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Nippon Budokan

The Nippon Budokan (日本武道館), often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts contests, the arena has gained additional fame as one of the world's most outstanding musical performance venues. The Budokan was a popular venue for Japanese professional wrestling for a time, and it has hosted numerous other sporting events, such as the 1967 Women's Volleyball World Championship. Most recently, the arena hosted the Olympic debut of karate in the 2020 Summer Olympics, as well as the judo competition at both the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

A number of famous acts have played at the Budokan. The Beatles were the first rock group to play there, in a series of concerts held between June 30 and July 2, 1966. ABBA ended their last tour and held their final live performance there in March 1980. Numerous acts have recorded live albums at the Budokan, including Blur, TVXQ, Bryan Adams, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Cheap Trick, Neil Young, Dream Theater, Duran Duran, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Mariah Carey, Judas Priest, Paul McCartney, Asia, Ringo Starr, Journey, Deep Purple, Masayoshi Takanaka, and Michael Schenker Group.

Location
The Nippon Budokan is located in Kitanomaru Park in the center of Tokyo, two minutes' walking distance from Kudanshita Subway Station, and near the Imperial Palace and Yasukuni Shrine. The 42 m (140 ft) high octagonal structure holds 14,471 people (arena seats: 2,946, 1st floor seats: 3,199, 2nd floor seats: 7,846, standee: 480). The building is modeled after Yumedono (Hall of Dreams) in Hōryū-ji in Nara.

Martial arts
Although the Budokan also functions as a venue for big musical events, its primary purpose is for Japanese martial arts. The national championships of the different branches of major martial arts (judo, kendo, karate, aikido, etc.) are held annually at the Budokan. The Budokan has also been associated with professional wrestling's big shows, typically from All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah. However, due to declining audiences following the death of Mitsuharu Misawa and the retirement of Kenta Kobashi, professional wrestling has ceased running regular shows in the Budokan. During Wrestle Kingdom 12, New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced that its yearly G1 Climax tournament's finals would be held at the Budokan.

The Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki hybrid rules fight held at the Budokan in 1976 is seen as a forerunner to mixed martial arts. K-1, Shooto, Vale Tudo Japan and Pride Fighting Championships have all held events at the arena.

Music
The Beatles were the first rock group to perform at the Budokan in a series of five shows held between June 30 and July 2, 1966. Their appearances were met with opposition from those who felt the appearance of a western pop group would defile the martial arts arena.

In July 1973, Japanese television recorded the Santana performance at the Budokan.

The Budokan gained worldwide fame when American artists Cheap Trick and Bob Dylan used the arena to record their performances, Cheap Trick at Budokan (1978) and Bob Dylan at Budokan (1979). The venue is popular for recording live albums because it has good acoustics, is relatively large and Japanese audiences are known for being highly appreciative when appropriate but quiet during performances. Eric Clapton described the Tokyo audience as "almost overappreciative" in interviews promoting Just One Night (1980), his own live album recorded at the Budokan.

American crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death released a live album titled Live at Budokan (1992), though the title was in jest and the album was recorded at famed New York City venue The Ritz.

The original Beatles concert is heavily bootlegged on audio and video; the first night's concert video was officially released by Apple Records in Japan only as Beatles Concert at Budokan 1966, and excerpts are shown in The Beatles Anthology, while the second Anthology album included the first show's performances of "Rock and Roll Music" and "She's A Woman". The venue is one of the stages in The Beatles: Rock Band video game. Chatmonchy currently holds the record for the largest crowd at the Budokan.

The record for the most Budokan music concerts is held by Eikichi Yazawa, 142 times as of December 19, 2017.

Artists that have released live recordings from the venue include:

1970s

 * Led Zeppelin; September 23 and 24, 1971 and October 2 and 3, 1972
 * Chicago; June 8, 1972
 * Uriah Heep; 1973, (Live concert filmed on 16mm for television. DVD versions available)
 * Deep Purple; 1972; for the last of the three concerts making up their Made in Japan live album
 * The Moody Blues; January 18, 1974
 * The Carpenters; June 7–9, 1974; Live in Japan
 * Focus; June 20, 1975
 * Neil Young; March 10 and 11, 1976; Odeon Budokan
 * Queen; 1975, 1976, and 1979
 * Rainbow; December 16, 1976; On Stage Rainbow performed here both afternoon and evening shows at 3:00 pm and 6:00 p.m.
 * Aerosmith; 1977 (Jan-Feb); see the Japanese bootleg CD Rocks Budokan (label Calm&Storm)
 * Fleetwood Mac; December 5, 1977 and February 3, 4th and 5, 1980
 * Bay City Rollers; 1977; released as Rollerworld: Live at the Budokan 1977 in 2001
 * Pink Lady; 1977 (Bye Bye Carnival) and 1979 (Live in Budoukan)
 * Kiss; 1977 and 1978
 * Cheap Trick; April 27, 28 and 30, 1978; Cheap Trick at Budokan (and the later-released 1998 album at Budokan: The Complete Concert)
 * Ian Gillan Band; 1977–1978; Live at the Budokan (Vols. 1–2)
 * Eric Clapton; December 1979; Just One Night
 * Diana Ross; 1977; "An Evening with Diana Ross" concert was videotaped during her 1977 tour
 * Julie Andrews; 1977 "An Evening with Julie Andrews" concert was part of a highly acclaimed sold out national tour of Japan by Julie Andrews
 * Eikichi Yazawa; 1977; Super Live Nippon Budokan, recorded his Budokan concerts of 1977
 * Devo; 1979 "The Men Who Make the Music" Japanese TV broadcast. A clip of "Red Eye Express" from this show is included in The Men Who Make The Music home video
 * Gregg Allman Band and Cher; June 29, 1977
 * Bob Dylan; 1979; Bob Dylan at Budokan, recorded during his 1978 world tour
 * Electric Light Orchestra; 1978
 * Earth, Wind & Fire; 1979
 * Boston; 1979

