Events in the year 2024 in Japan.
Incumbents
- Emperor: Naruhito[1]
- Prime Minister: Fumio Kishida
- Chief Cabinet Secretary: Hirokazu Matsuno
- Chief Justice of Japan: Saburo Tokura
- Speaker of the House of Representatives: Fukushiro Nukaga
- President of the House of Councillors: Hidehisa Otsuji
Governors
- Aichi Prefecture: Hideaki Omura
- Akita Prefecture: Norihisa Satake
- Aomori Prefecture: Sōichirō Miyashita
- Chiba Prefecture: Toshihito Kumagai
- Ehime Prefecture: Tokihiro Nakamura
- Fukui Prefecture: Tatsuji Sugimoto
- Fukuoka Prefecture: Seitaro Hattori
- Fukushima Prefecture: Masao Uchibori
- Gifu Prefecture: Hajime Furuta
- Gunma Prefecture: Ichita Yamamoto
- Hiroshima Prefecture: Hidehiko Yuzaki
- Hokkaido: Naomichi Suzuki
- Hyogo Prefecture: Motohiko Saitō
- Ibaraki Prefecture: Kazuhiko Ōigawa
- Ishikawa: Masanori Tanimoto
- Iwate Prefecture: Takuya Tasso
- Kagawa Prefecture: Keizō Hamada
- Kagoshima Prefecture: Kōichi Shiota
- Kanagawa Prefecture: Yuji Kuroiwa
- Kumamoto Prefecture: Ikuo Kabashima
- Kochi Prefecture: Seiji Hamada
- Kyoto Prefecture: Takatoshi Nishiwaki
- Mie Prefecture: Eikei Suzuki
- Miyagi Prefecture: Yoshihiro Murai
- Miyazaki Prefecture: Shunji Kōno
- Nagano Prefecture: Shuichi Abe
- Nagasaki Prefecture: Hōdō Nakamura
- Nara Prefecture: Makoto Yamashita
- Niigata Prefecture: Hideyo Hanazumi
- Oita Prefecture: Kiichiro Sato
- Okayama Prefecture: Ryuta Ibaragi
- Okinawa Prefecture: Denny Tamaki
- Osaka Prefecture: Hirofumi Yoshimura
- Saga Prefecture: Yoshinori Yamaguchi
- Saitama Prefecture: Motohiro Ōno
- Shiga Prefecture: Taizō Mikazuki
- Shimame Prefecture: Tatsuya Maruyama
- Shizuoka Prefecture: Heita Kawakatsu
- Tochigi Prefecture: Tomikazu Fukuda
- Tokushima Prefecture: Masazumi Gotoda
- Tokyo Prefecture: Yuriko Koike
- Tottori Prefecture: Shinji Hirai
- Toyama Prefecture: Hachiro Nitta
- Wakayama Prefecture: Shūhei Kishimoto
- Yamagata Prefecture: Mieko Yoshimura
- Yamaguchi Prefecture: Tsugumasa Muraoka
- Yamanashi Prefecture: Kotaro Nagasaki
Arts and entertainment
- 2024 in anime
- 2024 in Japanese music
- 2024 in Japanese television
- List of 2024 box office number-one films in Japan
- List of Japanese films of 2024
Events
January
- January 1 –
- Six wards in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including Naka-ku, Minami-ku, Higashi-ku, Nishi-ku, and Kita-ku, are disestablished and replaced by two new wards, namely Hamana-ku and Chūō-ku.[2]
- A 7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Ishikawa Prefecture,[3] killing 241 people.[4]
- January 2 – 2024 Haneda Airport runway collision: A Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 collides with a Japan Coast Guard DHC-8 aircraft and bursts into flames at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The Coast guard plane was going to deliver aid to those affected by the earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture the day before. All 379 occupants aboard the Japan Airlines flight are evacuated, while five of the six occupants aboard the Coast Guard aircraft are killed.[5]
- January 3 – Three men are stabbed on a train at Akihabara Station, Tokyo. A woman is arrested by police.[6]
- January 19:
- Japan becomes the fifth country to successfully land on the surface of the moon with the SLIM lunar lander mission.[citation needed]
- 2023–2024 Japanese slush fund scandal
- Several Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers are indicted in a scandal involving misuse of campaign funds, including incumbent lawmakers Yasutada Ōno and Yaichi Tanigawa, both of whom resign from the party following their indictments.[7]
- The Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai, Kōchikai, and Shisuikai factions of the Liberal Democratic Party all announce their intention to dissolve as a result of the scandal.[8]
- Japan becomes the fifth country to successfully land on the surface of the moon with the SLIM lunar lander mission.[citation needed]
- January 23 – Two railway workers are injured after being electrocuted while trying to fix a massive power outage that shuts down the Shinkansen system in a section operated by JR East between Omiya Station in Saitama and Ueno Station in Tokyo. A train is also damaged during the outage.[9][10]
- January 24 – Ukrainian-born Karolina Shiino is announced as the winner of the 2024 Miss Nippon Grand Prix beauty pageant.[11] She is the first naturalised Japanese citizen to win the pageant.[12] Her win sparks debates over "Japaneseness" and the shifting demographics of Japan.[13][14][15][16]
- January 25 – Kyoto Animation arson attack: A court sentences Shinji Aoba to death for a 2019 arson attack on a Kyoto Animation studio in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, which killed 36 people.[17]
