2017 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Akihito
• Prime Minister: Shinzō Abe

  Events

January

• January 22 - TonenGeneral refinery fire in Arida, Wakayama Prefecture, according to Fire and Disaster Management Angency confirmed report, no one injures in this incident.

  March

• March 5 - A Bell 412 helicopter crashed into Mt Hachibuse in Nagano Prefecture, According to Japan Transport Ministry official announced, nine rescue workers fatalities.
• March 27 - According to National Police Agency of Japan officials, an avalanche occurred at the climbing course in Nasu Spa Family Sky place in Tochigi Prefecture. 8 people died and 40 more were wounded; most of the victims were high-school students.

  April

• April 20 - According to Japan National Police Agency confirmed report, a 384 million-yen robbery incident in Tenjin area, Fukuoka, nine person detained in this case.

  May

• May 2 - According to Japan Meteorological Agency confirmed report, a largest scale eruption, with 4000 meter-high in Sakurajima, Kagoshima Prefecture.

  June

• June 1 - According to Japan National Police Agency confirmed report, eight person arrested for violating customs law, who brought the equivalent of about 200 kg of gold, about 8.2 million US dollars to the fishing port without permission in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture.

  July

• July 5 - A heavy torrential rain, followed by a debris flow, hit Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture and Hita, Oita Prefecture. According to an official of the Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency, 36 people died, with 21 wounded.

  October

• October 22 - 2017 Japanese general election elections were held.
• October 30 - Suspected serial killer Takahiro Shiraishi is arrested in Tokyo.

  November

• November 1 – Shinzo Abe reappoints his government's cabinet ministers following his re-election as the Japanese prime minister.
• Emperor Akihito announces that he intends to retire on April 30, 2019.

  December

• December 20 - Chen Shifeng was sentenced to 20 years in prison after the Jiang Ge Murder Case was solved.

  Arts and entertainment

• 2017 in anime
• 2017 in Japanese music
• 2017 in Japanese television
• List of 2017 box office number-one films in Japan
• List of Japanese films of 2017

  Sports

• 19 to 26 February – 2017 Asian Winter Games
• *Japan at the 2017 Asian Winter Games
• 8 to 14 May – 2017 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship
• 20 to 30 July – Japan at the 2017 World Games
• 2016–17 Japan Figure Skating Championships
• 2017 All-Japan Formula Three Championship
• 2017 in Japanese football
• 2017 Japan Golf Tour
• 2017 Super Formula Championship
• 2017 Super GT Series
• 2017 World Baseball Classic

  Deaths

January

• January 3, Shigeru Kōyama, actor
• January 6, Kosei Kamo, tennis player
• January 15, Kozo Kinomoto, football player
• January 17, Tokio Kano, politician
• January 21, Hiroki Matsukata, actor
• January 22, Masaya Nakamura, businessman
• January 25, Shunji Fujimura, actor

  February

• February 2, Shunichiro Okano, football player
• February 3
• *Shumon Miura, novelist
• *Yoshiro Hayashi, politician
• February 7, Miho Nakayama, comedian
• February 8
• *Rina Matsuno, singer
• *Yoshio Tsuchiya, actor
• February 10, Tsuyoshi Yamanaka, swimmer
• February 11, Jiro Taniguchi, manga artist
• February 13, Seijun Suzuki, filmmaker
• February 19, Kyoko Hayashi, author
• February 24, Fumio Karashima, jazz pianist
• February 25, Toshio Nakanishi, musician

  March

• March 1
• *Hiroshi Kamayatsu, musician
• *Yasuyuki Kuwahara, football player
• March 4, Takashi Inoue, actor
• March 7
• *Yoshiyuki Arai, politician
• *Yukinori Miyabe, speed skater
• March 9, Kasugafuji Akihiro, sumo wrestler
• March 13
• *Hiroto Muraoka, football player
• *Morihiro Hashimoto, darts player
• March 14, Tsunehiko Watase, actor
• March 19, Tomiko Okazaki, politician
• March 20, Shuntaro Hida, physician
• March 22, Daisuke Satō, writer

