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2015 in Japan

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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}

{{Year in Japan|2015}}

The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Japan.

Incumbents

=Governors=

Events

=January=

  • January 8 – The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fines Honda a record 70 million dollars for grossly under-reporting fatal accidents and injuries to the government.{{Cite news|date=January 8, 2015|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/09/business/honda-fined-70-million-in-underreporting-safety-issues-to-government.html?_r=0|title=Honda Fined for Violations of Safety Law|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • January 14 – The cabinet of Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe approves a record defence budget with plans to buy surveillance aircraft and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to improve the security of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea claimed by both Japan and China.{{Cite news|url = http://bigstory.ap.org/article/dc03e4dd1cbd4f0d862ca68d0324789d/japan-cabinet-oks-record-military-budget-eye-china|title = Japan Cabinet OKs record military budget with eye on China|date = January 14, 2015|access-date = January 14, 2015|publisher = Associated Press|archive-date = January 18, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150118062452/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/dc03e4dd1cbd4f0d862ca68d0324789d/japan-cabinet-oks-record-military-budget-eye-china|url-status = dead}}
  • January 15 – The Japan–Australia Economic Partnership Agreement enters into force.{{Cite news|date=January 15, 2015|url=http://www.asiabriefing.com/news/2015/01/australia-japan-fta-enters-force/|title=Australia-Japan FTA Enters Into Force|newspaper=Asia Briefing|publisher=Asia Briefing Ltd.|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • January 18
  • Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets the King of Jordan Abdullah II, and commits to 14.7 billion yen of assistance consisting of 12 billion in yen loans and 2.7 billion in contributions to international organizations providing medical assistance and supplies to refugee camps.{{Cite news|date=January 18, 2015|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/01/18/national/politics-diplomacy/abe-meets-jordanian-king-agrees-help-counter-islamic-state-threats/#.VP9NevmG-So|title=Abe meets Jordanian king, agrees to help counter Islamic State threats|newspaper=The Japan Times|publisher=The Japan Times Ltd.|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • The Democratic Party of Japan elects Katsuya Okada as the party's leader.{{Cite news|date=January 18, 2015|url=http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150118p2g00m0dm076000c.html|title=Okada elected as head of struggling DPJ after runoff|newspaper=Mainichi Japan|publisher=The Mainichi Newspapers|access-date=March 10, 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150118233726/http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150118p2g00m0dm076000c.html|archive-date=January 18, 2015|url-status=dead}}
  • January 20 – ISIL threatens to kill two Japanese citizens unless it receives a ransom of $200 million.{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-islamicstate-japan-idUSKBN0KT0GI20150120 | title=Islamic State threatens two Japanese captives in video | date=January 20, 2015 | access-date=February 1, 2015}}
  • January 24 – Japanese government states that it is seeking to verify a video that claims the killing of Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa by ISIL militants.{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30966651 | title=Japan PM Abe condemns hostage 'death' video | date=January 25, 2015 | access-date=February 1, 2015}}
  • January 28 – Skymark Airlines files for bankruptcy with the Tokyo District Court, having liabilities of 71.09 billion yen ($603.6 million){{Cite news|date=January 28, 2015|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/skymark-airlines-bankruptcy-idUSL4N0V746520150128|title=UPDATE 3-Japanese carrier Skymark files for bankruptcy, blames Airbus|newspaper=Reuters|publisher=Thomson Reuters|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • January 31 – A monitoring group claims that ISIL has reportedly released a video showing the execution of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.