- January 26 – 1974 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries bombing: Police announce they have arrested who they believe to be Satoshi Kirishima, a member of East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front who has been a fugitive from justice for 50 years for his role in a series of bombings of companies.[18]
- January 29 – The man believed to be Satoshi Kirishima dies.[19] DNA comparison with relatives further confirms his identity as Kirishima.[20]
February
- February 5 – Ukrainian-born Karolina Shiino relinquishes her crown as winner of the 2024 Miss Nippon Grand Prix beauty pageant after news emerges of her having an affair with a married man.[21][22]
- February 27 – Sony announces it will cut 900 jobs across its global workforce and proposes the closure of London Studio as part of the restructuring.[23]
March
- March 4 – The Nikkei 225 reaches 40,000 points for the first time.[24]
- March 11 – Two New Zealand skiers are killed and another is injured following an avalanche on Mount Yotei in Hokkaido.[25]
- March 12 – A court in Fukuoka overturns the death sentence of Yakuza Kudo-kai leader Satoru Nomura imposed for a 1998 murder and sentences him to life in prison.[26]
- March 13:
- KAIROS-1, designed by Space One as Japan's first privately-manufactured rocket, explodes seconds after its maiden launch from Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture.[27]
- The Fuji-Q Highland amusement park announces the removal of the famed high-speed roller coaster Do-Dodonpa,[28] which had been closed since August 2021 following numerous incidents resulting in injuries within a year.[29]
- The Tokyo District Court orders the government to return the remains of Aum Shinrikyo leader Shoko Asahara, who was executed in 2018 for the Tokyo subway attack in 1995, to his family.[30]
- March 14:
- In separate lawsuits, the Sapporo High Court and the Tokyo District Court rule that the non-recognition of same-sex marriage in Japan is unconstitutional.[31]
- The Tokyo District Court convicts former State Minister of Justice Mito Kakizawa of vote-buying worth 2.8 million yen ($19,000) during mayoral elections in the Kōtō ward of Tokyo in April 2023 and sentences him to a two-year suspended sentence.[32]
- The Tokyo District Court convicts former Member of the House of Councillors and YouTuber GaaSyy of online harassment and sentences him to a three-year suspended sentence.[33]
- March 16: The Hokuriku Shinkansen railway extension from Kanazawa to Tsuruga, Fukui is completed.[34]
- March 20: South Korean-flagged tanker Keoyoung Sun capsizes off the coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture during stormy weather. Nine crew members are found dead, while one person remains missing. Two people are rescued.[35]
- March 26: The Cabinet of Japan allows the sale and export of fighter aircraft to other countries.[36]
- March 29 – North Korean state media cites foreign minister Choe Son Hui as saying that North Korea rejects any talks with Japan on any issue, including the Japanese abductees, after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he was willing to meet in person with Kim Jong Un.[37]
- March 30 – Authorities raid a facility of Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Company in Osaka after five deaths from kidney failure are linked to consumption of its health supplements containing the red mold benikoji.[38]
April
- April 1:
- A magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes Iwate Prefecture, injuring two people.[39]
- The Imperial House of Japan opens an account on Instagram for the first time.[40]
- April 2 – The governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, Heita Kawakatsu, announces his resignation following uproar over comments he made the previous day comparing civil servants with other professions.[41]
- April 3 – A magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes off the coast of Taiwan, prompting tsunami warnings for Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. A 30-cm tsunami is observed at Yonaguni Island and Miyako Island while a 20-cm tsunami reaches Ishigaki Island.[42][43]
- April 15 –
- April 17 – A magnitude 6.6 earthquake strikes along the Bungo Channel between Shikoku and Kyushu, injuring 12 people.[47]
- April 20 – Two SH-60K helicopters of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces crash into the Pacific Ocean following a possible collision during a training exercise near Torishima Island, killing one person and leaving seven others missing.[48]
- April 22 – China objects to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's offering at Yasukuni Shrine.[49]
- April 25 – Hiroyuki Miyazawa resigns as a member of the House of Representatives after reports emerge of him having an extra-martial affair.[50]
Sports
- March 30 – 2023–24 Formula E World Championship is held at 2024 Tokyo ePrix
