2020 in Japan

2020
in
Japan

  • 2021
  • 2022
  • 2023
Decades:
  • 2000s
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  • 2020s
See also:Other events of 2020
History of Japan   Timeline   Years

Events in the year 2020 in Japan.

Incumbents

Events

Japan and the member states of NATO (the United Kingdom and the United States) are the most proponent foreign relations as superhero nations (since 80 years of the Special Relationship), will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Surrender of Japan.

January

  • 8 January: The two are the country's largest yakuza gang organization as 'terrorists', the Yamaguchi-gumi, and the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi, which split from the former in August 2015, later it was banned in in central and western Japan.[1]
  • 11 January: A volcano erupts on Kuchinoerabu-jima in Kagoshima Prefecture; A volcano in southwestern Japan erupted Saturday, the JMA said, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.[2][3]
  • 15 January: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported a confirmed case of novel-coronavirus. It marked the second exported case of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic and the first in Japan. The patient was discharged from the hospital and the Japanese government has scaled up a whole-of-government coordination mechanism.[4][5]
  • 17 January: The silver jubilee of the Great Hanshin earthquake, a memorial service was held in Kobe's Port Island.[6]
  • 22 January: Opposition parties lay into Abe over scandals and Mideast dispatch, A controversial taxpayer-funded LDP party, the scandal over the legalization of casinos and a possibly dangerous dispatch of a JMSDF unit to the Middle East amid high tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program.[7]
  • 28 January: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan reports first domestic transmission of coronavirus, one of the new cases was that of a bus driver who had driven two groups of Chinese tourists visiting Japan from Wuhan earlier this month. [8][9][10][11]

February

  • 1 February: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Amid coronavirus fears, Tokyo Olympic organizers try to dampen cancellation rumors. Wuhan coronavirus can be transmitted between humans, posing tougher challenges for the Tokyo organizers to counteract the infectious disease and host a safe and secure games, during China travel ban, 3 years after the Executive Order 13769 (part of the Trump travel ban).[12][13][14]
  • 5 February: According to the NPA, 18-year-old woman dies after small landslide in Kanagawa, A teenager was killed Wednesday morning when she was struck by a small landslide while walking through a residential area in the city of Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture, local police said.[15][16]
  • 6 February:
  • 8 February: South Koreans least trusting of Japan among six nations surveyed, The proportion of people who trust Japan is lowest in South Korea among six countries covered by a Japanese think tank survey released on Saturday since the 2019–2020 Japan–South Korea trade dispute.[19]
  • 13 February:
    • Noriyuki Makihara was arrested for alleged illegal stimulant possession, as police found 0.083 gram of stimulant at his condominium in Tokyo's Minato Ward in April 2018.[20][21]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan announced that a woman in her eighties outside of Tokyo has died in Kanagawa Prefecture. Two taxi drivers also were tested positive.[22][23]
  • 16 February: Shinzo Abe sees Cabinet approval rating log sharpest fall in two years, The approval rating for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet has fallen to 41.0%, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday, dropping 8.3 points from the previous poll in January and marking the sharpest fall in nearly two years amid ongoing political scandals, after the parliamentary votes.[24][25]
  • 20 February: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Minister of the Environment Shinjirō Koizumi says he regrets skipping COVID-19 meeting, on the coronavirus outbreak in favor of a new year party held by a group of his supporters in his hometown.[26]
  • 23 February: The Emperor's Birthday for the first time in the Reiwa era, but cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.[27][28]
  • 26 February: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for sports and cultural events to be stopped for two weeks. This comes after Japan confirmed its second local death, amid concerns the 2020 Tokyo Olympics could be cancelled. Hokkaido will close schools from February 27 to March 4, while Tokyo allowed schools to start some classes later.[29][30][31]
  • 27 February:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – On February 27, Shinzo Abe asked for schools to close across the country to slow the spread of the virus. The duration of the closure he asked schools to adopt were from March 2 until the end of spring vacations, which usually conclude in early April, later postponed to September.[32][33]
    • IOC President Thomas Bach told Japanese media in a conference call that the IOC "is fully committed to a successful Olympic Games in Tokyo starting July 24, but next year on July 23, 2021." Due to a coronavirus outbreak.[34]