=February=

  • February 1 – JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industry conduct its first launch of an Information Gathering Satellite with the aid of an H-IIA rocket F-27 from Tanegashima Space Center.{{Cite news|date=January 31, 2015|url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/01/japanese-h-iia-igs-mission/|title=Japanese H-IIA launches with IGS spy satellite|newspaper=NASASpacdflight.com|publisher=NASASpaceflight|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • February 17 – The Supreme Court finalizes the death sentence for Tomohiro Kato, the man convicted of killing seven people and wounding 10 others in an indiscriminate rampage in Akihabara, Tokyo on June 8, 2008.{{Cite news|date=February 19, 2015|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/19/national/crime-legal/top-court-finalizes-death-sentence-2008-akihabara-murder-rampage/#.VP9VGfmG-So|title=Top court finalizes death sentence over 2008 Akihabara murder rampage|newspaper=The Japan Times|publisher=The Japan Times Ltd.|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • February 20 – The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau arrests Tsutomu Shirosaki, a Japanese Red Army member, for attempted arson associated with a 1986 mortar attack in Indonesia as he arrives at Narita Airport, having been deported from the United States following his January 16 release from jail.{{Cite news|date=February 20, 2015|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/20/national/crime-legal/mpd-poised-arrest-u-s-deported-red-army-convict/#.VP9XtvmG-So|title=Japanese Red Army member arrested upon return from U.S.|newspaper=The Japan Times|publisher=The Japan Times Ltd.|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • February 23 – Agricultural Minister Koya Nishikawa resigns over a fundraising scandal and is succeeded by Yoshimasa Hayashi, whom Nishikawa had replaced as agriculture minister in September 2014.{{Cite news|date=February 23, 2015|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/japan-farm-minister-resigns-1424687199|title=Japan Agriculture Minister Nishikawa Resigns|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • February 26
  • The Supreme Court endorses punishment issued by Kaiyukan, an aquarium in Osaka, including suspensions, against two male managers for sexual harassment, overturning the ruling by Osaka High Court that said the penalties were too heavy, making this the first decision over such issues by the Japanese Supreme Court.{{Cite news|date=February 23, 2015|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/26/national/crime-legal/top-court-backs-kaiyukan-on-sex-harassment-suspensions/#.VP9YzfmG-So|title=Top court backs Kaiyukan on sex harassment suspensions|newspaper=The Japan Times|publisher=The Japan Times Ltd.|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • Prince William makes his first visit to Japan, visiting Fukushima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture, the areas affected by 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.{{Cite news|date=February 25, 2015|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/02/25/prince-williams-itinerary-in-japan-to-include-tohoku-visit/|title=Prince William's Itinerary in Japan to Include Tohoku Visit|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=March 10, 2015}}