- April 7 – 2024 Formula One World Championship is held at 2024 Japanese Grand Prix
- September 15 – 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship is held at 2024 6 Hours of Fuji
- October 6 – 2024 MotoGP World Championship is held at 2024 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix
- 2024 F4 Japanese Championship
- 2024 Super Formula Championship
- 2024 Super Formula Lights
- 2024 Super GT Series
- 2024 Super Taikyu Series
- 2024 in Japanese football
- 2024 J1 League
- 2024 J2 League
- 2024 J3 League
- 2024 Japan Football League
- 2024 Japanese Regional Leagues
- 2024 Japanese Super Cup
- 2024 Emperor's Cup
- 2024 J.League Cup
Deaths
January
- January 3 – Kunihiko Muroi, politician (b. 1947)[51]
- January 4:
- Kishin Shinoyama, photographer (b. 1940)
- Tomonobu Yokoyama, footballer (b. 1985)
- January 12:
- Jiro Hirano, news anchor (b. 1940)
- Haruo Takahashi, animator and manga creator (b. 1947)
- January 14:
- Yuichi Ogawa, politician (b. 1946)
- Makoto Taniguchi, diplomat and academic (b. 1930)
- January 16 – Esper Itō, comedian (b. 1960)
- January 19 – Toru Kawashima, footballer (b. 1970)
- January 22:
- Takashi Ezure, screenwriter (b. 1941)
- Motohisa Ikeda, politician (b. 1940)
- January 27 – Susumu Taira, actor (b. 1934)
- January 28 – Satoshi Kirishima, terrorist (b. 1954)
- January 29 – Hinako Ashihara, manga author (b. 1974)
February
- 4 February – Yōko Abe, calligrapher (b. 1928).[52]
- 5 February – Tsutomu Hanahara, wrestler, Olympic champion (1964) (b. 1940).[53]
- 6 February – Seiji Ozawa, conductor (b. 1935)
- 7 February – Ryōko Akamatsu, politician (b. 1929)
- 12 February – Hirotake Yano, businessman (b. 1943)
- 20 February – Yoko Yamamoto, actress (b. 1942)
- 23 February – Giichi Tsunoda, politician (b. 1937)
March
- 1 March – Akira Toriyama, manga artist (b. 1955)
- 4 March – Tarako, voice actress (b. 1960)
- 10 March – Yutaka Yoshie, professional wrestler (b. 1974)
- 14 March – Minori Terada, actor (b. 1942)
- 18 March – Kenjiro Shinozuka, rally driver (b. 1948)
- 21 March – Hideki Seo, fashion designer (b. 1974)
- 30 March – Yukiko Kato, author (b. 1936)
April
- April – Akebono Tarō, sumo wrestler (b. 1969)
- 11 April – Yasuo Muramatsu, voice actor (b. 1933)
See also
Country overviews
Related timelines for current period
References
- ^ "Naruhito | Reign, History, & Family | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ 区再編ガイドブック（広報はままつ臨時号）PDF版 (in Japanese) Hamamatsu City, November 5, 2023
- ^ "M 7.5 - 42 km NE of Anamizu, Japan". United States Geological Survey. January 1, 2024. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ "Reiwa 6-nen Notohantō jishin ni yoru higai-tō no jōkyō ni tsuite (kiki kanri kansatsu-shitsu)" 令和６年能登半島地震による被害等の状況について（危機管理監室） [Regarding the status of damage caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake (Crisis Management Office)] (PDF) (in Japanese). Crisis Management Office, Ishikawa Prefecture. March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "Japan Airlines plane fire: Five dead on coastguard plane after crash with jet on Haneda Airport runway". BBC News. January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- ^ Shimbun, The Yomiuri (January 4, 2024). "4 Men Stabbed on JR Yamanote Line; Woman in 20s Arrested at Tokyo's Akihabara Station". japannews.yomiuri.co.jp. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ "Prosecutors indict several LDP faction members over funds scandal". Kyodo News+. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Biggest faction in Japan's ruling party decides to disband: lawmaker". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Disruption of Japan's Shinkansen service sends passengers scrambling". NHK. January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "JR East: Damage to overhead power cable part led to Shinkansen disruption". NHK. January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Khalil, Shaimaa (January 24, 2024). "Ukrainian-born model winning Miss Japan re-ignites identity debate". BBC News. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ Sharma, Shweta (January 24, 2024). "Ukrainian-born Japanese woman sparks debate after being crowned Miss Japan". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ Demetriou, Danielle (January 24, 2024). "Ukrainian-born model crowned Miss Japan sparks national identity debate". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ Choi, Christy (January 26, 2024). "'I am absolutely Japanese': Ukrainian-born model sparks debate by winning Miss Japan pageant". CNN. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ Quadri, Sami (January 25, 2024). "Race row erupts after Ukrainian-born model wins Miss Japan title". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ 奥原, 慎平 (January 24, 2024). "「日本らしい美しさ」SNSで論議 椎野カロリーナさん、初の欧州ルーツ「ミス日本」" (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Japanese man sentenced to death for Kyoto Animation arson attack that killed 36 people". CNA. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Man believed to be long-time fugitive Satoshi Kirishima detained in Japan: reports". The Japan Times. January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ "桐島聡容疑者を名乗る男が死亡 末期がんで入院中". 日本経済新聞 (in Japanese). January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ "Satoshi Kirishima: DNA test confirms dying man was one of Japan's most wanted". February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "Ukraine-born Miss Japan winner relinquishes crown following affair".
