Timeline for February 2024

1

Kakizawa Mito resigns as a lawmaker from the House of Representatives after being indicted on charges of vote buying in the April 2023 election for the mayor of Kōtō, Tokyo.

6

The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare releases monthly statistics showing that real wages reflecting the effects of price changes fell by 2.5% year on year in 2023. This was the second consecutive year-on-year decrease.

Renowned conductor Ozawa Seiji dies at the age of 88. A leader in Japan’s classical music world, he was known for his work as music director of Boston Symphony Orchestra and Vienna State Opera.

Ozawa Seiji conducts at the 2002 Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert. (© Reuters)

7

Akamatsu Ryōko, who was instrumental in the passing of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act as head of the Women’s Bureau at the Ministry of Labor, dies at the age of 94. She also served as minister of education, science, sports, and culture.

8

Fujii Sōta wins the Ōshō shōgi tournament, setting a new record by winning 20 successive titles.

11

Japan’s women’s basketball team secures qualification for the Paris Olympics by beating Canada 86–82 at the qualifying tournament in Hungary.

13

A survey of Liberal Democratic Party members finds that 85 (of whom 82 are current lawmakers) failed to correctly report political funds amounting to ¥580 million.

15

The Cabinet Office publishes figures indicating that Japan’s GDP was ¥591.5 trillion, or $4.21 trillion, in 2023. This meant it slipped to fourth place in the global ranking behind Germany, which had a GDP of $4.46 trillion.

Sasaki Rintarō, who hit a record 140 home runs during his high school baseball career, decides to go to Stanford University.

17

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully launches its next-generation H3 rocket into orbit from Tanegashima Space Center on its second attempt.

The H3 rocket takes off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. (© Jiji)

18

Miyazaki Hayao’s The Boy and the Heron wins awards for character animation and storyboarding at the Annie Awards.

A scene from The Boy and the Heron. (© 2023 Studio Ghibli)

19

At the Japan-Ukraine Conference for Promotion of Economic Growth and Reconstruction, the two country’s governments release a joint statement in which Japan pledges to provide the necessary long-term support to secure economic stability. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says promoting economic reconstruction in Ukraine is an investment in the future.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal (left) and Prime Minister Kishida at the conference in Tokyo. (© Reuters)

22

The Nikkei index rises to close at 39,098.68, reaching a record high for the first time since its closing price of 38,915.87 on December 29, 1989.

23

Emperor Naruhito turns 64. In his birthday speech, he expresses his sympathy for victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

Emperor Naruhito (left), Empress Masako (center), and Princess Aiko wave to well-wishers at the Imperial Palace. (© Reuters)

25

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. holds an opening ceremony for its first Japanese plant in Kikuyō, Kumamoto Prefecture. It will start making semiconductors for smartphones and automobiles by the end of the year.

A projection mapping display begins at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s headquarters in Shinjuku, and is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest such display on a building. Five showings are planned each evening, from the first at 7:00 to the last at 9:00, until the end of April.

29

The House of Representatives Deliberative Council on Political Ethics begins hearings concerning the Liberal Democratic Party’s fundraising kickbacks scandal. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio appears and apologizes for the scandal, saying he will not hold fundraising parties during his premiership.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Ohtani Shōhei announces on his Instagram account that he is now married to a Japanese woman.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Mourners pay their respects to the conductor Ozawa Seiji in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, on February 10, 2024. © Kyōdō.)