2025 in Japan

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Events in the year 2025 in Japan.

Incumbents

• Emperor: Naruhito
• Prime Minister: Shigeru Ishiba (Liberal Democratic)

Arts and entertainment

• 2025 in anime
• 2025 in Japanese music
• 2025 in Japanese television
• List of 2025 box office number-one films in Japan
• List of Japanese films of 2025

Events

January

• January 3 – U.S. President Joe Biden blocks the proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel. ^[1]
• January 10 – Eight students are injured in a hammer attack inside the Tama campus of Hosei University in Machida, Tokyo. A 22-year old South Korean national is arrested. ^[2]
• January 22 – One person is killed while two others are injured in a knife attack outside Nagano Station. ^[3]
• January 27 – Koichi Minato and Shuji Kanoh resign as the respective president and chair of Fuji Television amid criticism over the network's handling of a sexual abuse scandal involving television personality Masahiro Nakai. ^[4]
• January 28 – A sinkhole appears in a road intersection in Yashio, Saitama, swallowing up a truck being driven by an elderly man who remains missing. ^[5]
• January 29 – Japan suspends funding for the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in response to its publication of a report in 2024 calling for the revision of Japanese imperial succession law to allow women to become empresses regnant. ^[6]

February

• February 3 – Former MP Tamotsu Shiiki is sentenced to a five-year suspended prison sentence for raping an underage girl at a karaoke parlor in Tokyo in August 2024. ^[7]
• February 17 – The Taliban conducts a diplomatic visit to Japan for the first time since taking power in Afghanistan in 2021. ^[8]
• February 19 – Ryūji Kimura is convicted and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for the attempted assassination of Fumio Kishida in 2023. ^[9]
• February 21 – The Cabinet approves a bill to allow bears spotted in urban areas to be shot at hunters' discretion following an increase in encounters and attacks on humans. ^[10]
• February 26 – The Ōfunato wildfire starts in Iwate Prefecture. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency estimates over 80 homes have been destroyed. ^[11]
• February 27 – The body of a man is found by police on a road within the Ōfunato wildfire evacuation zone. ^[12]
• February 28 – The Ōfunato wildfire grows to cover over 1,200 ha (3,000 acres), making it the largest wildfire on record in Japan. ^[13]

March

• 3 March – Prime Minister Ishiba gives 100,000-yen gift vouchers to 15 LDP lawmakers, sparking criticism. ^[14] Ishiba denies breaking political laws. ^[15]
• 4 March –
  • The Ōfunato wildfire reaches 2,600 ha (6,400 acres) with over 2,000 firefighters from 14 prefectures fighting the blaze. ^[11]
  • Yuji Iwasawa is elected as President of the International Court of Justice. ^[16]
• 6 March – The Tōhoku Shinkansen suffers a decoupling incident involving the Hayabusa and Komachi trains, causing a week-long suspension of services along the Akita and Yamagata Shinkansen lines. ^[17]
• 7 March – The Nagoya High Court rules that the non-recognition of same-sex marriage in Japan is unconstitutional and discriminatory. ^[18]
• 12 March – Police arrest several men in Aichi for alleged sexual assault and child pornography. ^[19]
• 14 March –
  • NHK Party leader Takashi Tachibana is injured in a stabbing while giving a speech in front of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Tokyo. The attacker, who confesses an intention to kill Tachibana, is arrested at the scene. ^[20]
  • Police arrest Kenji Takano for fatally stabbing YouTuber Airi Sato during a livestream in Tokyo. ^[21]
• 17 March –
  • A Japanese resident of Belarus is convicted and sentenced by a court in Minsk to seven years' imprisonment for spying for Japanese intelligence. ^[22]
  • The dismantling of the Number 2 Reactor at Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant in Shizuoka Prefecture begins in what is the first operation of its kind in Japan. ^[23]
• 23 March – Wildfires break out in Okayama and Ehime Prefectures, prompting the evacuation of 3,000 people. ^[24]
• 25 March –
  • The Tokyo District Court revokes the legal status of the Unification Church as a religious organization in Japan and orders the group to liquidate its assets. ^[25]
  • The Osaka High Court rules that the non-recognition of same-sex marriage in Japan is unconstitutional and discriminatory. ^[26]
• 26 March – Professor Masaki Kashiwara of the Institute for Advanced Study of Kyoto University becomes the first person from Japan to be awarded the Abel Prize for his contributions in the field of algebraic analysis. ^[27]
• 27 March – Former MP Megumi Hirose is sentenced to a suspended 2.5 year prison term for defrauding 3.5 million yen ($23,000) in public funds by claiming salary expenses for a secretary who did no work. ^[28]
• 31 March – Gyudon chain Sukiya imposes a one-week nationwide closure of its stores for cleanup after revelations of pest contamination in its food items. ^[29]