March

  • 1 March:
  • 3 March: The 2020 Summer Olympics cancellation, postponement not discussed by the IOC President Thomas Bach until March 24.[38]
  • 4 March: The 2020 Summer Olympics torch relay could be adjusted to prevent the spread of the virus.[39]
  • 5 March:
  • 8 March: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The government will also financially support parents who have been forced to take time off to look after their children due to Abe's abrupt decision to close all schools from last Monday to the start of the new school year in April.[43]
  • 12 March: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan's House of Representatives and the opposition parties passed a bill Thursday that would allow Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency to deal with the coronavirus outbreak in Japan if needed and supported by USAID.[44]
  • 13 March: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan enacted a time-limited legal change, enabling PM Shinzo Abe, if he deems it necessary, to declare a state of emergency to cope with the spread of the new coronavirus, after US President Donald Trump's telephone calls about the 2020 Summer Olympics and the Paralympics plans.[45][46]
  • 14 March: The 9th anniversary of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami was celebrated by the Reconstruction Agency, due to coronavirus pandemic.[47]
  • 15 March: The golden jubilee of the Expo '70, towards Expo 2025 in Osaka after the Expo 2020 will be held on October next year in Dubai.[48][49][50]
  • 18 March:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – A masked protests against corruption and terrorism in ASEAN, Japan's Deputy Prime Minister Tarō Asō has claimed this year's Olympics in Tokyo are "cursed" amid speculation and suggestions the Games will be postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.[51]
    • The Pacific Eagles (Japan, South Korea and Taiwan) are favored the USMCA agreement, NAFTA remained in force until USMCA was implemented.[52]
  • 20 March: The silver jubilee of the Tokyo subway sarin attack, a memorial service was held at Kasumigaseki Station.[53]
  • 24 March: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2020 Summer Paralympics has been postponed to 2021 due to the concerns on the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement referendum.[54][55][56][57]
  • 26 March: The IOC and the IPC will set dates for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics and the Paralympics in about three weeks. For those reasons, a time frame from July to September 2021 has emerged as a strong candidate.[58][59][60]
  • 27 March: Five months after the 2019 Shurijo fire, the Japanese government on Friday decided to restore the gutted Shuri Castle in Okinawa by 2026 after embarking on full-fledged reconstruction in 2022, a new museum has been considered during reconstructions.[61]
  • 30 March:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Calls grew Monday for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency and a controversial year to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus before it is too late.[62]
    • The 2020 Summer Olympics and the Paralympics will be held from July to September 2021, originally from July to September 2020 as the same time.[63]

April

  • 3 April:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned to call and declare a state of emergency. Several medical, experts local politicians, and governors raised their voices, directly or indirectly.[64]
    • Future Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba supported the successful corporate transition to Sega Sammy Holdings (inc. Sega Corporation's merger and restarting relations with Electronic Arts) was reborn since 15 years and the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics and the Paralympics to 2021.[65]
  • 6 April: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will proclaim a state of emergency, initially aimed at cities like Tokyo and Osaka. He is expected to make the declaration on Tuesday, which will take effect on Wednesday. This is the first emergency declaration to be made in Japan, until May 6.[66][67]
  • 7 April: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proclaimed a one-month state of emergency in Tokyo and the prefectures of Kanto, Kansai, and Kyushu regions (Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka). He also said there will be no lockdown like in other countries, and that public transportation and other services needed to keep the economy and society going will be maintained as much as possible.[68][69]
  • 10 April: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Operation Howard began from postponement and cancellation of summer events and films through fall or winter 2020, during a state of emergency over coronavirus.[70]
  • 13 April: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – More than 80 percent of the public believe the government should compensate businesses that have complied with a request to suspend operations in response to a surge in coronavirus infections in Tokyo and other parts of Japan, during Operation Howard.[71]
  • 14 April: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The Japanese government will submit a supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 from April to the Diet next week to finance an emergency package worth ¥108 trillion ($1 trillion), part of which will fund the mask distribution.[72]
  • 16 April: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – A month-long state of emergency began to include all 47 prefectures in Japan, to prevent the new coronavirus from spreading further and straining the health care system.[73][74]
  • 19 April: The Ceremony for Proclamation of Crown Prince Fumihito at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, later postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.[75][76][77]
  • 21 April: The International Olympic Committee said Monday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe committed Japan to absorb its share of the additional costs for the postponed Tokyo Olympics that sparked controversy.[78]
  • 24 April: A month after a coronavirus-forced postponement, Japan remains far from staging a "safe and complete" Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, coronavirus fuel to Abe-Koike rivalry.[79]
  • 27 April: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura slammed for perceived priority for PCR Test and the government submits the budget for coronavirus extra packages.[80][81]
  • 29 April: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – New coronavirus recoveries rises over new cases since April 15, during the Golden Week as Stay Home Week to Save Lives.[82]
  • 30 April: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on Thursday to extend state of emergency over coronavirus.[83]