= March =

  • March 2 – Rugby World Cup Ltd. and the 2019 Rugby World Cup organizing committee announce 12 venues, including a new stadium to be built in Kamaishi, Iwate, a city affected by 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup matches.{{Cite news|date=March 3, 2015|url=http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150303p2g00m0sp001000c.html|title=Rugby: Tsunami-ravaged Kamaishi among 12 cities named to host Rugby World Cup 2019 games|newspaper=Mainichi Japan|publisher=The Mainichi Newspapers|access-date=March 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120445/http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150303p2g00m0sp001000c.html|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=dead}}
  • March 3 – Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft and a philanthropist, announces that he has discovered the Japanese battleship Musashi, more than 70 years after it was sunk by the United States Navy, in the Sibuyan Sea, of the Philippines.{{Cite news|date=March 4, 2015|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/04/huge-wwii-japanese-battleship-musashi-has-been-found-billionaire-paul-allen-says/|title='Huge' WWII Japanese battleship Musashi has been found, billionaire Paul Allen says|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • March 10
  • The Supreme Court rejects prosecutors' claims that a 41-year-old man from Osaka Prefecture evaded 570 million yen in taxes by failing to declare income from betting on horse races, confirming that money lost betting on horses can, for tax purposes, be considered expenses deductible from winnings.{{Cite news|date=March 10, 2015|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/10/national/crime-legal/supreme-court-confirms-lost-bets-on-horse-racing-should-be-considered-expenses/#.VP9hT_mG-So|title=Supreme Court confirms lost bets on horse racing should be considered expenses|newspaper=The Japan Times|publisher=The Japan Times Ltd.|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • FamilyMart and UNY Group Holdings, the holding company of Circle K Sunkus, reach an agreement to merge in September 2016, forming the second biggest convenience store operator by sales in Japan under a single brand name.{{Cite news|date=March 10, 2015|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-familymart-uny-idUSKBN0M60JU20150310|title=Japan's FamilyMart, UNY to merge in September 2016|newspaper=Reuters|publisher=Thomson Reuters|access-date=March 11, 2015}}
  • Yukio Hatoyama, a former Prime Minister and a former leader of the DPJ, despite requests from the Japanese government not to do so, makes a personal visit to Crimea, entering the territory with a Russian visa, which is against the policy of Japanese government following the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. Georgy Muradov, deputy prime minister of the Republic of Crimea, met Hatoyama at Simferopol International Airport.{{Cite news|date=March 10, 2015|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/10/national/politics-diplomacy/hatoyama-visits-crimea-met-by-pro-russian-official/#.VP9lmPmG-So|title=Hatoyama visits Crimea, met by pro-Russian official|newspaper=The Japan Times|publisher=The Japan Times Ltd.|access-date=March 10, 2015}}
  • March 12 – A 46-year-old man, arrested in Hawaii in 2014 for a murder case which occurred in 2007, admits after entering a guilty plea at a court in San Diego that he killed his Japanese wife and left her body in the Anza-Borrego Desert in California.{{Cite news|date=March 12, 2015|url=http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20150312_Former_Honolulu_man_pleads_guilty_to_killing_wife_in_California.html?id=296107921|title=Honolulu man pleads guilty to killing wife in California|newspaper=Honolulu Star Advertiser|publisher=staradvertiser.com|access-date=March 13, 2015|archive-date=March 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313210056/http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20150312_Former_Honolulu_man_pleads_guilty_to_killing_wife_in_California.html?id=296107921|url-status=dead}}
  • March 14–18 – Sendai hosts the third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, resulting in the Sendai Framework, an agreement aiming for "the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries."{{cite web|title=Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction|url=http://www.unisdr.org/we/coordinate/sendai-framework|access-date=November 29, 2015}}
  • March 14 – Hokuriku Shinkansen starts its service between Nagano and Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, cutting travel time between Tokyo and Kanazawa by about eighty minutes to as little as two hours and twenty-eight minutes.{{Cite news|date=March 13, 2015|url=http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002001854|title=Hokuriku Shinkansen service extends to Kanazawa Saturday|newspaper=The Japan News|publisher=The Yomiuri Shimbun|access-date=March 13, 2015}}
  • March 18 – Three Japanese were killed and another three were injured in Bardo National Museum attack occurred in Tunis, Tunisia{{Cite news|date=March 19, 2015|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/19/national/three-japanese-confirmed-killed-tunis-terrorist-attack/#.VSTa6vmG-So|title=Three Japanese women killed in Tunisia museum attack|newspaper=The Japan Times|publisher=The Japan Times Ltd.|access-date=April 7, 2015}}
  • March 24 – Two Japanese nationals were killed in the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525.{{Cite news|date=March 25, 2015|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/25/world/plane-with-148-on-board-crashes-in-french-alps/#.VSTcYfmG-So|title=Two Japanese feared dead in French Alps plane crash; voice recorder found|newspaper=The Japan Times|publisher=The Japan Times Ltd.|access-date=April 7, 2015}}
  • March 27 – The main keep of Himeji Castle, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, has reopened to the public after a major five-year face-lift.{{Cite news|date=March 27, 2015 |url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201503270086 |title=Donjon of famed Himeji Castle reopens to long lines after huge renovation |newspaper=The Asahi Shimbun |publisher=The Asahi Shimbun Company |access-date=April 7, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403060702/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201503270086 |archive-date=April 3, 2015 }} The keep itself is recognized as one of the National Treasures of Japan.

