unified elections but postponed following the Tōhoku earthquake): the LDP loses some seats, but remains strongest party with 28 of the 59 assembly seats.
  • November 20 – Fukushima prefectural election, 2011 (originally scheduled for the unified elections but postponed following the Tōhoku earthquake): With many voters displaced by earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accidents, turnout reaches a historical low at 47.5 percent; the LDP gains one seat and now holds 27 of the 58 assembly seats.
  • November 27 – Kōchi gubernatorial election, 2011 (uncontested): With explicit or implicit support of all established parties including the Communists, governor Masanao Ozaki is reelected without vote for a second term – the first uncontested gubernatorial election since Yoshihiro Katayama's reelection in Tottori in 2003.
  • November 27 – Double election in Ōsaka, Ōsaka: Major issue of both the Ōsaka gubernatorial election, 2011 and the Ōsaka city mayoral election, 2011 were resigned governor and mayoral candidate Tōru Hashimoto’s plan to dissolve the cities of Ōsaka and Sakai and reorganize them like Tokyo’s wards in Tokyo prefecture as special wards of Ōsaka prefecture. Incumbent Ōsaka city mayor Kunio Hiramatsu was opposed to the plan and was supported by both major parties; even the JCP nominated no candidate for Osaka mayor for the first time since 1963 to support his reelection. Despite support from all established parties and all other candidates dropping out of the race, Hiramatsu lost the mayoral election to Hashimoto by a wide margin; and Hashimoto's candidate for governor, Ichirō Matsui comfortably won the gubernatorial race against Kaoru Kurata (both major parties), one Communist and several minor independent candidates (including perennial candidate Mac Akasaka).^{[16][17][18][19]}

Unknown dates

• The Tokyo Sky Tree in Sumida, Tokyo is scheduled to be completed in 2011.

Deaths

• January 3 – Nakamura Tomijyuro V, 81, Japanese Kabuki actor.^[20]
• January 5 – Keijiro Yamashita, Japanese rockabilly singer.^[21]
• January 11 – Kozo Haraguchi, 100, Japanese track and field athlete, respiratory failure.^[22]
• January 14 – Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Japanese actor, acute subdural hematoma.^[23]
• January 14 – Ben Wada, 80, Japanese television director, esophageal cancer.^[24]
• January 17 – Shinichiro Sakurai, 81, Japanese automotive engineer, heart failure.^[25]
• February 5 – Hiroko Nagata, 65, Japanese radical and murderer, vice-chairman of United Red Army.^[26]
• February 13 – Nobutoshi Kihara, Japanese electronics engineer for Sony.^[27]
• April 17 – Osamu Dezaki, 67, director of anime, lung cancer.^[28]
• April 21 – Yoshiko Tanaka, 55, actress, breast cancer.^[29]
• April 23 - Norio Ohga, 81, businessman and CEO of Sony.
• May 2 - Shigeo Yaegashi, 78, footballer.
• May 12 – Miyu Uehara, 24, gravure idol and television personality, suicide.^[30]
• May 16 - Kiyoshi Kodama, 77, actor.
• May 18 - Seiseki Abe, 96, shodo and aikido teacher.
• May 21 - Hiroyuki Nagato, 77, actor.
• June 6 - Masashi Ohuchi, 67, Olympic weightlifter.
• June 9 - Tomoko Kawakami, 41, voice actress.
• June 28 - Osamu Kobayashi, 76, voice actor and executive director.
• July 5 - Shinji Wada, 61, manga artist.
• July 9 - Hideo Tanaka, 78, director.
• July 17 - Takaji Mori, 67, footballer.
• July 19 - Yoshio Harada, 71, actor.
• July 26 - Sakyo Komatsu, 80, science fiction writer^[31]
• July 27 - Rei Harakami, 40, musician ^[32]
• July 27 - Hideki Irabu, 42, baseball player^[33]
• August 4 - Naoki Matsuda, 34, football player^[34]
• August 5 - Takehiko Maeda, 82, television writer^[35]
• August 10 - Mimi Hiyoshi, 64, singer
• August 15 - Tōru Shōriki, 92, baseball team owner (Tokyo Giants) and former CEO of Yomiuri Newspaper^[36]
• August 21 - Muga Takewaki, 67, actor^[37]
• September 5 - Ichiro Yoshikuni, 95, politician and former professional baseball commissioner
• September 6 - Shigeri Akabane, 70, professional wrestler.
• September 6 - Masanori Sanada, 43, football goalkeeper (Shimizu S Pulse)
• September 7 - Hiroe Yuki, 62, badminton player.
• September 7 - Shunjiro Kuma, 90, businessman and former CEO of Hanshin Tigers baseball club
• September 9 - Sansuke Yanagiya (Mitsuharu Matsumoto), 85, rakugo story-teller
• September 21 - Naoki Sugiura, 79, actor
• September 24 - Ken Yamauchi, 66, actor
• October 10 - Jorge Yanagi, 63, musisian
• October 24 - Morio Kita, 84, novelist, essayist and phychtrist
• November 5 - Takeo Nishioka, 75, politician
• November 21 - Danshi Tatekawqa, 75, rakugo story-teller and former politician
• November 25 - Yukio Nishimoto, 91, baseball player and manager
• November 30 - Koshiro Itoh, 74, baseball player
• December 1 - Nobuo Matsunaga, 88, former Japanese Forign Minister and politician
• December 5 - Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, 75, politician
• December 8 - Minoru Miki, 81, composer
• December 10 - Kazuyoshi Sasayama, 87, former Mayor of Kobe (1989-2001)
• December 10 - Shinichi Ichikawa, 70, screenwriter
• December 20 - Yoshimitsu Morita, 61, film director

References

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

2011 in Asia Sovereign states Afghanistan Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Burma (Myanmar) Cambodia People's Republic of China Cyprus East Timor (Timor-Leste) Egypt Georgia India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Nepal Oman Pakistan Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Tajikistan Thailand Turkey Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen States with limited recognition Abkhazia Nagorno-Karabakh Northern Cyprus Palestine Republic of China (Taiwan) South Ossetia Dependencies and other territories Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Hong Kong Macau