May

  • 1 May:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Smaller towns and villages began distributing the 100,000 yen stimulus payment to residents. Larger municipalities are expected to follow suit within the next two months.[84][85]
    • The first anniversary of the 2019 Japanese imperial transition, Emperor Naruhito on Friday marked one year since he ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne, with he and Empress Masako searching for their role in modern times while continuing his parents' efforts to heal the wounds of war and disasters.[86]
  • 4 May: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The Japanese government has decided to extend the nationwide state of emergency established in April until the end of May.[87][88]
  • 6 May: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The Japanese government confirmed 120 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, the lowest level since April, as the total number of cases topped 16,000 and the death toll rose by 10 from the previous day to reach 579.[89]
  • 7 May: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Schools in the lightly affected prefectures of Aomori and Tottori were reopened after closing following the nationwide emergency declaration.[90]
  • 9 May: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan is set to approve on Wednesday test kits that can detect novel coronavirus antigens in 15 to 30 minutes as the country seeks to improve its testing regime.[91]
  • 10 May:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The government is considering lifting the state of emergency declaration in most Japanese prefectures this month over the coronavirus pandemic, when coronavirus recoveries rising.[92]
    • 57.5% of respondents expressed discontent with the government response of the coronavirus pandemic, three major national Japanese newspapers to commemorate May-B Day since 36 years (1984). MAY is a portmanteau of the Mainichi Shimbun, The Asahi Shimbun, and Yomiuri Shimbun, except Sankei Shimbun and The Nikkei.[93]
  • 11 May: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has indicated some prefectures could be taken off the list of those placed under the state of emergency before its May 31 expiry. Speaking in parliament, he said Japan is on a "steady" path toward ending the coronavirus epidemic, like South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.[94]
  • 13 May: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The Japanese government approved on Wednesday test kits that can detect novel coronavirus antigens in 15 to 30 minutes, in the hope of improving its testing regime amid growing demand for a simpler and faster method.[95]
  • 14 May: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The Japanese government officials and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared that they had decided to lift and suspend the national emergency, like the European countries were affected COVID-19.[96][97][98]
  • 15 May:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan will test around 10,000 people for coronavirus antibodies starting from next month, as part of efforts to better understand the deadly infection, health minister Katsunobu Katō said Friday.[99]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The metropolitan government set seven numerical targets, including seeing fewer than 20 new daily cases of COVID-19 on average in a week, and a decline in the proportion of unknown transmission routes to under 50 percent, Koike said at a press conference.[100]
  • 18 May: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – It was officially reported around the global market that Japan's economy officially enters recession with 'Much worse' expected from coronavirus for first time since 2015.[101][102]
  • 21 May: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The state of emergency is lifted in 3 prefectures in Kansai after they had cleared the threshold of having new infections below 0.5 per 100,000 people in the past week, resulting a total of 42 out of the 47 prefectures to be out of the state of emergency.[103][104]
  • 24 May: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Operation Howard ended, Japan plans to fully lift the state of emergency in the Greater Tokyo Area and Hokkaido on Monday, a minister said Sunday, given a decline in the number of new coronavirus cases and improved medical systems.[105]
  • 25 May:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan on Monday released a phased road map for reopening the economy as the government fully lifted the state of emergency the same day, with plans to relax by August restrictions imposed following the novel coronavirus outbreak. Since it's three-month coronavirus recession.[106]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced he's lifting the government's emergency declaration for the five prefectures where it's still in place, including the prefectures in Kanto and Greater Tokyo Area.[107][108]
  • 27 May: Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike will announce her candidacy around June 10 for this summer's gubernatorial election in the capital, to fix the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.[109]
  • 28 May:
    • According to the NPA, three bodies with head wounds were discovered at a residence in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, on Tuesday night in what police suspect is a murder case involving handguns.[110]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – A 117.1 trillion yen relief package was approved by Abe and his cabinet. The purpose of the package is to provide financial relief for companies and individuals that have been struggling due to the impact of the virus.[111][112]
  • 31 May:
    • According to the JMA, An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 rattled Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido early Sunday, the weather agency said.[113]
    • The approval rate for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet stands at 39.4 percent, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday, the lowest level in about two years amid dissatisfaction over the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and a string of money, favoritism scandals and a COVID-19 pandemic.[114]

