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2002 was the 14th year of Heisei in Japan.

Incumbents

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

Events

George W. Bush addressing a joint session of the Diet, February 19

• January 15: UFJ Bank founded.
• January 29: Koizumi fires Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka.
• February 1: Yoriko Kawaguchi is appointed foreign minister; her previous portfolio of Environment Minister is assumed by Hiroshi Oki.
• February 19: U.S. president George W. Bush addresses a joint session of the Diet.
• March 7: Futoshi Matsunaga and Junko Ogata are arrested for confinement of a 17-year-old girl. They are arrested for seven murders later.
• April 1: Mizuho Bank founded.
• April 1: Domestic Violence Prevention Act becomes effective.
• April 21: E231 series trains are introduced on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo.
• May 31: World Cup Korea/Japan 2002 begins.
• June 11: Solar eclipse visible throughout Japan.
• June 30: World Cup ends.
• June 30: Izumi Garden Tower is completed.
• September 17: Koizumi visits North Korea; Kim Jong-il admits to the North Korean abduction of Japanese citizens.
• October 15: Five Japanese abductees return from North Korea.
• December 1: Tōhoku Shinkansen extension to Hachinohe Station opens.
• December 1: Saikyo Line and Rinkai Line extensions to Osaki Station open, allowing through service.
• December 1: Iwate Ginga Railway and Aoimori Railway begin operations.

Deaths

• April 10: Yuji Hyakutake, amateur astronomer
• November 15: Sohn Kee-chung, marathon runner
• December 21: Prince Takamado