Events in the year 2006 in Japan.
Incumbents Emperor: Akihito Prime Minister: Junichiro Koizumi (L–Kanagawa) to September 26 Shinzō Abe (L–Yamaguchi) Chief Cabinet Secretary: Shinzō Abe (L–Yamaguchi) to September 26 Yasuhisa Shiozaki (L–Ehime) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Akira Machida to 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)
Governors Aichi Prefecture: Masaaki Kanda Akita Prefecture: Sukeshiro Terata Aomori Prefecture: Shingo Mimura Chiba Prefecture: Akiko Dōmoto Ehime Prefecture: Moriyuki Kato Fukui Prefecture: Issei Nishikawa Fukuoka Prefecture: Wataru Asō Fukushima Prefecture: until 28 September: Eisaku Satō 28 September-12 November: Akira Kawate starting 12 November: Yūhei Satō Gifu Prefecture: Hajime Furuta Gunma Prefecture: Hiroyuki Kodera Hiroshima Prefecture: Yūzan Fujita Hokkaido: Harumi Takahashi Hyogo Prefecture: Toshizō Ido Ibaraki Prefecture: Masaru Hashimoto Ishikawa Prefecture: Masanori Tanimoto Iwate Prefecture: Hiroya Masuda Kagawa Prefecture: Takeki Manabe Kagoshima Prefecture: Satoshi Mitazono Kanagawa Prefecture: Shigefumi Matsuzawa Kochi Prefecture: Daijiro Hashimoto Kumamoto Prefecture: Yoshiko Shiotani Kyoto Prefecture: Keiji Yamada Mie Prefecture: Akihiko Noro Miyagi Prefecture: Yoshihiro Murai Miyazaki Prefecture: Tadahiro Ando (until 5 December); Kayoko Saka (starting 5 December) Nagano Prefecture: Yasuo Tanaka (until 1 September); Jin Murai (starting 1 September) Nagasaki Prefecture: Genjirō Kaneko Nara Prefecture: Yoshiya Kakimoto Niigata Prefecture: Hirohiko Izumida Oita Prefecture: Katsusada Hirose Okayama Prefecture: Masahiro Ishii Okinawa Prefecture: Keiichi Inamine (until 10 December); Hirokazu Nakaima (starting 10 December) Osaka Prefecture: Fusae Ōta Saga Prefecture: Yasushi Furukawa Saitama Prefecture: Kiyoshi Ueda Shiga Prefecture: Yoshitsugu Kunimatsu (until 20 July); Yukiko Kada (starting 20 July) Shiname Prefecture: Nobuyoshi Sumita Shizuoka Prefecture: Yoshinobu Ishikawa Tochigi Prefecture: Tomikazu Fukuda Tokushima Prefecture: Kamon Iizumi Tokyo: Shintarō Ishihara Tottori Prefecture: Yoshihiro Katayama Toyama Prefecture: Takakazu Ishii Wakayama Prefecture: Yoshiki Kimura (until 2 December); Yoshinobu Nisaka (starting 17 December) Yamagata Prefecture: Hiroshi Saitō Yamaguchi Prefecture: Sekinari Nii Yamanashi Prefecture: Takahiko Yamamoto
Events January January 1 - The Stories of Ibis, a Japanese science-fiction light novel is published. 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 February 1 - Transit operators in the Kansai region introduce the PiTaPa contactless fare card system. February 6 - Construction Ministry officials cite Toyoko Inn for multiple violations of building codes and disability access laws. February 23 - Figure skater Shizuka Arakawa wins a gold medal in the Ladies' Singles at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
March 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 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 May 1 - The new Corporations Act goes into effect, abolishing yugen kaisha and altering kabushiki kaisha. May 23 – Japanese foreign minister Taro Aso visits Qatar to meet with Chinese and South Korean diplomats.
June 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 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 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.
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 September 22 - Junichiro Koizumi's term as president of the Liberal Democratic Party expires.
November November 7 – According to Fire and Disaster Management Agency official report, F3 class tornado hit in Saroma, eastern Hokkaido, nine persons were human fatalities and 23 persons were hurt.
December December 1 - A ceremony for the completion of nationwide digital terrestrial television coverage was held. All 47 prefectures in Japan are able to receive such broadcasts. December 2 - Nintendo's Wii is released in Japan.
Births September 6: Prince Hisahito of Akishino Kairi Jo, actor
Deaths January 3: Shiro Azuma, soldier April 29: Yoichi Numata, actor May 1: Kikuo Takano, poet and mathematician May 6: Shigeru Kayano, Ainu activist (b. 1926) 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, prime minister (born 1937) 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 tarento December 17: Kyōko Kishida, actress December 20: Yukio Aoshima, politician December 25: Hiroaki Hidaka, serial killer December 28: Kōmei Abe, composer
See also 2006 in Japanese television List of Japanese films of 2006
Statistics Wealthiest person in Japan: Masayoshi Son (net worth US$7 billion)
References