Timeline for March 2025

3

Prince Hisahito takes part in his first press conference after turning 18 in September 2024.

Prince Hisahito giving his first press conference at Akasaka Estate in Tokyo on March 3, 2025. (© Kyōdō)

The Japan Meteorological Agency announces that rainfall over the winter (December 2024 to February 2025) was the lowest in both eastern and western Japan since records began in 1946. Eastern Japan’s Pacific side saw 26% of the rainfall in an average year, while western Japan had 38%.

4

The Hyōgo prefectural assembly’s Article 100 Committee publishes a report generally finding that Governor Saitō Motohiko engaged in harassment, and that there were problems in how he treated a whistleblower. On March 19, a third-party committee’s report finds Saitō’s action against the whistleblower to have been clearly illegal.

6

The Supreme Court upholds a lower court ruling that two former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) are not guilty of criminal negligence concerning the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

7

Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru announces a freeze on plans to raise monthly out-of-pocket expenses from August for patients receiving expensive medical care.

9

The city of Ōfunato in Iwate Prefecture announces that it has contained a huge wildfire that burned around 2,900 hectares.

10

Tokyo marks the eightieth anniversary of extensive World War II firebombing of the city by the US military, which killed around 100,000 people.

11

Memorial events are held across the tsunami-affected area 14 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, which resulted in 19,775 deaths including disaster-related fatalities from suicide and illness, with 2,550 individuals still unaccounted for.

Nissan announces that President Uchida Makoto will step down on March 31, to be succeeded by Chief Planning Officer Ivan Espinosa.

12

US President Donald Trump imposes 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. The Japanese government unsuccessfully seeks exemptions.

13

Prime Minister Ishiba admits giving gift certificates worth ¥100,000 each to 15 new House of Representatives lawmakers, touching off a new scandal for his party.

14

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries announces the results of bids for 140,000 tons of rice released from stockpiles. The average price per 60 kilograms sold to the successful bidders is ¥21,217, which is lower than the price for transactions between dealers in January.

Ōnishi Takuya is among four astronauts lifting off in a Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ōnishi, who previously made his first journey to space in 2016, is set to stay in the International Space Station for about six months.

Ōnishi Takuya (right) greets well-wishers ahead of his space flight on March 14, 2025. (© Scott Schilke/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)

17

Chūbu Electric Power begins dismantling the number 2 reactor at its Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station, which is a first for a commercial reactor in Japan.

18

Major League Baseball’s season begins in Tokyo with two games on March 18 and 19, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers take the opener 4–1 with Yamamoto Yoshinobu as the winning pitcher, and follow up with a 6–3 victory on March 19, featuring Ohtani Shōhei’s first home run of the new season.

20

Japan marks 30 years since the Tokyo subway sarin attacks by Aum Shinrikyō resulted in 14 deaths and more than 6,000 injuries. Staff members at Kasumigaseki Station offer a silent prayer.

Japan becomes the first team apart from the hosts to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2–0 victory over Bahrain. It is the country’s eighth successive qualification.

Kamada Daichi (left) celebrates scoring the first goal in the match against Bahrain with Kubo Takefusa. (© Reuters)

21

A committee established by the Cabinet Office publishes guidance on action to take in the case of an eruption of Mount Fuji, recommending that people stay in their homes in areas with less than 30 centimeters of ash.

22

The foreign ministers of Japan, China, and South Korea meet in Tokyo, where they agree to arrange a summit of the countries’ leaders at an early opportunity. There is also progress in efforts to persuade China to remove its ban on Japanese seafood imports.

24

The Self-Defense Forces launch a Joint Operations Command for directing operations of their ground, maritime, and air forces. It is initially headed by Lieutenant General Nagumo Ken’ichirō.

25

The Tokyo District Court orders the dissolution of the Unification Church, accepting claims from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology about the church’s solicitation of large donations from followers.

The Osaka High Court rules that the ban on same-sex marriage in the Civil Code and Family Register Act is unconstitutional in a case brought by three same-sex couples. The ban has now been found to be unconstitutional in all five cases brought before high courts around the country.

Director Shinoda Masahiro dies at the age of 94. Shinoda was known for films like Pale Flower and Double Suicide.

26

Prime Minister Ishiba meets with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Tokyo, where they agree to cooperate on expanding investments and promoting decarbonization.

Prime Minister Ishiba (right) and President Lula shake hands at a summit in Tokyo on March 26, 2025. (Pool photo; © Zuma Press Wire)

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters announces Kashiwara Masaki of Kyoto University’s Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences as the winner of the Abel Prize, which is considered to be the annual mathematics equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

President Trump announces a 25% tariff on all imported automobiles. As Japan exports 1.3 million cars to the United States each year, this will be a major blow to its economy.

29

Prime Minister Ishiba becomes the first sitting leader of Japan to participate in a joint Japan-US memorial service for troops who died in fighting on Iōtō (Iwo Jima) 80 years ago in the latter stages of World War II.

Prime Minister Ishiba (center) offering flowers at the joint memorial service on Iōtō (Iwo Jima). (© Jiji)

31

Following a scandal concerning alleged sexual assault by former SMAP member Nakai Masahiro involving Fuji Television, a third-party committee established by parent company Fuji Media Holdings publishes its report. It concludes that Nakai sexually assaulted a Fuji Television employee and that the incident was connected with a culture of sexual harassment at the television company.

The government publishes a report estimating that up to 298,000 people would die due to tsunami and buildings collapsing in the case of an earthquake around magnitude 9 in the Nankai trough. This is slightly lower than a prediction of 323,000 in a previous estimate based on a projection in 2012–13.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: Ohtani Shōhei strikes a pose after hitting a double for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs in the MLB season opener in Tokyo on March 18, 2025. © AFP/Jiji.)