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Years:	2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

2006 is the 18th year of Heisei in Japan.

Incumbents

• Prime Minister: Junichiro Koizumi
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Shinzo Abe
• Governor of Tokyo: Shintaro Ishihara
• Emperor: Akihito

Events

• January 16 - Tokyo prosecutors raid Livedoor for suspected violations of securities laws.
• January 18 - Following the Livedoor raid, the Tokyo Stock Exchange is overloaded with sell orders and is forced to stop trading.
• January 23 - Livedoor CEO Takafumi Horie and three other company officials are arrested and placed in detention.
• February 1 - Transit operators in the Kansai region introduce the PiTaPa contactless fare card system.
• February 6 - Construction Ministry officials cite Toyoko Inns for multiple violations of building codes and disability access laws.
• February 23 - 2006 Winter Olympics Shizuka Arakawa Gold medal acquisition.
• March 3-5 - Asian round of the World Baseball Classic is held at the Tokyo Dome.
• March 4 - Softbank announces its intention to purchase the Japanese subsidiary of Vodafone.
• April 7 - Ichirō Ozawa is elected president of the Democratic Party of Japan.
• April 26 - Takahumi Horie is released from custody.
• April 26 - Hidetsugu Aneha is arrested for his role in the Structural Calculation Forgery Problem.
• May 1 - The new Corporations Act goes into effect, abolishing yugen kaisha and altering kabushiki kaisha.
• June - Minato Ward 2006 elevator accident, a 16 year old student killed in Minato, Tokyo
• June 5 - Yoshiaki Murakami, manager of the Murakami Fund, is arrested for insider trading.
• June 15 - A cross-party organization of 135 Diet members led by Taku Yamasaki proposes a secular replacement for Yasukuni Shrine.
• July 14 - Bank of Japan abolishes the zero interest rate policy.
• July 20 - A memorandum from an Imperial Household Agency official is published in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun showing that Emperor Hirohito refused to visit Yasukuni Shrine after Class A war criminals were added to its rolls.
• August 9 - Beef imported from the United States goes on sale in Japan for the first time in months following a lengthy ban.
• August 14 - A blackout occurs throughout Tokyo, Chiba and Saitama during the morning rush hour after a barge-mounted crane disrupts a high-voltage line.
• August 15 - On the anniversary of the end of World War II, Koizumi makes his final visit to Yasukuni Shrine.
• August 16 - A fishing boat is fired upon after crossing into Russian-claimed waters off the east coast of Hokkaidō.
• September 22 - Junichiro Koizumi's term as president of the Liberal Democratic Party expires.

Deaths

• July 1: Ryutaro Hashimoto, former prime minister

Statistics

• Wealthiest person in Japan: Masayoshi Son (net worth 7 billion USD)