2011 in Japan

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See also:	Other events of 2011 History of Japan  • Timeline  • Years

Events in the year 2011 in Japan.

Incumbents

• Emperor – Akihito
• Prime Minister – Naoto Kan (Democratic Party)
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Yoshito Sengoku until January 14, Yukio Edano
• Governor of Tokyo: Shintaro Ishihara

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• February 26 - Nintendo's first 3D portable game console "Nintendo 3DS" is released in Japan.
• March 7 - Seiji Maehara resigns as Foreign Minister of Japan after becoming involved in an illegal political donation scandal.
• March 9 - Takeaki Matsumoto is sworn in as the Foreign Minister of Japan replacing Seiji Maehara who resigned following a political donations scandal.
• March 11 - An 9.0 magnitude earthquake hits offshore of Japan's Miyagi prefecture, resulting in tsunami waves as high as 10 metres, 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.
• March 25 - Vegetables grown in Tokyo contaminated by radiation.
• 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.
• September 3 – Fujiko F. Fujio Museum open in Ikuta Garden Park, Tama, Kawasaki.
• September 4 – Typhoon Talas hit western Japan, following torrential rain with mudslide, flood in Kii Peninsula area, and score to death, cause of natural disaster.

• 
  February 26: Nintendo's first 3D portable game console "Nintendo 3DS" is released in Japan
• 
  March 7: Seiji Maehara resigns as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan after a scandal over political donations.
• 
  March 11: An 9.0 magnitude earthquake hits offshore of Japan's Miyagi prefecture, resulting in tsunami waves as high as 10 metres.
• 
  Tsunami flooding on the Sendai Airport runway
• 
  Fukushima I nuclear accidents: Satellite image taken on 16 March of the four damaged reactor buildings

Predicted and scheduled events

• April 10 - first phase of the Japanese 17th unified regional elections.
• April 24 - second phase of the Japanese 17th unified regional elections.
• July 24 - Analog television broadcasts are scheduled to end; stations will be required to send their signals digitally.

Unknown dates

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

Deaths

File:Nobutoshi Kihara.jpg

Nobutoshi Kihara

• January 3 – Nakamura Tomijyuro V, 81, Japanese Kabuki actor.
• January 5 – Keijiro Yamashita, Japanese rockabilly singer.
• January 11 – Kozo Haraguchi, 100, Japanese track and field athlete, respiratory failure.
• January 14 – Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Japanese actor, acute subdural hematoma.
• January 14 – Ben Wada, 80, Japanese television director, esophageal cancer.
• January 17 – Shinichiro Sakurai, 81, Japanese automotive engineer, heart failure.
• February 5 – Hiroko Nagata, 65, Japanese radical and murderer, vice-chairman of United Red Army.
• February 13 – Nobutoshi Kihara, Japanese electronics engineer for Sony.
• April 17 – Osamu Dezaki, 67, director of anime, lung cancer.
• April 21 – Yoshiko Tanaka, 55, actress, breast cancer.
• 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.
• 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
• July 27 - Rei Harakami, 40, musician
• July 27 - Hideki Irabu, 42, baseball player
• August 4 - Naoki Matsuda, 34, football player
• August 5 - Takehiko Maeda, 82, television writer
• August 10 - Mimi Hiyoshi, 64, singer
• August 15 - Tōru Shōriki, 92, baseball team owner (Tokyo Giants) and former CEO of Yomiuri Newspaper
• August 21 - Muga Takewaki, 67, actor