1980s

 * Sadao Watanabe; 1980; How's Everything
 * ABBA; 1980
 * Momoe Yamaguchi; 1980; Budokan at Last
 * Yellow Magic Orchestra; 1980; Live at Budokan 1980, recorded 1980, released 1993
 * Masayoshi Takanaka; 1981; Rainbow Goblins Story / Live At Budokan, released 1986
 * Queen; 1981; "The Game Tour". 1985; "The Works Tour"
 * The Police; 1981; Budokan Radio On, released 1988
 * Michael Schenker Group; 1981; One Night at Budokan, released in 1982, deluxe edition released in 2009
 * John Denver, 1981
 * Quincy Jones; 1981; Quincy Jones Live at the Budokan
 * Journey; 1982; "Escape Tour". 1983; "Frontiers Tour"
 * Styx; 1982
 * Kitarō; 1982; Live at Budokan
 * Toto; 1982; Live at Budokan 1982, Toto IV Tour
 * Japan; 1982; Live from the Budokan 1982, Final Tour (Some songs included Yellow Magic Orchestra members Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto)
 * Spinal Tap; 1982; "Smell The Glove Tour"
 * Dave Grusin; 1983; Dave Grusin and the NY-LA Dream Band
 * Grover Washington Jr., Pieces of A Dream; 1983; Aurex Jazz Festival
 * Michael Schenker Group; 1982; One Night at Budokan
 * Asia; 1983; Live at Budokan, Asia in Asia
 * Willie Nelson; 1984, February 23, Live At Budokan
 * Gary Moore; 1984; We Want Moore! during the Victims of the Future tour in 1984, remastered 2002 (Budokan was one of the 4 or 5 different venues where this album was recorded)
 * Frank Sinatra; 1985; Live at the Budokan Hall, Tokyo
 * Phil Collins; 1985; The No Jacket Required World Tour
 * Corey Hart; 1985
 * Momoko Kikuchi; 1985; "Advanced Domestic Tour Budokan"
 * Cyndi Lauper; 1986; "Live in Tokyo"
 * Judas Priest; 1986; "Fuel for Life Tour"
 * Iron Maiden; 1987, "Somewhere on tour"
 * BOØWY; 1986–1987; July 2, 1986 - "Just a Hero Tour"; November 11 & December 10, 1986, February 24, 1987 - "GIGS at BUDOKAN"; November 3 & December 1, 1987 - "DR.FEELMAN'S PSYCHOPATHIC HEARTS CLUB BAND"
 * Dead or Alive; 1987 video Rip It Up Live (VHS/Laserdisc)
 * Pink Floyd; March 2 & 3, 1988; "A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour"
 * Tina Turner; March 24 & 25, 1988; "Break Every Rule World Tour"
 * Kiss; 1988; "Crazy Nights Tour"
 * Miho Nakayama; May 11, 1989; Whuu!! Natural Live at Budokan '89
 * Stryper 1989; "In God We Trust tour

1990s

 * X Japan; 1990; Rose & Blood Tour
 * Seiko Matsuda - Precious Moment ~1990 Live at Budokan~
 * X Japan; 1991
 * Loudness - Live Loudest at the Budokan '91
 * B'z - Just Another Life (1991).
 * Debbie Gibson - Live In Tokyo: The Possibilities World Tour
 * X Japan; 1992; Extasy Summit 1992
 * Tin Machine; 1992; who recorded a portion of Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby, during the It's My Life Tour
 * Skid Row - Live at Budokan, Tokyo 1992
 * Diana Ross, Tokyo 1992; 'The Force Behind the Power World Tour'
 * X Japan; 1993
 * The Doobie Brothers; 1993; Live at Budokan
 * Aerosmith; 1994; Get a Grip Tour
 * Yngwie Malmsteen; 1994; video Live at Budokan 94, VHS/DVD
 * Blur; 1995–6; recorded a live compilation CD, Live at the Budokan, in 1995, at the height of Britpop; it was released in 1996
 * Princess Princess; May 31, 1996; The Last Live
 * Chic; 1996; performance later released as Live at the Budōkan (1999). This was bassist Bernard Edwards's last performance; he died the next day
 * Gloria Estefan; 1997; "Evolution Tour"
 * Diana Ross; 1996; 'Take Me Higher World Tour'
 * Prince; 1996 Prince performed four concerts during the year as the Artist formerly known as Prince
 * Mr. Big; 1997; recorded Live at Budokan in 1997
 * Oasis; 1998; Oasis performed three nights in a row during their 'Be Here Now tour'
 * Puffy; 1998; Recorded Jet Tour '98 in support of the album Jet-CD
 * Malice Mizer; 1998; two night stint at the Budokan in support of Merveilles, which yielded their live video Merveilles ~Shuuen to Kisuu~ L'Espace
 * Journey; 1998; Recorded several songs from their Frontiers Tour in 1983 at the Budokan which was included on their live album Greatest Hits Live
 * Lauryn Hill; 1999; The Miseducation Tour (two sold-out shows)
 * Faye Wong; 1999; Budokan Live (for further information see: Faye Wong)

2000s

 * Bryan Adams; 2000; Live at the Budokan
 * Morning Musume; 2000; DVD Morning Musume First Live at Budōkan: Dancing Love Site 2000 Haru (Also Sayaka Ichii's graduation from the group)
 * Malice Mizer; 2-night stint at the Budokan in support of Bara no Seidou, which yielded their live video Bara ni Irodorareta Akui to Higeki no Makuake
 * Bay City Rollers; 2001; Rollerworld, Live at the Budokan 1977, released as Rollerworld: Live at the Budokan 1977 in 2001
 * Ozzy Osbourne; 2002; filmed CD/DVD combination Live at Budokan
 * PORNOGRAFFITTI; 2002; 5th LIVE CIRCUIT "BITTER SWEET MUSIC BIZ" LIVE AT BUDOKAN 2002
 * Pearl Jam; 2003; recorded an official bootleg at Budokan during their Riot Act Tour (for further information see: Pearl Jam#Riot Act: 2002–2005)
 * Duran Duran; July 11 + 12, 2003; played at Budokan; shows recorded live
 * Mariah Carey; 2003; performed three concert shows, part of her Charmbracelet World Tour on July 6, 8 and 10
 * Incubus; March 3, 2004; performed at Budokan and show recorded as CD Live in Japan 2004 on June 1, 2004
 * Dream Theater; 2004; 2DVD/3CD Live at Budokan
 * Hikaru Utada; July 28, 2004; video Utada Hikaru in Budokan 2004: Hikaru no 5
 * Beastie Boys; January 14, 2005
 * Judas Priest; 2005; DVD Rising in the East
 * Nana Mizuki; 2005; DVD Nana Mizuki Live Rainbow at Budokan
 * Avril Lavigne; 2005; DVD Live at Budokan: Bonez Tour, Bonez Tour
 * YUKI, May 20, 2005; Yuki Live Yuki Tour "Joy" at Nippon Budokan
 * Hikaru Utada; 2006; video Utada United 2006 (Hikaru Utada discography)
 * Nana Mizuki; 2006; DVD Nana Mizuki Livedom -Birth- at Budokan
 * MUCC; 2006; DVD World Tour Final Nippon Budokan 666
 * Morning Musume; 2006; DVD Morning Musume Concert Tour 2006 Aki: Odore! Morning Curry
 * The Gazette; 2006; DVD Standing Live Tour 2006 [Nameless Liberty. Six Guns...] Tour Final at Nippon Budokan
 * Ai; 2006; video; Nippon Budokan Ai
 * TM Network; 2007; video TM Network -Remaster- at Nippon Budokan 2007
 * TVXQ; 2007; Tohoshinki 2nd Live Tour 2007: Five in the Black
 * YUKI, November 1-2, 2007, YUKI LIVE “5-star”
 * Syrup16g; March 1, 2008; The Last Day of Syrup16g
 * Perfume; 2008; "Budokaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!"
 * Joe Hisaishi; 2008; Joe Hisaishi in Budokan – 25 years with the Animations of Hayao Miyazaki
 * Flow; 2008; Flow Live Tour 2007–2008 'Isle' Final at Nippon Budokan
 * Chatmonchy; 2008; [Restaurant Main Dish] Live at: Budokan 2008
 * YUKI, May 29-30, 2008, YUKI concert New Rhythm Tour 2008
 * Kishidan; 2009; 氣志團現象2009 AGAIN AND AGAIN DVD
 * Nana Mizuki; 2009; Blu-ray/DVD Nana Mizuki Live Diamond x Fever
 * MUCC; 2009; DVD -MUCC Live Chronicle 3 "Kyutai" in Nippon Budokan-
 * Mr. Big; 2009; live CD/DVD Back to Budokan
 * AKB48; 2009; AKB104 Senbatsu Members Sokaku Matsuri
 * The Pillows; 2009; live DVD Lostman Go to Budokan

