2021 in Japan
Events in the year 2021 in Japan.
The second year was largely defined by COVID-19 pandemic that caused the national economy to go into recession, and would continue until October 1, 2021.
Politically, Liberal Democratic Party leader Fumio Kishida was officially elected as 100th Prime Minister of Japan on October 4, 2021 after winning a majority of votes in both houses of parliament. The new cabinet members under Kishida, who succeeds Yoshihide Suga than one year of Shinzo Abe, are likely due to be announced later in the day.
Incumbents
- Emperor: Naruhito
- Prime Minister
- *Yoshihide Suga
- *Fumio Kishida
- Chief Cabinet Secretary
- * Katsunobu Katō
- * Hirokazu Matsuno
- Chief Justice of Japan: Naoto Ōtani
- Speaker of the House of Representatives
- * Tadamori Ōshima
- * Hiroyuki Hosoda
- President of the House of Councillors: Akiko Santō
Governors
- Aichi Prefecture: Hideaki Omura
- Akita Prefecture: Norihisa Satake
- Aomori Prefecture: Shingo Mimura
- 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: Shōgo Arai
- Niigata Prefecture: Hideyo Hanazumi
- Oita Prefecture: Katsusada Hirose
- Okayama Prefecture: Ryuta Ibaragi
- Okinawa Prefecture: Denny Tamaki
- Osaka Prefecture: Ichirō Matsui
- Saga Prefecture: Yoshinori Yamaguchi
- Saitama Prefecture: Motohiro Ōno
- Shiga Prefecture: Taizō Mikazuki
- Shiname Prefecture: Tatsuya Maruyama
- Shizuoka Prefecture: Heita Kawakatsu
- Tochigi Prefecture: Tomikazu Fukuda
- Tokushima Prefecture: Kamon Iizumi
- Tokyo Prefecture: Yuriko Koike
- Tottori Prefecture: Shinji Hirai
- Toyama Prefecture: Hachiro Nitta
- Wakayama Prefecture: Yoshinobu Nisaka
- Yamagata Prefecture: Mieko Yoshimura
- Yamaguchi Prefecture: Tsugumasa Muraoka
- Yamanashi Prefecture: Kotaro Nagasaki
Ongoing events
- COVID-19 pandemic
- Japan–South Korea trade dispute
Events by month
January
- January 1 – Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga delivered 2021 New Year's message to bring the COVID-19 under control and pledged to host the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics.
- January 2
- * The governors of Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures considered to declare another state of emergency over COVID-19 resurgence, Economic Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura who in charge of COVID-19 response.
- * The world's oldest person, Kane Tanaka celebrated her 118th birthday in southwestern Japan on Saturday.
- January 4
- * The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo was off 0.4% at 27,344.87 after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced the government is considering declaring a state of emergency for Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures due to surging virus caseloads.
- * The government considered declaring a nationwide state of emergency over COVID-19 resurgence, the countdown clock for the postponed Tokyo Olympics hit 200 days to go.
- January 5
- * Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to declare another state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures as the COVID-19 resurgence on Thursday, while the government reported more than 4,900 cases.
- * New car sales in Japan slumped 11.5% in 2020 from a year earlier amid the pandemic, marking the largest fall in nine years, data from industry bodies showed Tuesday. While tuna gone cut price ¥20 million at Tokyo's Toyosu Market during New Year auction.
- * The Constitutional Democrats, Social Democrats, and the Communists prepared to form a pacifist coalition, despite to the anti-Suga Cabinet protests and riots. After the Japanese government warned about a new national lockdown in the European Union and the United Kingdom.
February
- February 13 – 2021 Fukushima earthquake
March
- March 11 – The 10th anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
- March 20 - March 2021 Miyagi earthquake
- March 25 – The 2020 Summer Olympics torch relay restarted in Fukushima Prefecture.
April
- April 13 – The decision to dump radioactive water of the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean over the course of 30 years finally obtains the approval of the Japanese cabinet.
- April 19 – Rockfish in Fukushima is banned from export after detecting caesium over legal limit, likely caused by the discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Nuclear Plant. This is the first ban since the lifting of ban on all Fukushima fish in February 2020.