=April=

  • April 8 – Narita Airport opens the new Terminal 3, designated for Low-cost carriers.{{Cite news|date=April 8, 2015|url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201504080059|title=24-hour terminal for low-cost carriers opens at Narita|newspaper=The Asahi Shimbun|publisher=The Asahi Shimbun Company|access-date=April 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410204025/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201504080059|archive-date=April 10, 2015|url-status=dead}}
  • April 8–9 – Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko make their first visit to Palau, attending a reception hosted by Tommy Remengesau, the President of Palau; also present are the Micronesian President Manny Mori and the Marshall Islands President Christopher Loeak. On the following day, the Emperor and the Empress visit the island of Peleliu, where some 10,000 soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army were killed in the Battle of Peleliu in 1944.{{Cite news|date=April 8, 2015|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/04/08/emperor-akihito-visits-former-pacific-island-battlegrounds/|title=Emperor Akihito Visits Former Pacific Island Battlegrounds|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc.|access-date=April 8, 2015}}
  • April 10 – The Nikkei 225 index reaches 20,006.00 in the first few minutes of trade, passing the 20,000 level for the first time since April 2000.{{Cite news|date=April 10, 2015|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/nikkei-20000-2015-4|title=NIKKEI 20,000|newspaper=Business Insider|publisher=Business Insider Inc. |access-date=April 10, 2015}}
  • April 12 – In the first round of the 2015 Japanese unified local elections, all 10 incumbent governors and 4 incumbent mayors of designated cities campaigning to keep their positions have been re-elected.{{Cite news|date=April 14, 2015|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/04/14/editorials/opposition-must-step-game/#.VS6hyfmG-So|title=Opposition must step up its game|newspaper=The Japan Times|publisher=The Japan Times Ltd.|access-date=April 15, 2015}}
  • April 14
  • The South Korean government lifts the departure ban on a former chief of the Sankei Shimbun's Seoul bureau, who had been barred from leaving the country for eight months following his indictment in October 2014 for defamation of South Korean President Park Geun-hye.{{cite news|date=April 14, 2015|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/04/14/national/south-korea-lifts-travel-ban-former-sankei-shimbun-journalist/#.VlopQeIgtFv|title=South Korea lifts travel ban on Sankei journalist in defamation trial|newspaper=The Japan Times|access-date=November 29, 2015}} The charges were due to an article, posted on a Sankei website, that referred to a rumor in a South Korean publication that Park was seeing a man on the day of the Sewol ferry disaster in April 2014.

{{Cite news|date=November 25, 2015|url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/korean_peninsula/AJ201511250047|title=South Korean committee to investigate President Park's 'blank seven hours'|newspaper=Asahi Shinbun|access-date=November 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201074213/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/korean_peninsula/AJ201511250047|archive-date=December 1, 2015|url-status=dead}}

{{Cite news|date=December 11, 2014|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-south-korea-journalists-fear-a-government-clampdown-on-the-press/2014/12/09/ff13603e-7a2f-11e4-8241-8cc0a3670239_story.html|title=In South Korea, journalists fear a government clampdown on the press|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=November 29, 2015}}

  • The Fukui Prefecture District Court bans Kansai Electric Power from restarting the nos. 3 and 4 reactors of Takahama Nuclear Power Plant.{{Cite news|date=April 14, 2015|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/japan-reactor-restarts-blocked-1428991579|title=Japan Court Halts Restart of Two Nuclear Reactors|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc.|access-date=April 15, 2015}}
  • Asiana Airlines Flight 162, an Airbus A320 aircraft, skids off the runway of Hiroshima Airport, resulting in 27 injures.{{Cite news|date=April 15, 2015|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-15/asiana-pilots-ordered-more-training-after-second-crash-landing|title=Asiana Pilots Ordered More Training After 2nd Crash-Landing|newspaper=Bloomberg|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|access-date=April 16, 2015}}
  • April 17 – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets Takeshi Onaga, Governor of Okinawa Prefecture for the first time to push ahead with the government plan to relocate a U.S. military base in Futenma to the proposed location around Camp Schwab in Nago, Okinawa, but failed to reach agreement over the relocation.{{Cite news|date=April 17, 2015|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/japans-abe-vows-to-proceed-with-u-s-base-relocation-1429261954|title=Japan's Abe Vows to Proceed with U.S. Base Relocation|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc.|access-date=April 18, 2015}}

April 21

At Yamanashi Test Track, a seven car maglev train set a new land speed record for rail vehicles at 603 km/h. It is the only rail vehicle ever surpassed 600 km/h speed mark

  • April 22
  • Kagoshima District Court has rejected an attempt by local residents to halt the restart of two nuclear reactors at Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima, which was approved by the Nuclear Regulation Authority in September 2014.{{Cite news|date=April 22, 2015|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32408382|title=Japan court rejects attempt to block Sendai reactor restart|newspaper=BBC News|publisher=BBC|access-date=April 23, 2015}}
  • A drone which has trace levels of radioactive cesium is discovered on the roof of the Prime Minister's Official Residence, while Prime Minister Abe has been in Jakarta to attend the 60th anniversary of the Bandung Conference of 1955.{{Cite news|date=April 22, 2015|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/drone-found-at-japan-prime-ministers-office-1429694098|title=Drone Found at Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Office|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc.|access-date=April 23, 2015}} Two days later, a 40-year-old man turns himself in to Fukui prefectural police, claiming that he landed the drone in protest against the Japanese government's nuclear energy policy.{{Cite news|date=April 25, 2015|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/man-arrested-for-landing-radioactive-drone-on-japanese-prime-ministers-roof-10203517.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/man-arrested-for-landing-radioactive-drone-on-japanese-prime-ministers-roof-10203517.html |archive-date=May 1, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Man arrested for landing 'radioactive' drone on Japanese Prime Minister's roof|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=April 25, 2015}}{{cbignore}}

