2002 in Japan

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← 2001 2000 1999 2002 in Japan → 2003 2004 2005
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2002 History of Japan  • Timeline  • Years

Events in the year 2002 in Japan.

Incumbents

• Emperor: Akihito
• Prime Minister: Junichiro Koizumi (L–Kanagawa)
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Yasuo Fukuda (L–Gunma)
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Shigeru Yamaguchi until October 30, Akira Machida from November 6
• President of the House of Representatives: Tamisuke Watanuki (L–Toyama)
• President of the House of Councillors: Yutaka Inoue (L–Chiba) until April 22, Hiroyuki Kurata (L–Chiba)
• Diet sessions: 154th (regular, January 21 to July 31), 155th (extraordinary, October 18 to December 13)

Events

The Nobel Prize

• Masatoshi Koshiba: 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics winner.
• Koichi Tanaka: 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner.

Births

• March 11: Yūhi Nishidate, pfofessional baseball pitcher
• March 25: Rio Sasaki, child actress
• April 2: Yuito Obara, actor
• July 14: Kosei Fujita, professional wrestler
• July 19: Sōta Fujii, professional shōgi player
• July 21: Rika Kihira, figure skater
• September 7: Nao Kosaka, idol, model, actress and member of the Japanese girls idol group Hinatazaka46
• December 20: Yuuna Sugiyama, actress and singer

Deaths

• March 8: Sanji Hase, voice actor
• April 10: Yuji Hyakutake, amateur astronomer
• May 13: Morihiro Saito, aikidoka
• May 16: Shoichi Arai, professional wrestling promoter
• May 24: Toshihito Ito, actor
• May 25: Genichi Kawakami, president of Yamaha Corporation from 1950 to 1977
• June 13: Hideo Murata, rōkyoku and enka singer
• June 15: Hideo Murota, actor
• September 12: Mitsuo Ikeda, wrestler
• October 12: Nozomi Momoi, AV idol
• October 25: Kōki Ishii, politician (b.1940)
• November 15: Sohn Kee-chung, marathon runner
• December 15: Mr. C.B., thoroughbred racehorse
• December 21: Prince Takamado
• December 28: Koreyoshi Kurahara, screenwriter and director

See also

• 2002 in Japanese television
• List of Japanese films of 2002

References