2003 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Akihito
• Prime Minister: Junichiro Koizumi
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Yasuo Fukuda
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Akira Machida
• President of the House of Representatives: Tamisuke Watanuki until October 10, Yōhei Kōno from November 19
• President of the House of Councillors: Hiroyuki Kurata
• Diet sessions: 156th, 157th, 158th

  Events

January

• January: Toyota launches all-new Avensis to be built in Britain.
• January 14: Koizumi visits the Yasukuni Shrine.
• January 27: All Nippon Airways Flight 908 overshoots the runway at Narita International Airport.
• January 29: Asashōryū Akinori becomes the first Mongol to reach the rank of yokozuna in sumo wrestling.

  March

• March 19: Extension of the Eidan Hanzomon Line from Suitengumae to Oshiage becomes operational.
• March 31: Agriculture Minister Tadamori Oshima resigns due to a farm subsidy scandal; Koizumi replaces him with Yoshiyuki Kamei.

  April

• April 1
• *The Postal Agency becomes Japan Post, a public corporation.
• *Saitama becomes a city designated by government ordinance.
• *Square Co., Ltd. and Enix Corporation merge to become Square Enix.
• April 11: An explosion at a fireworks factory in Kagoshima kills 10.
• April 15: Tokyo Disneyland celebrates its 20th anniversary.
• April 25: Grand opening of Roppongi Hills.

  May

• May 9: The unmanned spacecraft Hayabusa is launched from Uchinoura Space Center.

  July

• July 7: Noto Airport opens.
• July 26: Diet of Japan authorizes the deployment of Japanese troops to Iraq.

  August

• August 10: Okinawa Urban Monorail opens.

  September

• September 20: Koizumi announces a new cabinet: Taro Aso becomes Minister of Internal Affairs, Shoichi Nakagawa becomes Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Sadakazu Tanigaki becomes Minister of Finance and Yuriko Koike becomes Minister of Environment.
• September 23: Nissan begins production at a plant in Canton, Mississippi, United States.
• September 26
• * The Liberal Party merges into the Democratic Party of Japan.
• * 2003 Tokachi earthquake, a Richter magnitude scale 8.3 earthquake, following Richter magnitude scale 7.4 aftershock hit off south eastern Hokkaido, according to Japan Fire and Disaster and Management Agency official confirmed report, two persons lives with 849 person were wounded.

  October

• October 1: Shinagawa Station opens platforms for the Tōkaidō Shinkansen.
• October 10
• *House of Representatives is dissolved.
• *The last wild crested ibis in Japan dies.

  November

• November 9: In the 2003 general election, the Democratic Party of Japan realizes a slight gain against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

  Births

• November 1: Kanon Kasuga, actress

  Deaths

• January 12: Kinji Fukasaku, film director
• February 28: Yō Inoue, voice actress
• March 25: Masato Furuoya, actor
• April 7: Masato Yamanouchi, voice actor
• April 8: Maki Ishii, composer
• April 17: Koji Kondo, football player
• April 20: Daijiro Kato, motorcycle racer
• May 1: Kenji Yoshida, animation film director and film producer
• July 8: Etsuko Inada, figure skater
• September 5: Yūji Aoki, manga artist
• October 11: Sadateru Arikawa, aikido teacher
• October 23: Hiroshi Yoshimura, musician
• November 1: Toshitaka Shimizu, voice actor
• November 13: Mitoyo Kawate, oldest person in the world
• December 26: Yoshio Shirai, boxer
• Undated: Masahiro Yoshimura, swimmer