2000 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Akihito
• Prime Minister: Keizo Obuchi until April 5, Yoshiro Mori
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Mikio Aoki until July 4, Hidenao Nakagawa until October 27, Yasuo Fukuda
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Shigeru Yamaguchi
• President of the House of Representatives: Sōichirō Itō until June 2, Tamisuke Watanuki from July 4
• President of the House of Councillors: Jūrō Saitō until October 19, Yutaka Inoue
• Diet sessions: 147th, 148th, 149th, 150th

  Events

January

• January 26: The Southern All-Stars release "Tsunami," the best-selling CD single in Japanese history.

  February

• February 6: Osaka gubernatorial election - Osaka's first female governor, Fusae Ohta, is elected.

  March

• March 4: Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation 2 goes on sale in Japan.
• March 8: Naka-Meguro train disaster
• March 31: Mount Usu in Hokkaido erupts for the first time in 23 years.

  April

• April 1: Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University opens in Ōita Prefecture.
• April 2: Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi suffers a massive stroke and is hospitalized.
• April 4: Obuchi cabinet resigns.
• April 5: Yoshiro Mori is elected Prime Minister.

  May

• May 14: Obuchi dies.
• May 15: Yoshiro Mori makes his first major gaffe, referring to Japan as a "divine nation centering on the Emperor."

  June

• June to July: According to Japan Health and Welfare Ministry official confirmed report, an outbreaks of food poisoning at dairy factory in Osaka, resulting to 13,420 infect, however none of death. Official confirmed, this incident caused by enterotoxin in skim milk.
• June 25: General election held.

  July

• July 8: Volcanic eruption on Miyakejima.
• July 19: Bank of Japan issues the first 2,000-yen banknotes.
• July 21–23: G8 Summit held in Nago, Okinawa.

  August

• August 1: New 500-yen coins enter circulation.

  September

• September 2: Miyakejima is evacuated as the eruption continues.
• September 12: A heavy torrential rain and flash flood hit in Nagoya and suburb area, according to The Fire and Disaster Management Agency of Japan confirmed report, ten persons were lost to lives, 115 persons are injures.
• September 19: The Mizuho Financial Group is established, becoming Japan's first bank holding company.

  October

• October 1: The DDI Corporation, the KDD Corporation and the ODI Corporation merge to become KDDI.
• October 6: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits the city of Yonago, Tottori, injuring 182 people.
• October 27: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hidenao Nakagawa resigns to take responsibility for a sex scandal he was embroiled in; Yasuo Fukuda is appointed in his place.

  November

• November 8: Japanese Red Army leader Fusako Shigenobu is arrested in Osaka.

  Births

• February 19 - Chisaki Morito, pop singer
• February 21 - Yuto Miyazawa, child singer
• February 22 - Munetaka Murakami, professional baseball player
• August 5 - Maya Bond, child singer-songwriter and drummer
• August 29 - Minami Hamabe, actress
• November 2 - JUNNA, pop singer
• November 29 - Rei Kuromiya, singer and gravure idol
• December 11 - Rinne Yoshida, idol singer and rapper

  Deaths

• January 22 - Masao Harada, athlete
• February 7 - Shiho Niiyama, voice actress
• March 7 - Masami Yoshida, javelin thrower
• April 7 - Masayuki Minami, volleyball player
• May 10 - Kaneto Shiozawa, voice actor
• May 13 - Jumbo Tsuruta, wrestler
• May 14 - Keizo Obuchi, prime minister of Japan
• June 16 - Empress Kōjun
• June 19 - Noboru Takeshita, Prime minister of Japan
• June 22 - Osamu Takizawa, actor
• July 23 - Ogura Yuki, painter
• August 12 - Noboru Akiyama, baseball pitcher
• September 22 - Saburō Sakai, naval aviator and flying ace
• October 4 - Masaji Iguro, ski jumper
• October 13 - Masao Fujii, baseball player
• October 25 - Mochitsura Hashimoto, officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy
• October 31 - Kazuki Watanabe, musician
• November 30 - Kiyotaka Katsuta, serial killer