April

• 5 April – Two tour buses collide along the Chūō Expressway in Hachiōji, Tokyo, injuring 47 people. ^[30]

Scheduled and upcoming events

• April 13 – October 13 – Expo 2025 will be held in Osaka. ^[31]
• July 27 – 2025 Japanese House of Councillors election

Sports

• September 13–21 – The 2025 World Athletics Championships will be held in Tokyo.
• April 6 – 2025 Formula One World Championship is held at 2025 Japanese Grand Prix
• May 17–18 – 2024–25 Formula E World Championship is held at 2025 Tokyo ePrix
• September 28 – 2025 MotoGP World Championship is held at 2025 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix
• 2025 F4 Japanese Championship
• 2025 Super Formula Championship
• 2025 Super Formula Lights
• 2025 Super GT Series
• 2025 in Japanese football
• 2025 J1 League
• 2025 J2 League
• 2025 J3 League
• 2025 Japan Football League
• 2025 Japanese Regional Leagues
• 2025 Japanese Super Cup
• 2025 Emperor's Cup
• 2025 J.League Cup

Deaths

January

• January 1:
  • Nagano Hull, professional boxing manager (b. 1925) ^[32]
  • Setsuko Tamaki, peace activist, former Himeyuri alumni association president (b. 1926) ^[33]
• January 3:
  • Hiroshi Hara, architect (b. 1936) ^[34]
  • Yuji Sawa, politician, MP (b. 1948) ^[35]
• January 4:
  • Riro, sea otter (b. 2007) ^[36]
  • Kanoko Tsutani-Mabuchi, Olympic diver (b. 1938) ^[37]
• January 9 - MAYA MAXX, painter (b. 1961) ^[38]
• January 16 - Shoji Ueda, cinematographer (b. 1938) ^[39]
• January 21 - Keiichi Suzuki, speed skater (b. 1942) ^[40]
• January 25 - Ikujiro Nonaka, theorist and academician (b. 1935) ^[41]
• January 26 - Kazuyoshi Akiyama, conductor (b. 1941) ^[42]
• January 28 - Takuro Morinaga, economist (b. 1957)
• January 29 - Atomu Shimojō, actor (b. 1946)

February

• February 2 - Nobumasa Konagai  [ ja ], manga editor (b. 1930) ^[43]
• February 3 - Yoshio Yoshida, baseball player (b. 1933)
• February 16 - Osamu Miyawaki, businessman, founder of anime figure manufacturer Kaiyodo (b. 1928) ^[44]
• February 28
  • Osamu Nishimura, professional wrestler (b. 1971) ^[45]
  • Ayako Sono, novelist (b. 1931)

March

• March 1 - Monta Mino, television presenter (b. 1944) ^[46]
• March 11 - Ayumi Ishida, singer and actress (b. 1948)
• March 25 - Masahiro Shinoda, film director (b. 1931)
• March 26 - Masami Tanabu, politician (b. 1934)

See also

Country overviews

• Japan
• History of Japan
• Outline of Japan
• Government of Japan
• Politics of Japan
• Years in Japan
• Timeline of Japanese history

