2006 in Japan

← 2005 2004 2003 2006 in Japan → 2007 2008 2009
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2006 List of years in Japan

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)

Events

January

• 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.

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.

Nintendo's Wii

• 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.

December

• December 2 - Nintendo's Wii is released in Japan.

Births

• September 6: Prince Hisahito of Akishino

Deaths

• January 3: Shiro Azuma, soldier
• April 29: Yoichi Numata, actor
• May 1: Kikuo Takano, poet and mathematician
• 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, former prime minister
• 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 torento
• December 17: Kyōko Kishida, actress
• December 20: Yukio Aoshima, politician
• December 25: Hiroaki Hidaka

Statistics

• Wealthiest person in Japan: Masayoshi Son (net worth 7 billion USD)