May
- May 1 - A F2 scale tornado hit houses, building, utility polls and tea plantations in Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture. According to a local government official confirmed report, three persons were lightly injured and 102 houses and buildings were damaged.
- May 27 - According to a Japan Coast Guard official confirmed report, a chemical tanker Ulsan Pioneer and cargo ship Byakko collided in Kurushima strait, Seto Island Sea, Ehime Prefecture. Nine persons were rescued, and there were three fatalities.
July
- July 3 - 2021 Atami landslide
- July 23
- * 2020 Summer Olympics: The 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony takes place at the Japan National Stadium.
- * Nobel Prize-winning Japanese theoretical physicist Toshihide Maskawa died of oral cancer at aged 81.
August
- August 6 - According to a Japan National Police Agency report, a thirty-six years old suspect attacked passengers with a knife on a commuter train on Odakyu Line, Setagaya, Tokyo. He was detained by local police on the same day and 10 passengers were wounded. It is considered a terrorist attack.
- August 11 to 19 - 2021 August Japan flood, a torrential massive rain and flash flood hit Saga, Kyushu Island, and caused a landslide to hit around Kyushu, Honshu, resulting in 13 deaths and 17 injuries, according to a Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report.
- August 12 - The 2020 Summer Paralympics torch relay started nationwide.
- August 13 - According to Japan Meteorological Agency official confirmed report, a largest volcano eruption hit in Fukutoku-Okanoba, Bonin Islands. According to Japan National Institute of Advanced Industrial and Science general manager Kazuhiro Ishimura said on 23 October, the volcano ash height estimate on 16,000 to 19,000 meters and 100 million cubic square meters ash volume, second largest volume ash eruption in territory of Japan's history.
- August 24
- * Senior member of the Yakuza, Satoru Nomura, is sentenced to death in Fukuoka, for ordering four assaults, one of which was deadly. Nomura has denied participating in the crimes. It is the first time that a senior member of Japan's Yakuza has been sentenced to death.
- * The 2020 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony takes place at the Japan National Stadium.
September
- September 1 - The Digital Agency is launched to speed up digitalisation of governmental services.
- September 3 - Prime Minister Suga announced he will not stand in the 2021 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election.
- September 26 - According to Japan Meteorological Agency official confirmed report, a height of 5,400 meters eruption records on Suwanosejima, Tokara Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture, where highest height of observation history.
- September 29 - Fumio Kishida, the foreign minister of outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, is elected the Liberal Democratic Party's new president, paving the way for him to be Japan's next leader.
- September 30 - Despite COVID-19 Delta cases continued to fall, Japan lifted 4th and final state of emergency up as the country ahead of the endemic phase by one month and one day later.
October
- October 1 - Japan becoming the first country, who transition to the living with COVID-19 endemic phase in the future.
- October 3 - According to Wakayama mayor Masahiro Obana, a Musota Waterpipe Bridge suddenly severely deteriorated and damaged across Kino River, where 138,000 persons suspend supply and not be possible to resume water supply function of the aqueduct and resident until December 2021.
- October 4 - Fumio Kishida becomes 100th Prime Minister of Japan, with a new Cabinet mostly made up of newcomers formed. General election for the House of Representatives will also be held on October 31.
- October 7 - 2021 Chiba earthquake. According to USGS report, a Richer Scale 5.9 earthquake hit around Tokyo Metropolitan Area, according to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report, 49 persons were wounded, due affective moderate quake.
- October 22 - Princess Mako of Akishino celebrates her last royal birthday, before turning bourgeois out of love.
- October 31
- *According to Japan National Police Agency official confirmed report, A twenty-four years old suspected to knife attack to passengers and arson, during run to Hachioji bound commuter train, Keio Line, Chofu, Tokyo, total 17 passengers injures.
- *2021 Japanese general election was held.
November
- November 1 - A popular idol group, V6 disbands.
- November 10 - Kishida, president of the Liberal Democratic Party is appointed to the 101st prime minister by Emperor Naruhito and his second cabinet is formed, following a landslide victory for Liberal Democratic-Komeito coalition in the general election.
- November 30, 2021 to May 7, 2023 - Japan has confirmed the first case of COVID-19 Omicron variant, found from South Africa. As of May 7, 2023, Japan has reported 56,500 Omicron-related deaths, a lowest mortality toll, than compared to wealthy countries.