Japan in 2023: Key Events in the Year Ahead
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This year marks the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and although there are few signs that the health crisis is abating, Japan started 2023 without any restrictions on activities. The battered administration of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will face another test as voters go to the polls in local unified elections in April. Kishida will be looking to show his leadership skills domestically and internationally when Japan hosts the Group of Seven Hiroshima Summit in May in the prime minister’s hometown. In sports, Japanese fans will be cheering on national squads competing at the World Baseball Classic, FIFA Women’s World Cup, and Rugby World Cup. The following is a summary of the main events planned for 2023.
2023: Major Japanese and International Events
| January | Start of regular Diet session |
| February 12 | Planned launch of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s new H3 rocket |
| February 21 | Giant panda Xiang Xiang at Ueno Zoo to be returned to China |
| March 8 | Start of World Baseball Classic (held until March 21) |
| April 1 | Children and Families Agency launches |
| Change to Road Traffic Act allowing practical use of level 4 self-driving cars goes into effect | |
| April 8 | Kuroda Haruhiko ends term as Bank of Japan governor |
| April 9 | Unified local elections |
| May 19 | Start of G7 Hiroshima Summit (held until May 21) |
| July 20 | FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand (held until August 20) |
| September 1 | Centenary of the Great Kantō Earthquake |
| September 8 | Rugby World Cup gets underway in France (held until October 28) |
| October 1 | New invoice system for Japanese consumption tax goes into effect |
| Autumn | Mononoke Village opens at Ghibli Park |
| December 11 | Thirtieth anniversary of registration of Yakushima and Shirakami-Sanchi on UNESCO World Heritage list, the first natural heritage sites in Japan |
(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: The Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima. Courtesy Hiroshima prefectural government.)