2010s

 * Dir En Grey; January 9–10, 2010; live DVD Uroboros: With the Proof in the Name of Living... At Nippon Budokan.
 * An Cafe; January 14, 2010; King of Harajuku Dance Rock.
 * Backstreet Boys; February 18, 2010; recorded live DVD Backstreet Boys: This Is Us Japan Tour 2010 on the This Is Us Tour.
 * Nico Touches the Walls; March 12, 2010; "Walls is Auroras" LIVE.
 * Polysics; March 14, 2010; Budokan or Die!!!! 2010.3.14
 * One Ok Rock; 2010; live DVD This Is My Budokan?!.
 * Taylor Swift; February 26 & 27, 2011; Speak Now World Tour
 * Morning Musume; 2011; Ai Takahashi's graduation concert "Ai Believe ~Takahashi Ai Graduation Memory Special~.
 * F.T. Island; 2011; Live in Budokan 'Summer Mesengger Tour'.
 * MUCC; 2011; live DVD Chemical Parade
 * Vivid January 7, 2012; Take Off: Birth to the New World
 * Judas Priest; February 16 & 17, 2012; Epitaph World Tour
 * 2PM; 2012; 2PM Six Beautiful Day Live in Budokan
 * Milky Holmes; 2012; Milky Holmes Live in Budokan
 * Lee Seung-gi; 2012; First Japan Live in Budokan Kidou (Hope).
 * T-ara; 2012; Live in Budokan, recording of a concert performed as part of their Jewelry Box tour
 * Dream Morning Musume; March 10, 2012; Dream Morning Musume Special Live 2012 Nippon Budokan~Dai 1 Shou Shuumaku 'Yuusha tachi, Shuugou seyo'
 * U-KISS; 2012; live DVD U-KISS Live in Budokan.
 * Morning Musume; 2012; Risa Niigaki and Aika Mitsui's graduation concert Ultra Smart.
 * Scandal; March 28, 2012; Japan Title Match Live 2012: Scandal vs Budokan
 * Sonar Pocket; August 3, 2012; Sonapokeizm Special - Natsu no Jin - in Nippon Budokan
 * YUKI; September 11 - 12, 2012, YUKI TOUR "BEATS OF TEN" final
 * Acid Black Cherry; 2012; "Live DVD Acid Black Cherry Tour 『2012』"
 * Princess Princess; November 23, 2012; Princess Princess Tour 2012: Saikai at Budokan
 * Ai; December 5, 2012; Independent Tour 2012 - Live in Budokan
 * Spyair; December 18, 2012;
 * Morning Musume; 2013; Reina Tanaka's graduation concert, Michishige☆Eleven Soul
 * °C-ute; 2013; Queen of J-Pop ~Tadoritsuita Onna Senshi~
 * AKB48; 2013; AKB48 Group Rinji Soukai "Shirokuro tsukeyou janai ka!"
 * T-ara; 2013; T-ara Japan Tour 2013: Treasure Box
 * Morning Musume; 2013; ~Chance!~
 * Ling Tosite Sigure; 2013; ～Nippon Budokan 10th Tornado Anniversary～
 * Berryz Kobo; 2013; Berryz Koubou 10 Shuunen Kinen Budokan Special Live ~Yappari Anata Nashi de wa Ikite Yukenai~
 * AKB48 Group Research Students; 2013; AKB48 Group Kenkyuusei Concert ~Oshimen Hayai Mono Gachi~
 * Super Junior KRY; 2013; Special Japan tour Super Junior K.R.Y. Special Winter Concert
 * Mamoru Miyano; October 4, 2013; MAMORU MIYANO SPECIAL LIVE 2013 ～TRAVELING!～ first male voice actor to uphold a one-man show in Budokan
 * LiSA; January 3, 2014; Live Is Smile Always - Kyo mo Ii Hi Da - In Nippon Budokan
 * Avril Lavigne; February 4 and 5, 2014: The Avril Lavigne Tour
 * Babymetal; March 1 and 2, 2014 ; Live at Budokan: Red Night & Black Night Apocalypse (Metal Resistance: Episode I)
 * Dir En Grey; March 8–9, 2014; Dum Spiro Spero at Nippon Budokan
 * Ai; March 26, 2014; Moria Gatchai Masita in Budokan
 * S/mileage; July 15, 2014; S/mileage Live 2014 Natsu Full Charge ~715 Nippon Budokan~
 * Junho (from 2PM); August 12 and 13, 2014; "Feel" Solo Tour in Japan 2014
 * Dish; January 1, 2015
 * LiSA; January 10 and 12, 2015; LiVE is Smile Always - PiNK & BLACK - in Nippon Budokan
 * Silent Siren; January 17, 2015; Silent Siren Live Tour 2014–2015 Fuyu ~Budokan e Go! Siren Go!~ at Budokan
 * Oldcodex; February 11, 2015; "Capture" in Budokan
 * Mamoru Miyano; 2015; MAMORU MIYANO LIVE TOUR 2015 ～AMAZING!～ final at Budokan
 * Kalafina; February 28, 2015; Kalafina Live Best 2015 "Red Day". March 1, 2015; Kalafina Live Best 2015 "Blue Day"
 * The Gazette; March 3, 2015; 13th Anniversary Nippon Budokan
 * Judas Priest; March 11, 2015; Redeemer of Souls Tour
 * Kana-Boon; March 31, 2015
 * Morning Musume; May 27, 2015; ~Gradation~.
 * 己龍 (Kiryu); July 31, 2015