=May=

  • May 17 – A dormitory apartment fire in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, according to Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report, 11 peoples lost to lives, with 17 are injures.{{:ja:川崎市簡易宿泊所火災}}
  • May 29 – Kuchinoerabu-jima erupts, with pyroclastic flows reaching the coast.{{:ja:2015年の口永良部島噴火}}
  • May 30 – An abnormally intense magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurs in the Bonin Islands, with shaking observed throughout the territory. Official reports confirm 13 injuries.{{:ja:小笠原諸島西方沖地震#2015年}}

=June=

=July=

  • July 26 – A Piper PA-46 crashes into a residential area in Chofu, Tokyo, starting a fire that ends with three deaths.{{:ja:調布市PA-46墜落事故}}

=August=

=September=

  • September 11 – A heavy torrential rain along the entire length of the Kinu River leads to a levee collapse and flash flooding in Jōsō, Ibaraki. Official reports confirm 8 fatalities.{{:ja:平成27年9月関東・東北豪雨}}

=October=

=November=

=December=

The Nobel Prize

Culture

{{See also|Japanese festivals|for a chronological list of festivals held throughout the year}}

=Arts and entertainment=

Sports

  • January 23
  • Yokozuna Grand Champion Hakuhō Shō wins his 33rd career championship with two days to spare at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in Ryogoku Kokugikan, surpassing the record of 32 titles he shared with sumo legend Taiho Koki, who made the long-lasting record in 1971.{{Cite news|date=January 23, 2015|url=http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150123p2g00m0sp081000c.html|title=Sumo: Hakuho wins record 33rd championship|newspaper=Mainichi Japan|publisher=Mainichi Newspapers|access-date=March 11, 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150311121207/http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150123p2g00m0sp081000c.html|archive-date=March 11, 2015|url-status=dead}}
  • The Japan national football team loses to the UAE in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw at a quarterfinal match of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, marking their earliest exit in 19 years since losing to Kuwait 0–2 at the 1996 Cup quarterfinals, back before the national team had ever made it to the FIFA World Cup.{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/23/united-arab-emirates-beat-japan-penalties-asian-cup|title=Japan 1-1 UAE (UAE win 5-4 on penalties) | Asian Cup quarter-final match report|date=January 23, 2015|website=the Guardian}}
  • February 3 – The Japan Football Association(JFA) fires Javier Aguirre as the manager of the Japan national football team, as Aguirre has been involved in an ongoing match-fixing investigation over the Real Zaragoza's 2–1 win against Levante UD on the final day of the 2010–11 La Liga, when Aguirre was the head coach of Zaragoza.{{Cite news|date=February 3, 2015|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2015/02/03/soccer/j-league/jfa-fires-embattled-manager-aguirre/|title=JFA fires embattled manager Aguirre|newspaper=The Japan Times|publisher=The Japan Times Limited|access-date=March 11, 2015}}
  • February 21 – Takashi Uchiyama, the super featherweight boxing champion of the World Boxing Association, is promoted to the status of super champion.{{Cite news|date=February 21, 2015|url=http://www.worldboxingnews.net/2015/02/21/news/wbn/uchiyama-and-walters-made-super-champions-cuellar-elevated-to-full-status-by-the-wba|title=Uchiyama and Walters made 'super' champions; Cuellar elevated to full status by the WBA|newspaper=World Boxing News|access-date=March 11, 2015}}
  • March 12 – The JFA announces that Vahid Halilhodžić has been named as the new manager of the Japan national football team.{{Cite news|date=March 12, 2015|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/03/12/bosnian-halilhodzic-to-manage-japan-national-soccer-team/|title=Bosnian Halilhodzic to Manage Japan National Soccer Team|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|publisher= Dow Jones & Company, Inc.|access-date=March 11, 2015}}
  • March 13 – Yu Darvish, a pitcher of Major League Baseball club Texas Rangers, announces his decision to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, which likely will sideline Darvish until early 2016.{{Cite news|date=March 13, 2015|url=https://www.espn.com/dallas/mlb/story/_/id/12475357/yu-darvish-texas-rangers-undergo-tommy-john-surgery|title=Yu Darvish to miss 2015 season|newspaper=espn.com|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|access-date=March 13, 2015}}
  • March 14–22 – The 2015 World Women's Curling Championship is held at Tsukisamu Gymnasium in Sapporo{{cite web|url= http://worldcurling.org/venue-announced-for-world-womens-curling-championship-2015|title= Venue announced for the World Women's Curling Championship 2015|date= September 13, 2013|access-date= August 24, 2014|work= worldcurling.org|publisher= World Curling Federation|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141207123249/http://worldcurling.org/venue-announced-for-world-womens-curling-championship-2015|archive-date= December 7, 2014|url-status= dead}}
  • March 15 – Yusuke Suzuki sets the new 20 km race walk world record of 1:16:36 at the Asian Race Walking Championships, breaking the former record set by Yohann Diniz by 26 seconds.{{Cite news|date=March 15, 2015|url=http://www.athleticsweekly.com/featured/yusuke-suzuki-breaks-20km-race-walk-world-record-19605/|title=Yusuke Suzuki breaks 20km race walk world record|newspaper=Athletics Weekly|publisher=Athletics Weekly Limited|access-date=March 15, 2015}}
  • March 28 – Yoshihide Kiryu runs the men's 100 meters in 9.87 seconds to win the men's invitational sprint at the Texas Relays, marking the fastest ever electronically recorded performance by an Asian sprinter under any conditions.{{Cite news|date=March 29, 2015|url=http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150329p2g00m0sp008000c.html|title=Athletics: Kiryu runs wind-assisted 9.87|newspaper=Mainichi Daily News|publisher=Mainichi Newspapers|access-date=April 7, 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150408073652/http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150329p2g00m0sp008000c.html|archive-date=April 8, 2015|url-status=dead}}
  • April 4 – Mieko Nagaoka becomes the first 100-year-old in the world to complete a 1,500-meter freestyle swim in a time of just over 1 hour and 15 minutes, using the backstroke for the entire duration in a 25-meter pool.{{Cite news|date=April 6, 2015|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2015/04/06/meet-the-100-year-old-japanese-swimmer-who-set-a-1500-meter-world-record/|title=Meet the 100-year-old Japanese swimmer who set a 1,500-meter world record|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=April 8, 2015}}