Related timelines for current period

• 2025
• 2020s
• 2020s in political history

References

1. Tita, Bob; Lucey, Catherine (January 3, 2025). "Biden Blocks Sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved January 11, 2025.
2. "8 students injured in hammer attack at univ. campus in Tokyo suburbs". Kyodo News. January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
3. "1 person is killed and 2 injured in stabbing outside Nagano station in central Japan". AP News. January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
4. "Executives at Japan's Fuji TV and parent firm resign over a sex scandal linked to a former star". AP News. January 27, 2025. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
5. "2-week search ends for trapped driver inside sinkhole near Tokyo". Kyodo News. February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
6. "Japan to halt funding for a UN women's rights panel over call to end male-only imperial succession". AP News. January 30, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
7. "Ex-Japan lawmaker gets suspended term for raping middle school girl". Kyodo News . February 3, 2025. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
8. "Afghanistan's Taliban makes debut diplomatic trip to Japan". Al Jazeera. February 17, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
9. "Man jailed for attempted murder of former Japan PM". BBC. February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
10. "Man jailed for attempted murder of former Japan PM". France 24. February 21, 2025. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
11. "岩手県大船渡市の林野火災による被害及び 消防機関等の対応状況（第１３報）" (PDF). Fire and Disaster Management Agency (in Japanese). March 4, 2025. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
12. Young, Jin Yu; Ueno, Hisako (March 2, 2025). "Japan Fights Its Largest Wildfire in More Than 30 Years". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 4, 2025.
13. "岩手県大船渡市の林野火災による被害及び 消防機関等の対応状況（第８報）" (PDF). Fire and Disaster Management Agency (in Japanese). February 28, 2025. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
14. "Japan's Ishiba criticized over gifts to lawmakers months after a scandal-fueled election loss". AP News. March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
15. "Japan PM Ishiba's cabinet approval hits record low, Asahi reports". Reuters .
16. "Japanese judge elected chief of International Court of Justice". Kyodo News . March 4, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
17. "Suspended bullet trains in Japan restart after decoupling incident". Kyodo News. March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
18. "Japan's refusal to recognize same-sex marriage in law is unconstitutional, a court finds". AP News. March 7, 2025.
19. "Japanese media say police have arrested several men for alleged sexual assault of their daughters". AP News. March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
20. "Controversial Japan politician Tachibana slashed in central Tokyo". Kyodo News. March 14, 2025.
21. "Police arrest man in fatal knife attack on a YouTuber during livestreaming on Tokyo street". AP News. March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
22. "A Japanese man handed 7-year sentence in Belarus on charges of working for Japanese intelligence". AP News. March 20, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
23. "1st dismantling of nuclear reactor begins in central Japan". Kyodo News. March 20, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
24. "Wildfires spread in western Japan, SDF joins firefighting efforts". Kyodo News. March 24, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
25. "A court orders the dissolution of the Unification Church in Japan". CNN. March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
26. "Japan high court rules same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional". Kyodo News. March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
27. "Kyoto Univ. professor becomes 1st Japanese to win Abel Prize in math". Kyodo News. March 26, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
28. "Ex-ruling party lawmaker given 2.5-year sentence for fraud". Kyodo News. March 27, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
29. "Japan's Sukiya food chain shuts almost all outlets after rat and cockroach contamination". AP News. March 31, 2025. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
30. "47, mostly foreigners, injured in bus collision on Tokyo expressway". Kyodo News. April 5, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
31. "Osaka Is World Expo 2025 Host". Japan Forward. November 23, 2018. Archived from the original on March 17, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
32. "帝拳ジムを支えたマネジャー長野ハルさんが死去 老衰のため９９歳で". スポーツ報知. January 5, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
33. "【訃報】ひめゆり同窓会前会長 玉城節子さん死去 全学徒の会活動にも尽力". OKITIVE (in Japanese). January 7, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
34. "建築家の原広司さん死去、８８歳…ＪＲ京都駅ビルや梅田スカイビルを手がける". 読売新聞オンライン (in Japanese). January 4, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
35. 政治家情報 〜沢 雄二〜. JANJAN ザ･選挙 (in Japanese). Retrieved November 12, 2007.
36. 松本, 光央 (January 4, 2025). "ラッコのリロ、死ぬ 17歳 国内で飼育中のラッコは2頭に 福岡" (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun.
37. "水泳飛び込みで五輪3度出場、馬淵かの子さん死去 寺内健さん、玉井陸斗ら指導". 神戸新聞NEXT (in Japanese). January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
38. "岩見沢在住・画家マヤさん死去 芸術通じ美流渡振興 催し企画や企業看板制作". 北海道新聞. January 10, 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
39. 上田正治さん死去　映画撮影監督 (in Japanese)
40. スケートの鈴木恵一さん死去 500m元世界記録保持者. nordot.app (in Japanese). January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
41. "野中郁次郎氏が死去 知識経営の権威、「失敗の本質」". 日本経済新聞 (in Japanese). January 26, 2025. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
42. 指揮者 秋山和慶さん 死去 84歳 国内外のオーケストラで活躍 (in Japanese)
43. 「スケバン刑事」「ガラスの仮面」担当…白泉社創業メンバーの小長井信昌氏死去、９４歳. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). February 17, 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
44. Mateo, Alex (February 19, 2025). "Anime Figure Manufacturer Kaiyodo's Founder Osamu Miyawaki Dies at 96". Anime News Network . Retrieved February 19, 2025.
45. "プロレスラーで文京区議会議員の西村修さんが５３歳で死去 ２０２４年からステージ４の食道がんで闘病". Tokyo Sports. February 28, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
46. "【訃報】フリーアナウンサー・みのもんたさん（80）死去 きょう未明家族に見守られ…今年1月に飲食店で食事をのどに詰まらせ救急搬送". Livedoor News (in Japanese). TBS News Dig. March 1, 2025. Archived from the original on March 1, 2025.

External links

Media related to 2025 in Japan at Wikimedia Commons