 * Mayday; August 28–29, 2015; Just Rock it!!! - World Tour
 * Hatsune Miku; September 4–5, 2015; Magical Mirai.
 * Eir Aoi; November 2, 2015; Eir Aoi Special Live 2015 World of Blue at Nippon Budokan
 * YUKI; November 18-19; YUKI LIVE dance in a circle’15
 * Angerme; November 29, 2015, Angerme First Concert Tour 2015 Aki "Hyakka Ryouran" ~Fukuda Kanon Sotsugyou Special~
 * Morning Musume; December 7–8, 2015; ~Prism~.
 * DISH//; January 1–2, 2016; 4 Monkey Magic.
 * Wagakki Band; January 6, 2016; Wagakki Band Daishinnenkai 2016 Nippon Budokan: Akatsuki no Utage.
 * Scandal; January 12–13, 2016; SCANDAL ARENA TOUR 2015–2016 「PERFECT WORLD」
 * Mamoru Miyano; 2016; MAMORU MIYANO LIVE TOUR 2015-16 ～GENERATING!～ final at Budokan
 * Dir En Grey; February 5–6, 2016; Arche at Nippon Budokan
 * iKon; February 15–16, 2016; iKoncert 2016: Showtime Tour
 * Symphogear; February 27–28, 2016; Symphogear Live 2016
 * YuiKaori; March 12, 2016; RAINBOW CANARY!! ～Brightest Stage～
 * Shouta Aoi; March 13, 2016; Wonder Lab. ~Bokutachi no Sign~
 * CNBLUE; May 26–27, 2016; Spring Live 2016, We're Like A Puzzle @Nippon Budokan
 * Aya Uchida; August 13, 2016; AYA UCHIDA Complete LIVE 〜COLORS〜 in Nippon Budokan
 * Kalafina; September 16–17, 2016; Kalafina Arena LIVE 2016
 * Queen + Adam Lambert; September 21–23; Queen + Adam Lambert 2016 Summer Festival Tour
 * Suzuko Mimori; October 27–28, 2016; Mimori Suzuko Live Tour 2016 "Grand Revue" Final at Nippon Budokan
 * Eir Aoi; November 4–5, 2016; Eir Aoi 5th Anniversary Special Live 2016 ～Last Blue～ at Nippon Budokan
 * My First Story; November 18, 2016; We're Just Waiting 4 You Tour 2016 Final at Budokan
 * Mayday; February 3–4, 2017; Re-DNA 2017 Re-issue version
 * Journey; February 7, 2017; recorded live CD/DVD Live in Japan 2017
 * ClariS; February 10, 2017; ClariS 1st Budōkan Concert ~Futatsu no Kamen to Ushinawareta Taiyō~ (ClariS 1st Budōkan Concert: Two Masks and the Lost Sun)
 * Versailles; February 14, 2017; Chateau de Versailles at Nippon Budokan
 * The Oral Cigarettes; June 16, 2017; Unofficial Dining Tour 2017 at Nippon Budokan
 * Taemin; July 1–2, 2017; TAEMIN The 1st Stage Nippon Budokan
 * Blackpink; July 20, 2017, Japanese Debut Showcase
 * After the Rain; August 9–10, 2017; AtR -Clockwise / Anti-Clockwise-
 * Poppin'Party (BanG Dream!); August 21, 2017; BanG Dream! 4th☆LIVE Miracle PARTY 2017!
 * Aimer; August 29, 2017; Aimer Live in Budokan "blanc et noir"
 * Dream Theater; September 11, 2017; Back to Budokan 2017
 * Nana Mizuki; January 11–21, 2018; NANA MIZUKI LIVE GATE 2018
 * Kalafina; January 23, 2018; Kalafina 10th Anniversary LIVE 2018 at Nippon Budokan
 * coldrain; February 6, 2018; FATELESS JAPAN TOUR 2017
 * Nogizaka46; April 22, 2018; Rina Ikoma Graduation Concert @ Nippon Budokan (生駒里奈 卒業コンサート ＠日本武道館)
 * Winner; April 28, 2018; WINNER Japan Tour 2018 ~We'll always be young~
 * Mayday; May 19–20, 2018; Mayday Life World Tour
 * Airi Suzuki; July 9, 2018; Suzuki Airi 1st LIVE ~Do me a favor @ Nippon Budokan~ (鈴木愛理 1st LIVE ～Do me a favor @ 日本武道館～)
 * Mariah Carey; October 31 and November 1, 2018; #1's Tour (two sold-out shows)
 * Maaya Uchida; January 1, 2019; UCHIDA MAAYA New Year LIVE 2019「take you take me BUDOKAN!!」 (sold-out concert)
 * Ensemble Stars!; January 13, 2019; Ensemble Stars! Starry Stage 2nd ～in Nippon Budokan～
 * Milky Holmes; January 28, 2019; Milky Holmes Final Live Q.E.D.
 * Flow; January 30, 2019; 15th Anniversary Final "Flow Live Best 2019 in Nippon Budokan ~Kami Matsuri~"
 * Aimyon; February 18, 2019; Aimyon Budokan -1995-
 * Roselia, Raise A Suilen, and Poppin'Party (BanG Dream!); February 21–23, 2019; BanG Dream! 7th☆LIVE
 * Inori Minase; June 28–29, 2019; Inori Minase LIVE TOUR 2019 Catch the Rainbow!
 * Official Hige Dandism; July 8, 2019; Official HIGE DANdism one-man tour 2019 @ Nippon Budokan
 * Polkadot Stingray; July 17, 2019; Polfest 45 " #Uchoten One-man" Nippon Budokan (Tokyo)
 * Aska; August 21, 2019; Aska CONCERT TOUR 2019 Made in Aska -40 Years Old - in Nippon Budokan