June

  • 1 June:
    • The Counter-terrorist Reforms Act was signed by The Pacific Eagles, Europol, and the NATO, a year after the Wave of Terror in Japan (Kawasaki stabbings and Kyoto Animation arson attack) weren't a right-wing terrorist incident, like in Europe and MENA.[115][116]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan on Monday further eased restrictions on social and economic activities in urban areas that were imposed to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, paving the way for children to return to school in the Tokyo metropolitan area for the first time in three months with some conditions, after lifing the state of emergency.[117]
  • 2 June:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The Tokyo Imperial Palace reopened public after two-month closure under the national emergency.[118]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike issued a warning Tuesday amid signs of a possible resurgence of corona virus infections, as 34 cases were newly reported in the Japanese capital.[119]
  • 3 June: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Two Yomiuri Giants players have tested positive for the new coronavirus, casting a shadow over NPB's plan to start the 2020 season on June 19.[120][121]
  • 5 June:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – In a response of the George Floyd protests and the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, Japan's prefectural governors on Thursday came up with joint proposals for how to revive the country's economy while preventing a second wave of infections amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.[122]
    • According to the NPA, a 23-year-old university student Hideaki Nozu, who was arrested at the scene in the city of Takarazuka, is believed to have deliberately shot dead his 47-year-old mother Mayumi, younger brother Hideyuki, 22, and 75-year-old grandmother Yoshimi, the police said. He also shot his aunt, who suffered serious injuries.[123]
  • 6 June:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japanese economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said that he would hold talks with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Sunday to discuss how to curb rising infections in Tokyo's nightlife districts, including Kabukicho.[124][125]
    • The newly built Toranomon Hills Station in downtown Tokyo opened Saturday, becoming the first new station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line since its full launch in 1964. The station is located among a complex of high-rise buildings, including the 255-meter Toranomon Hills Mori Tower and a fictional 315-meter One GJSA Tower which opened in 2014, between Kasumigaseki and Kamiyacho stations on the line operated by Tokyo Metro Co.[126]
  • 9 June: According to the NPA, A teenager died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound Monday morning in a house in Hachiōji, western Tokyo. Also, a 4-year-old girl named Mion Ezaki fell to her death from the 18th floor of a high-rise apartment late Monday in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture.[127][128]
  • 10 June: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a draft second extra budget for fiscal 2020, totaling 31.91 trillion yen ($296 billion), to provide additional funding to front-line medical workers and support people reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.[129]
  • 12 June:
  • 14 June: More than 1,000 people turned out at a rally in central Tokyo on Sunday to protest against racial discrimination following the death of a black man in police custody in the United States that has spurred George Floyd protests there and elsewhere.[132]
  • 15 June:
    • Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a national treasure in western Japan, fully reopened Monday after a three-month closure due to the spread of the new coronavirus.[133]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – On Monday added medical fields to the list of domestic industrial sectors subject to foreign investment restrictions to maintain domestic control over cutting-edge technologies including those related to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.[134]
  • 16 June: Former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai and his wife, Anri Kawai, left the Liberal Democratic Party among allegations of buying votes to aid Anri Kawai's campaign for the House of Councilors. They were later arrested by public prosecutors on June 19, 2020 on charges for vote-buying and distributing around 25 million yen to 100 prefectural and city assembly members in Hiroshima.[135][136]
  • 17 June:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan received an estimated 1,700 foreign travelers in May, an all-time low for the second consecutive month, amid the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Wednesday. The number, down 99.9 percent from a year earlier and compared with 2,900 in April, is the lowest since 1964, when the government began compiling such statistics, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.[137]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – A clinical test of a potential vaccine for the new coronavirus developed by medical startup Anges Inc. will start June 30 in Japan, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said Wednesday, envisioning to put it into practice next year.[138]
  • 18 June:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan will advance talks to ease its entry ban on Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam, as it seeks to gradually step back from travel restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday.[139]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday ruled out the possibility of dissolving the lower house for a snap election as his focus is on containing the spread of the novel coronavirus, but said he will not hesitate to do so when the time is right.[140]
    • The 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial election campaign began, campaigning for the Tokyo gubernatorial election officially kicked off Thursday with incumbent Gov. Yuriko Koike facing a record 21 challengers, as they focus on the ongoing coronavirus crisis and the metropolitan government's response to it.[141]