  April

• April 1
• *Shigeaki Uno, political scientist
• *Ikutaro Kakehashi, engineer, entrepreneur
• April 5
• *Makoto Ōoka, poet
• *Ryo Kagawa, folk singer
• April 12
• *Toshio Matsumoto, film director
• *Peggy Hayama, singer
• April 13, Norio Shioyama, animator
• April 17, Shōichi Watanabe, scholar
• April 22
• *Hiroshi Nakai, politician
• *Noritoshi Kanai, businessman
• April 27, Sadanoyama Shinmatsu, sumo wrestler

  May

• May 3, Yumeji Tsukioka, actress
• May 7, Yoshimitsu Banno, film director
• May 10, Gaisi Takeuti, mathematician
• May 15, Takeshi Kusaka, actor
• May 23, Kaoru Yosano, politician

  June

• June 6, Keiichi Tahara, photographer
• June 12, Masahide Ōta, academic, politician
• June 13, Yōko Nogiwa, actress
• June 22, Mao Kobayashi, newscaster
• June 23, Nobuyuki Ōuchi, shogi player
• June 27, Ryoichi Jinnai, businessman
• June 28, Shinji Mori, baseball player

  July

• July 4, Masatoshi Yoshino, geographer, climatologist
• July 8, Seiji Yokoyama, musician
• July 11, Keisuke Sagawa, actor
• July 18, Shigeaki Hinohara, physician
• July 24, Michiko Inukai, author, philanthropist
• July 25, Tarō Kimura, politician

  August

• August 1, Shōgorō Nishimura, film director
• August 3, Iwao Ōtani, recording engineer
• August 7, Haruo Nakajima, actor
• August 18, Tadayoshi Nagashima, politician
• August 28, Tsutomu Hata, politician
• August 30, Sumiteru Taniguchi, activist

  September

• September 7, Tsunenori Kawai, politician
• September 8, Toshihiko Nakajima, actor
• September 18, Kenji Watanabe, swimmer
• September 25, Yoshitomo Tokugawa, photographer
• September 29, Ryūji Saikachi, voice actor

  October

• October 4, Yosihiko H. Sinoto, anthropologist
• October 11, Chikara Hashimoto, baseball player
• October 16, Koichi Kishi, politician
• October 18, Taizo Nishimuro, businessman

  November

• November 16, Hiromi Tsuru, voice actress
• November 21, Masao Sugiuchi, go player

  December

• December 2, Norihiko Hashida, musician
• December 8, Atsutoshi Nishida, businessman
• December 9, Heitaro Nakajima, engineer
• December 14, Tamio Ōki, voice actor
• December 15, Michiru Shimada, screenwriter
• December 20, Kenichi Yamamoto, engineer and businessman
• December 21, Chu Ishikawa, composer
• December 28, Junko Maya, actress
• December 30
• *Tatsuro Toyoda, businessman
• *Sansho Shinsui, actor

  Elections

National

• October 22: By-elections to the National Diet; 2 vacancies as of July 31, both from the House of Representatives: Ehime 3rd district and Aomori 4th district

  Prefectural

• January 22: Yamagata gubernatorial
• January 29: Gifu gubernatorial
• March 26: Chiba gubernatorial
• April 9: Akita gubernatorial
• June 25: Shizuoka gubernatorial
• July 2: Tokyo legislative, Hyōgo gubernatorial
• August 27: Ibaraki gubernatorial
• October 22: Miyagi gubernatorial
• November 12: Hiroshima gubernatorial

  Major municipal

• January 29: Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka legislative
• February 5: Chiyoda, Tokyo mayoral
• March 26: Shizuoka, Shizuoka legislative
• April 23: Nagoya, Aichi mayoral
• May 21: Saitama, Saitama mayoral
• May 28: Chiba, Chiba mayoral
• July 23: Sendai, Miyagi mayoral
• July 30: Yokohama, Kanagawa mayoral
• September 24: Sakai, Osaka mayoral
• October 1: Okayama, Okayama mayoral
• October 22: Kawasaki, Kanagawa mayoral, Kōbe, Hyōgo mayoral
• before December 18/November 12 : Katsushika, Tokyo mayoral and legislative