2020s

 * Creepy Nuts, November 11 - 12, 2020, Creepy Nuts One Man Live「To Us Former Prodigies」
 * Wagakki Band; January 3–4, 2021; Daishinnenkai 2021 Nippon Budokan: Amanoiwato
 * Babymetal; January 19 - April 15, 2021; 10 Babymetal Budokan: Doomsday I - X (Metal Resistance: Episode X)
 * marasy, March 2, 2021, 「marasy piano live in BUDOKAN」
 * YOASOBI; December 4–5, 2021; Nice to Meet You
 * Wagakki Band; January 9, 2022; Daishinnenkai 2022 Nippon Budokan: Yasoukenbunroku
 * Momoiro Clover Z; May 15, 2022; MOMOIRO CLOVER Z 6th ALBUM TOUR "Shukuten"
 * Onew; July 7–8, 2022; Onew Japan 1st Concert Tour ~Life Goes On~
 * Lee Jun-ho; August 20–21, 2022; Lee Junho 2022 Fan-Con
 * KAF; August 24, 2022; 3rd ONE-MAN LIVE「不可解参(狂)」at NIPPON BUDOKAN
 * Eve; August 29–30, 2022; Kaizin Live Tour
 * Vaundy; September 8–9, 2022; one man live “Shinkokyu” at NIPPON BUDOKAN
 * Official Hige-dandism, October 25, 2022; OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM SHOCKING NUTS TOUR
 * Creepy Nuts, November 5, 2022; Creepy Nuts Major Debut 5th Anniversary Live “2017~2022” in 日本武道館
 * SIRUP; November 11, 2022; ROLL & BOUNCE
 * YUKI, December 5 - 6, 2022, YUKI concert tour “SOUNDS OF TWENTY” 2022 Nippon Budokan
 * Yorushika; February 8–9, 2023; Zense LIVE 2023
 * PORNOGRAFFITTI; May 10, 2023; 18th Live Circuit "AKATSUKI" Live at NIPPON BUDOKAN 2023
 * milet; May 20 - 21, 2023; milet LIVE at Nippon Budokan
 * ReoNa, March 6, 2023, ReoNa ONE-MAN Concert 2023「Pilgrim」at 日本武道館 〜3.6 day 逃げて逢おうね〜
 * Ado; August 30, 2023; Ado Japan Tour "Mars"
 * Jonathan Lee; October 3, 2023; Jonathan Lee's Those Songs Through The Years World Tour''
 * Minami, March 30, 2024, Minami "JOYINT in Nippon Budokan"
 * LiSA, April 19 - 20, 2024; LiVE is Smile Always ~ i SCREAM @ Nippon Budokan
 * Kitani Tatsuya, May 14, 2024; Kitani Tatsuya 10th Anniversary Live 彼は天井から見ている at NIPPON BUDOKAN

Other events
The National Memorial Service for War Dead is held with the attendance of the Prime Minister, the Emperor and the Empress annually in Budokan on August 15, the day of Japan's surrender.

As well as holding the Live Concert in appreciation of the Popular Anime series Lucky Star: Live in Budokan (Anata No Tame Dakara).

A concert was held in honor of Studio Ghibli's 25th anniversary at the Budokan, hosted by Joe Hisaishi. It included repertoire from most of the films Hisaishi composed for Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli filmography.

Diana Ross performed and taped her "Here and Now" television special in 1991 to a sold-out audience.

The Japan Record Awards took place in the arena from 1985 to 1993 where all of the artists from around the country receive these awards.

Muhammad Ali won a unanimous decision over Mac Foster in their 1972 heavyweight boxing match.

On February 13, 1975, a religious gathering was held to hear Rev. Sun Myung Moon speak.

On August 27, 2011, Japan's three biggest professional wrestling promotions; All Japan Pro Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah came together to produce a charity event titled All Together at the arena. On August 10, 11 and 12, 2018 New Japan Pro-Wrestling held the final 3 days of the G1 Climax in the Budokan, which marked the first time in 15 years that New Japan has promoted an event there. New Japan once again returned to the arena for the final 3 days of the 2019 G1 Climax. New Japan also held the Best of the Super Jr. and World Tag League finals in December 2021, as well as their 49th Anniversary Show and the final two days of the upcoming G1 Climax in 2021. Joshi wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom held their All Star Dream Cinderella event on March 3, 2021. Making this the first time a joshi company to held an event in the venue in 24 years.

Professional wrestler and legend in Japan Kenta Kobashi wrestled his final match in Budokan on May 11, 2013, at an event titled Final Burning in Budokan. Kobashi is synonymous with the arena along with fellow wrestlers Toshiaki Kawada and the late Mitsuharu Misawa.

In November, the Budokan is a venue for the annual Japan Self-Defense Forces Marching Festival, a yearly tradition and the nation's military tattoo first held here in the fall of 1963. Aside from JSDF bands, foreign armed forces military bands are also invited to join the event.

The state funeral of Shinzo Abe was held at the Budokan on 27 September 2022.

Other uses
The Nippon Budokan is the primary setting of the 1989 fighting game Budokan: The Martial Spirit. Players train in various Japanese martial arts, and must then face off at the Budokan arena against computer-controlled opponents.

A fictional concert hall based on the Nippon Budokan appeared in the music video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (2007) under the name "Kaiju Megadome". The Beatles' appearance at Nippon Budokan was featured in The Beatles: Rock Band (2009).