Deaths

File:Satoru Iwata - Game Developers Conference 2011 - Day 2 (3) (cropped 2).jpg, a Japanese businessman, video game programmer and designer, and the 4th President of Nintendo, who died of bile duct cancer at the age of 55.]]

In the Heisei Memoriam of 2015 despite Japanese demographic and aging crisis in the country, among top 12 famous Japanese people who passed away peacefully due to illness and old age, including Hitoshi Saito, Kinya Aikawa, Masayuki Imai, Nobutaka Machimura, Takanonami Sadahiro, Yoichiro Nambu, Satoru Iwata, Nana Kuroki, Naomi Kawashima, Yoshihiko Funazaki, Kai Atō, and Shigeru Mizuki.

=January=

=February=

=March=

=April=

  • April 1 – Misao Okawa, a supercentenarian, the verified oldest Japanese person ever, the oldest person ever born in Asia, and the fifth oldest verified person ever recorded (b. 1898)
  • April 15 – Kinya Aikawa, actor, TV presenter, and voice actor (b. 1934)

= May =

= June =

=July=

=August=

=September=

=October=

  • October 15 – Yoshihiko Funazaki, novelist, poet, illustrator, manga artist, songwriter, and assistant professor of Shirayuri College (b. 1925)
  • October 27 – Miyu Matsuki, voice actress{{cite web |url= http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-11-01/voice-actress-miyu-matsuki-passes-away/.94904|title= Voice Actress Miyu Matsuki Passes Away|date= November 1, 2015|access-date= November 2, 2015|work= Anime News Network}}

=November=

=December=

See also

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Japan year nav}}

{{Year in Asia|2015}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2015 In Japan}}

Japan

Category:Years of the 21st century in Japan

Japan

Category:2010s in Japan