A political funds scandal involving members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been picked as the top domestic news story of 2023 by senior editors of Kyodo News and its member or subscriber newspapers and broadcasters.
(1) LDP's largest faction ousted from Cabinet amid political funds scandal
Members of the LDP's largest faction once led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as well as those belonging to a faction led by former LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai, came under investigation by prosecutors for allegedly failing to declare hundreds of millions of yen of fundraising party revenue in political funds reports.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida effectively forced out members of the Abe faction from his Cabinet in December, while prosecutors began questioning the faction's lawmakers on a voluntary basis.
(2) Victims speak out in Johnny's sex abuse scandal
Allegations that Johnny Kitagawa, the late head of Japan's top male talent agency formerly known as Johnny & Associates Inc., had sexually abused aspiring teenage pop singers for decades was brought into the spotlight following a BBC documentary in March featuring interviews with multiple people claiming to be victims.
The agency admitted to the allegations, with his niece Julie Keiko Fujishima stepping down as president. Domestic media outlets were also criticized for years of silence on the matter.
File photo shows foreign tourists and others taking photos in Tokyo's Asakusa district on Nov. 15, 2023. (Kyodo)
(3) Legal status of COVID-19 downgraded, overseas tourists return
The government in May downgraded the legal status of COVID-19 to Class 5, or the same category as seasonal influenza. The government no longer legally recommends hospitalization for coronavirus patients nor asks the public to refrain from going out.
The move, alongside a weak yen, contributed to a sharp recovery in overseas visitors.
(4) Consumer inflation hits 41-year high
Consumer inflation in Japan accelerated to 3.0 percent in fiscal 2022 through March, the fastest pace in 41 years. Prices rose for a wide range of items including food and household goods as the weak yen inflated import costs and Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to higher energy prices.
(5) Average summer temperatures hit record high
Average temperatures for the June-August period became the hottest since records began in 1898, 1.76 C higher than the three-month average recorded between 1991 and 2020, and exceeded the previous record in 2010 that saw the mercury rise 1.08 C above the average.
The crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture is pictured on Aug. 24, 2023, as Japan began releasing treated radioactive water from the plant into the sea the same day. (Kyodo)
(6) Japan releases treated water from Fukushima nuclear plant
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. started discharging treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea after diluting the concentration of tritium. TEPCO plans on releasing the water through 2051.
The move prompted China to ban imports of all seafood products from Japan.
(7) Government files for court order to dissolve Unification Church
The Japanese government filed a request with the Tokyo District Court in October to dissolve the Unification Church, which has been found responsible in some civil lawsuits for pressuring people into making huge donations, in a move that will deprive the group of its tax benefits.
The religious organization opposed the move, saying civil law torts do not constitute requirements to issue a dissolution order.
File photo shows Shogi player Sota Fujii holding a paper card that says "eight crowns" during a press conference in Kyoto on Oct. 11, 2023, after he became the first player in shogi history to hold all eight of the traditional board game's titles simultaneously. (Kyodo)
(8) Shogi prodigy Fujii becomes 1st to hold all 8 titles
Shogi prodigy Sota Fujii won the best-of-five Oza series against Takuya Nagase in October, making him the first player of the traditional board game ever to hold eight titles.
File photo shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after they offered flowers at the cenotaph for atomic bomb victims at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on May 21, 2023. (Kyodo)
(9) Japan hosts G7 summit in Hiroshima, joined by Zelenskyy
Japan hosted the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May, marking the first time for the leaders of the nations including nuclear powers the United States, France and Britain to visit the atomic-bombed city at the same time.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also joined the meeting.
File photo shows Hanshin Tigers players celebrating after winning the Japan Series baseball championship at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Nov. 5, 2023. (Kyodo)
(10) Hanshin wins 1st Japan Series title since 1985
The Hanshin Tigers in November won their first Japan Series championship since 1985 by beating the defending champion Orix Buffaloes, their second victory in the franchise's history.
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