Another fictional hall based on the Nippon Budokan appeared in the Japanese pro-wrestling video game Virtual Pro Wrestling 2: Ōdō Keishō (2000).

title: Nippon Budokan


text:
Deviation

Deviation may refer to:

Mathematics and engineering

 * Allowance (engineering), an engineering and machining allowance is a planned deviation between an actual dimension and a nominal or theoretical dimension, or between an intermediate-stage dimension and an intended final dimension.
 * Deviation (statistics), the difference between the value of an observation and the mean of the population in mathematics and statistics
 * Standard deviation, which is based on the square of the difference
 * Absolute deviation, where the absolute value of the difference is used
 * Relative standard deviation, in probability theory and statistics is the absolute value of the coefficient of variation
 * Deviation of a local ring in mathematics
 * Deviation of a poset in mathematics
 * Frequency deviation, the maximum allowed "distance" in FM radio from the nominal frequency a station broadcasts at
 * Magnetic deviation, the error induced in compasses by local magnetic fields

Albums

 * Deviation (Jayne County album), 1995
 * Deviation (Béla Fleck album), 1984
 * Deviate (album), a 1998 album by Kill II This

Other uses

 * Bid‘ah, Islamic term for innovations and deviations acts or groups from orthodox Islamic law (Sharia).
 * Deviance (sociology), a behavior that is a recognized violation of social norms
 * Deviation (1971 film), a horror film
 * Deviation (2006 film), a short film
 * Deviation, a 2012 British thriller film starring Danny Dyer
 * Deviation (law) is a departure from a contract or a ship's course, thus breaching the contract
 * Deviationism, an expressed belief which is not in accordance with official party doctrine
 * A work of art in the online community DeviantArt

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Deviation


text:
Michael Noonan (Fine Gael politician)

Michael Noonan (born 21 May 1943) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Finance from 2011 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of Fine Gael from 2001 to 2002, Minister for Health from 1994 to 1997, Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1986 to 1987, Minister for Energy from January 1987 to March 1987 and Minister for Justice from 1982 to 1986. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1981 to 2020.

Noonan had been a member of every Fine Gael cabinet since 1982, serving in the cabinets of Garret FitzGerald, John Bruton and Enda Kenny. During these terms of office he held the positions of Justice, Energy, Industry and Commerce, Health and Finance. When Fine Gael lost power after the 1997 general election, Noonan remained an important figure in the party when he became Opposition Spokesperson for Finance.

He succeeded John Bruton as Leader of Fine Gael and Leader of the Opposition in 2001, however, he resigned following Fine Gael's disastrous showing at the 2002 general election. After eight years as a backbencher, during which time he served as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny appointed Noonan to his front bench in 2010, to his former portfolio of Spokesperson for Finance.

Early life
The son of a local school teacher, Noonan was born in Limerick in 1943, but raised in Loughill, County Limerick. He was educated at the local National School and St. Patrick's Secondary School in Glin, before studying to be a primary school teacher at St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin. He subsequently completed a BA and H.Dip. in English and Economics at University College Dublin. He began to work as a secondary school teacher in Dublin. Noonan developed an interest in politics from his mother, whose family had been heavily involved in Fine Gael at local level in Limerick, and joined the Dublin branch of the party after graduating from university. He returned to Limerick in the late 1960s, where he took up a teaching post at Crescent College. Here he continued his involvement in politics, canvassing for the Fine Gael candidate, James O'Higgins, in the Limerick East by-election in 1968, caused by the death of Donogh O'Malley.

Early years: 1974–1982
Having been involved in the local Fine Gael organisation in Limerick since the late 1960s, Noonan first held political office in 1974, when he was elected as a member of Limerick County Council. Having built up a local profile he contested the 1981 general election for the party and secured a seat in Limerick East. Upon taking his Dáil seat, Noonan became a full-time politician, giving up his teaching post and resigning his seat on Limerick County Council. Though Fine Gael formed a coalition government with the Labour Party, Noonan, as a first time TD, remained on the backbenches.

Cabinet minister: 1982–1987
Fine Gael lost power following the first general election in early 1982, however, Noonan subsequently joined the party's new front bench as Spokesperson for Education. A second general election in late 1982 following the collapse of the Fianna Fáil government, saw another Fine Gael-Labour Party coalition come to power. Just eighteen months after entering the Dáil, Noonan was appointed to the highly sensitive position of Minister for Justice. After a few weeks in office he revealed the illegal phone-tapping of journalists' phones, carried out by the previous Fianna Fáil administration that preceded it in power. That government had authorised illegal phone tapping of the journalists Geraldine Kennedy, Bruce Arnold  and Vincent Browne. Seán Doherty signed warrants for the taps while serving as Minister for Justice. Noonan introduced a new Criminal Justice Bill while also bringing in reforms in the Garda Síochána, the courts and the prison service and the facing down of a difficult prison officers' dispute. He also dealt with the wording of the controversial abortion referendum in 1983. Noonan, however, also presided over the justice ministry when inmates in an overcrowded and understaffed Spike Island prison set fire to the building.

A cabinet reshuffle in 1986, saw Noonan demoted to the position of Minister for Industry and Commerce. Following the withdrawal of the Labour Party from government in 1987, Noonan also briefly took office as Minister for Energy.

Opposition: 1987–1994
Fine Gael lost power following the 1987 general election and were confined to the opposition benches. The new Fine Gael leader, Alan Dukes, appointed Noonan to the senior position of front bench Spokesperson for Finance and the Public Service. The party did poorly under Dukes and he was replaced by John Bruton in 1990. Noonan was retained on the new front bench, however, he was demoted to the position of Spokesperson for Transport, Energy and Communications. In 1991, he returned to local politics as a member of Limerick County Council, serving again until 1994. Noonan's period in opposition often saw him at odds with his party leader. Not long after his demotion as Spokesperson for Finance, he announced that he would be taking "positions of leadership" on a wide range of important issues. This was seen as a veiled threat to John Bruton's leadership, with Noonan positioning himself as an alternative party leader. In 1994, a number of Fine Gael TDs attempted to oust Bruton as party leader following poor showings in opinion polls. Noonan aligned himself with the rebels and stated that he would stand for the leadership should Bruton be defeated. The latter survived as leader and Noonan resigned from the front bench.

Minister for Health: 1994–1997
In 1994, the 'Rainbow Coalition' was formed and Noonan became Minister for Health. The Department of Health was embroiled in a scandal at the time regarding blood products contaminated with Hepatitis C virus, caused by the negligence of the Blood Transfusion Service Board. Noonan consistently held an authoritarian line on the case of Brigid McCole and would not budge on his views, suffering as a result of the scandal. He threatened to take Bridget's mother Ellen to the Supreme Court, when she wondered why her daughter had contracted the disease. Noonan was forced to establish the Hepatitis C Tribunal of Inquiry and to issue several apologies for his handling of the affair. Noonan remained as Minister for Health until the 1997 general election. The Irish Times said "the woman involved had been infected by a negligent State agency, in the biggest health scandal since its foundation." When RTÉ broadcast a drama, No Tears, on Noonan's treatment of Bridget McCole, Justine McCarthy wrote in the Irish Independent that Noonan "compounded the perception of a heartless pedant by whingeing about the way he was depicted in the drama's final episode, broadcast on the same night that he declined to appear on Questions & Answers and when it was reported that yet another woman who was infected by the State had died from the illness."