- ^ "Ukrainian-born Miss Japan Karolina Shiino Gives up Crown". February 6, 2024.
- ^ "PlayStation's Sony to cut 900 jobs amid brutal year for video game industry layoffs". NBC News. February 27, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ "Japan's Nikkei Index Falls Below 1989 High After Historic Bull Run". WSJ. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "Two New Zealand skiers killed after avalanche in Japan". The Guardian. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "High court commutes death sentence for Japan yakuza boss to life". Mainichi Daily News. March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "Space One rocket explodes soon after launch in Japan". The Guardian. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Do-Dodonpa News". March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Japanese rollercoaster shut as injuries investigated". BBC News. August 25, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "Japan court orders government to hand over AUM founder remains to daughter". Kyodo News. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Japan court rules ban on same-sex marriage is 'unconstitutional'". Al Jazeera. March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Japan's former state justice minister gets suspended sentence for vote-buying". NHK. March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Ex-lawmaker GaaSyy given suspended sentence for online intimidation". NHK. March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ 日本放送協会 (March 16, 2024). "北陸新幹線の金沢・敦賀間が開業 各地は観光客でにぎわう". NHKニュース. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "One of two missing crew members of capsized South Korean tanker found". NHK. March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Japan to sell fighter jets in latest break from post-war pacifist ideals". BBC. March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ "North Korea rules out any meetings with Japan". Reuters. March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Japanese authorities raid a factory making health supplements linked to 5 deaths". Associated Press. March 30, 2024.
- ^ "Strong quake jolts northeastern Japan, logging lower 5 intensity". The Japan Times. April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ "Japan's imperial family latest royals to join Instagram". BBC. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "Shizuoka governor to resign after gaffe insulting vegetable sellers". Kyodo News. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ "Taiwan 7.7 magnitude earthquake sparks tsunami warning in Japan". The Guardian. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "Tsunami advisory lifted for areas of Okinawa". NHK. April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "Evacuation order issued for residents in part of Naha, Okinawa". NHK. April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "Evacuation order lifted for residents in parts of Naha, Okinawa". NHK. April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "Japan Foreign Ministry Urges Against Travel to Iran; Nationals Advised to Leave while Flights in Operation". japannews.yomiuri.co.jp. April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "12 injured after M6.6 quake in western Japan". Kyodo News. April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ "2 Japanese navy helicopters crash in the Pacific Ocean during training, leaving 1 dead and 7 missing". Associated Press. April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ "Japan PM sends offering to war-linked Yasukuni shrine for spring rite". Kyodo News+. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ "Ex-state minister of defense Miyazawa resigns as Diet lawmaker". NHK. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ "維新の会の参院議員、室井邦彦氏が死去…76歳". 読売新聞オンライン (in Japanese). January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "安倍元総理の母の安倍洋子さん（95）死去 入院先の都内の病院で｜FNNプライムオンライン". FNNプライムオンライン. February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ "レスリング金の花原勉さん死去 64年東京五輪グレコローマン：東京新聞 TOKYO Web". 東京新聞 TOKYO Web (in Japanese). Retrieved February 6, 2024.
External links
Media related to 2024 in Japan at Wikimedia Commons