    • A suspected Chinese submarine was detected sailing around Amami Ōshima and the US is in talks with Japan to address its concerns over the US-made Aegis Ashore missile defense system, Missile Defense Agency Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill said Thursday, after Tokyo suspended plans to deploy the defense technology earlier this week, according to Defense Minister Tarō Kōno.[142][143][144][145]
  • 19 June: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Fast Retailing began selling Friday its washable and fast-drying face masks at its Uniqlo stores in Japan amid concerns about the novel coronavirus, with shoppers forming long queues, since it's opening in Ginza yesterday.[146][147]
  • 20 June:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan plans to complete its nationwide optical fiber networks by March 2022 to meet the urgent need for online education, medical and other services amid the coronavirus pandemic, government officials have said.[148]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Six new ambassadors to Japan have not yet handed their credentials to Emperor Naruhito due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, leaving them as ambassadors-in-waiting according to diplomatic protocol. But the ambassadors of Tonga, Rwanda, East Timor, Mali, Tanzania and Azerbaijan have started diplomatic activities after submitting copies of their credentials to the Foreign Ministry.[149]
  • 22 June: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Japan's professional baseball and soccer leagues will allow spectators to attend games from July 10, Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner Atsushi Saito and J-League Chairman Mitsuru Murai said Monday. The 2020 NPB season started behind closed doors on Friday after a nearly three-month delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The J-League first division is scheduled to resume its postponed season on July 4.[150]
  • 23 June:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The Japanese government has pledged to fix within a week bugs that have caused its coronavirus contact-tracing smartphone app to be shut down, the health minister said Tuesday. The free app, which was launched Friday and downloaded around 3.71 million times as of Tuesday morning, erroneously accepts ID numbers not issued by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, Katsunobu Kato, the minister responsible for the system, said at a press conference.[151]
    • Fugaku was declared the most powerful supercomputer in the world with a performance of 415.53 PFLOPS.[152] It was co-developed by the RIKEN Research Institute and Fujitsu. Fugaku also ranked first place in computational methods performance for industrial use, artificial intelligence applications, and big data analytics.[153][154]
    • The 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa, the annual memorial service was held on a scaled-down basis amid the coronavirus pandemic and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was not invited. It also came amid the continued conflict between the Okinawa and central governments over the sizeable presence of the U.S. military in the island prefecture.[155]
    • Tokyo Disneyland and Ueno Zoo reopened after 4-month closure due to COVID-19 pandemic.[156][157]
  • 24 June:
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Two new ambassadors to Japan presented their credentials to Emperor Naruhito on Wednesday as ceremonies marking the arrival of foreign envoys to their post were held for the first time since the end of a three-month coronavirus pandemic suspension.[158]
    • This year's ornamental square watermelon shipments began Wednesday from the western Japan city of Zentsuji, with the approximately 10,000 yen ($94) fruits ripe and ready for buyers across the country. Seven growers in the Kagawa Prefecture city plan to ship about 400 cubic watermelons, with sides about 18 centimeters in length, to wholesalers mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Osaka and its surrounding cities by mid-July.[159]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – The Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Wednesday confirmed 55 new coronavirus infections in the capital, an official said, marking the highest number of daily cases since early May. The latest development has reignited concerns of a fresh wave of infections, with new cases gradually increasing since late May and staying around or above 30 in the past week. Tokyo has seen more cases whose routes of infection are untraceable.[160][161]
  • 25 June:
    • Japan has ditched plans to deploy an Aegis Ashore land-based missile interception system as a shield against high-tech projectiles such as those launched by North Korea, Defense Minister Taro Kono said Thursday.The decision followed Kono's abrupt announcement on June 15 that it had halted the process of deploying two U.S.-made batteries of the missile system, citing technical problems and increasing costs amid strong local opposition.[162]
    • 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Japan – Medical startup Anges Inc. said Thursday it will soon start Japan's first clinical test on humans of a potential vaccine for the new coronavirus, after gaining formal approval from an Osaka City University Hospital committee. Anges said it will start recruiting participants for the clinical test to be held at the university hospital, aiming to earn the government's authorization to manufacture and sell the DNA vaccine by the spring to fall of next year.[163]
  • 26 June:
    • Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's performance over the past four years will be tested when she seeks re-election in the capital's gubernatorial election on July 5, but it is a race she is widely expected to win thanks to her name recognition and knack for sloganeering.[164]
    • The Oze National Park will be fully accessible for the hiking season from next week, but with rescue services limited by the coronavirus pandemic, the park's preservation body said Friday.[165]

Scheduled events

Arts and entertainment

Deaths

January

February

March

April

May

June

References

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