His home was picketed by anti-abortion campaign group Youth Defence.

Leader of Fine Gael: 2001–2002
Despite increasing their seats to 54, Fine Gael returned to opposition and Noonan became Opposition Spokesman for Finance following the 1997 general election. In 2001, following a series of disastrous opinion polls, Noonan and his colleague, Jim Mitchell, tabled a motion of no confidence in the leader, John Bruton. The motion was successful in ousting Bruton as leader, with Noonan becoming leader of Fine Gael and Leader of the Opposition with Mitchell becoming deputy leader. Noonan avoided requests to be interviewed on TV and radio programmes, including some on RTÉ and Today FM, ahead of the leadership election.

At the 2002 general election, Fine Gael had a disastrous result, dropping from 54 seats to 31 and a number of high-profile front bench member losses, including Alan Dukes, Deirdre Clune, Alan Shatter and deputy leader Jim Mitchell. Noonan resigned as Fine Gael leader on the night of the election.

TD: 2002–2011
He was replaced by Enda Kenny, the runner-up to Noonan in the 2001 leadership election. However, Noonan remained as a TD, and was re-elected at the 2007 general election, and went on to serve on Kenny's Front bench. He was vice-chairperson of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Constitutional Amendment and Children.

Minister for Finance: 2011–2017
In July 2010, Noonan was promoted to the Fine Gael Front Bench as Spokesperson for Finance. In an August 2010 interview with the Sunday Independent, Noonan said he hoped to become Minister for Finance. At the 2011 general election, he was re-elected as a TD for Limerick City, receiving 13,291 (30.8% 1st preference) votes. On 9 March 2011, he was appointed Minister for Finance by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

In March 2011, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU) backed the proposed programme for government and gave the coalition the green light to make changes to the terms of the multibillion-euro bailout. After meeting officials from the IMF – including Ireland mission head Ajai Chopra – European Central Bank (ECB) and European Commission (EC), Noonan said it was agreed the terms of the rescue deal would be altered, as long as the financial targets remain the same. "What was being discussed in general terms was our proposal that the conditions and the memorandum of understanding would be changed for alternative conditions which are in the programme for government," Noonan said.

In July 2011, Noonan speaking after an EU summit on 21 July said that the new deal agreed with euro zone leaders means a second bailout for Ireland is "off the table". The deal will see a reduction in the interest rate on bailout loans to Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Italy. This followed a 10-hour emergency summit at which eurozone leaders agreed to provide a second international bailout worth €109 billion to Greece. The plan will be funded by eurozone countries, the proceeds of privatisations and the anticipated €12.6 billion benefit of a debt buyback programme. Noonan said a provision in the agreement meant Ireland would not have to go back to markets when the programme ended if the country had not reached its deficit target. "There's a commitment that if countries continue to fulfil the conditions of their programme, the European authorities will continue to supply them with money even when the programme concludes," he said. There would be "little or no easing" of budgetary conditions for this year, but there could be more positive implications in later years. "I'm afraid we still have to face the music in December," he said.

In November 2011, he said the payment of more than €700 million to Anglo Irish Bank bondholders was "the lesser of two evils". On 16 May 2012, Noonan caused controversy with his Greek "holidays" and "feta cheese" comment at a breakfast briefing with Bloomberg news agency. Noonan said these were the only links between Ireland and Greece. He attended the 2012 Bilderberg Conference in his capacity of Minister for Finance at Chantilly, Virginia, from 31 May-3 June 2012. On 5 December 2012, he delivered his second budget as Minister for Finance, which included a new property tax to be introduced in 2013.

In February 2013, a deal was reached with the European Central Bank (ECB) in relation to the promissory note used to bail out the former Anglo Irish Bank. Noonan said that the government had achieved its objectives in the negotiations with the ECB, and that the arrangement meant that there would be €1bn less taken from them in terms of taxes and spending cuts up to 2015. Noonan said that the government did not ask for a write down on the Anglo Irish debt during negotiations with the ECB as "the ECB does not do write downs". On 15 October 2013, he delivered the budget for 2014.

Following improvements in Ireland's unemployment rate and outlook for growth, the securing of the February 2013 Anglo Irish Bank promissory note deal with the European Central Bank, and Ireland's exit from the EU/IMF/ECB bailout programme   and successful return to the bond markets,   Noonan was named Europe's best Finance Minister for the previous year in January 2014 by the Financial Times-owned magazine The Banker.

When the European Central Bank raised the limit on the amount of emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) available to Greek banks by about €2 billion at the height of the country's government-debt crisis in June 2015, Noonan joined his German counterpart Wolfgang Schäuble in arguing forcefully for limits on the amount of ELA approved by the central bank unless capital controls were introduced.

In July 2016, the Central Statistics Office announced 2015 Irish GDP growth of 26.3% and Irish GNP growth of 18.7%. The growth became known internationally by the pejorative term, leprechaun economics. Noonan attributed the figures to multinational restructuring following the closure of the double Irish tax scheme, however they were subsequently attributed to Apple in 2018 (widely suspected in 2016 ). Noonan came to the defense of Apple when the European Commission announced in August 2016 that it had found against Apple in its investigation of illegal State aid. Noonan led the rejection of any claim by Ireland to the EU Commission's €13 billion fine on Apple, calling it an "attack" by the commission, and was supported by the main opposition party. In October 2016, Noonan introduced changes in the 2016 Finance Act to curb tax abuses of section 110 special purpose vehicles, (securitisation vehicles for IFSC firms), by US distressed debt funds in Ireland (pejoratively called vulture funds in the Irish media). Investigations into these abuses by the financial media,   showed the scale and rapid gains these funds were making from NAMA's disposal program, and that these gains were free of Irish taxes. It led to some revision as to whether Noonan had been too quick in selling State assets to distressed debt funds, and had given overly generous tax benefits and incentives.

Retirement
In May 2017, he announced he would be stepping down as Minister for Finance in the coming weeks when a new Taoiseach was appointed, and as a member of the Dáil at the next general election.

Personal life
Noonan married Florence Knightley, a native of Castlemaine, County Kerry and a primary school teacher, in 1969. They had three sons: Tim, John and Michael, and two daughters: Orla and Deirdre. In May 2010, Noonan appeared on RTÉ's The Frontline to talk about his wife's battle with Alzheimer's disease. Florence Noonan died on 23 February 2012 of pneumonia.

title: Michael Noonan (Fine Gael politician)


text:
BNSF Railway

BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, 33400 mi of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide rail connections between the western and eastern United States. BNSF trains traveled over 169 e6mi in 2010, more than any other North American railroad.

