Without a doubt, the biggest news story of the year 2001 was the World Trade Center and Washington attacks
and the subsequent war in Afghanistan. These events shocked and troubled Japan, too. But it was also an eventful
year at home. Mostly bad news, I'm afraid, with just a few bright spots to restore a little balance. Below is a list
of the major "domestic" news stories of the year. A couple took place abroad but, being centered around Japanese
individuals, are considered local news. So, which story do you think had the greatest impact on Japan?
As a matter of interest, a similar poll of Daily Yomiuri readers gave the following Top 3:
1. Birth of Princess Aiko
2. Sinking of the Ehime Maru
3. The Koizumi cabinet
Shin-Okubo station deaths
Miyakejima eruption and evacuation
Sinking of the Ehime Maru
Ikeda elementary school murders
Lucy Blackman murder
The Koizumi cabinet
Akashi fireworks display deaths
Ichiro's baseball heroics
Kabukicho fire
Mad cow disease
The dispatch of SDF forces
Giants' Nagashima retirement
Birth of Princess Aiko
Other