The BNSF Railway Company is the principal operating subsidiary of parent company Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, the railroad's parent company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., of Omaha, Nebraska. The current CEO is Kathryn Farmer.

According to corporate press releases, the BNSF Railway is among the top transporters of intermodal freight in North America. It also hauls bulk cargo, including coal.

The creation of BNSF started with the formation of a holding company on September 22, 1995. This new holding company purchased the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (often called the "Santa Fe") and Burlington Northern Railroad, and formally merged the railways into the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway on December 31, 1996. On January 24, 2005, the railroad's name was officially changed to BNSF Railway Company using the initials of its original name. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway acquired BNSF Railway in February 2010, obtaining all of its shares and taking the company private.

BNSF and its chief competitor, the Union Pacific Railroad, have a duopoly on all transcontinental freight rail lines in the Western, Midwestern and Southern United States and share trackage rights over thousands of miles of track.

History
BNSF's history dates back to 1849, when the Aurora Branch Railroad in Illinois and the Pacific Railroad of Missouri were formed by a group of millers who were granted a charter to build a 12-mile railroad that connected Aurora with the Galena & Chicago Union Rail Road. The Aurora Branch eventually grew into the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, (CB&Q), a major component of successor Burlington Northern. A portion of the Pacific Railroad became the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco).

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) was chartered in 1859. It built one of the first transcontinental railroads in North America, linking Chicago and Southern California; major branches led to Texas, Denver, and San Francisco. The Interstate Commerce Commission denied a proposed merger with the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in the 1980s.

The Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) was created in 1970 through the consolidation of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, the Great Northern Railway, the Northern Pacific Railway and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway. It absorbed the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) in 1980. Its main lines included Chicago-Seattle with branches to Texas (ex-Burlington) and Birmingham, Alabama (ex-Frisco), and access to the low-sulfur coal of Wyoming's Powder River Basin.

The city of Burlington, Iowa is the namesake of Burlington in each of Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, Burlington Northern Railroad, and BNSF.

BN-ATSF merger
On June 30, 1994, BN and ATSF announced plans to merge. They were the largest and smallest (by track mileage) of the "Super Seven", the seven largest of the then-twelve U.S. Class I railroads. The long-rumored announcement was delayed by a disagreement over the disposition of Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corporation, a gold mining subsidiary that ATSF agreed to sell to stockholders. This announcement began the next wave of mergers, as the "Super Seven" were merged down to four in the next five years. The Illinois Central Railroad and Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS), two of the five "small" Class Is, announced on July 19 that the former would buy the latter, but this plan was called off on October 25. The Union Pacific Railroad (UP), another major Western system, started a bidding war with BN for control of the SF on October 5. The UP gave up on January 31, 1995, paving the way for the BN-ATSF merger. Subsequently, the UP acquired the Southern Pacific Transportation Company (SP) in 1996, and Eastern U.S. systems CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway split Conrail in 1999. On February 7, 1995, BN and ATSF heads Gerald Grinstein and Robert D. Krebs both announced that shareholders had approved the plan, which would save overhead costs and combine BN's coal and ATSF's intermodal strengths. Although the two systems complemented each other with little overlap, in contrast to the Santa Fe-Southern Pacific merger, which failed because it would have eliminated competition in many areas of the Southwest, BN and ATSF came to agreements with most other Class I's to keep them from opposing the merger. UP was satisfied with a single segment of trackage rights from Abilene, Kansas, to Superior, Nebraska, which BN and ATSF had both served. KCS gained haulage rights to several Midwest locations, including Omaha, East St. Louis, and Memphis, in exchange for BNSF getting similar access to New Orleans. SP, initially requesting far-reaching trackage rights throughout the West, soon agreed on a reduced plan, whereby SP acquired trackage rights on ATSF for intermodal and automotive traffic to Chicago, and other trackage rights on ATSF in Kansas, south to Texas, and between Colorado and Texas. In exchange, SP assigned BNSF trackage rights over the former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad between El Paso and Topeka and haulage rights to the Mexican border at Eagle Pass, Texas. Regional Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway also obtained trackage rights over BN from Peoria to Galesburg, Illinois, a BN hub where it could interchange with SP (which had rights on BN dating from 1990 ). The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the BNSF merger on July 20, 1995 (with final approval on August 23), less than a month before UP announced on August 3 that it would acquire SP. Parents Burlington Northern Inc. and Santa Fe Pacific Corporation were acquired on September 22, 1995, by the new Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation. The merger of the operating companies was held up by issues with unions; ATSF merged on December 31, 1996, into BN, which was renamed the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company.

Effect of UP-SP merger
Union Pacific's merger with Southern Pacific further enlarged the combined BNSF network. Unlike BN and ATSF, UP and SP had significant overlap, where the end of competition between the two risked creating a monopoly for freight carriage in much of the West. UP and BNSF announced in late September 1995 that, in exchange for BNSF not opposing the merger, it would obtain ownership of 335 mi of line and about 3500 mi of trackage rights to reach these "two-to-one" shippers. Significant additions included rights over SP's Central Corridor from Denver via the Moffat Tunnel and Salt Lake City, and over Donner Pass, to the San Francisco Bay Area, with an alternate route through the Feather River Canyon along UP. The ATSF trackage in California's Central Valley was linked to BN's line into Oregon, through trackage rights over UP between Stockton and Keddie and acquisition of UP's section of the "Inside Gateway" to the beginning of BN trackage at Bieber. In Texas, BNSF received rights in several directions from the Houston area: west over UP to San Antonio, with a branch to Waco, and continuing over SP to Eagle Pass (replacing the haulage rights they had just obtained); south over UP to Brownsville; east over SP to New Orleans (including the purchase of this line east of Lake Charles); and northeast over SP to Memphis with a branch on UP to Little Rock. Ownership of a short connection between Waxahachie and Dallas also went from UP to BNSF. UP, in return, got a few short sections of trackage rights over BNSF, mainly connecting the SP at Chemult to the UP at Bend, Oregon, and connecting the SP at Mojave, California with existing UP rights on ATSF at Barstow, California. On April 18, 1996, UP, BNSF, and the Chemical Manufacturers Association entered into an agreement giving BNSF rights over the UP line between Houston and East St. Louis, paralleling the Houston-Memphis SP line, and allowing BNSF to participate in the UP's plan for directional running, in which each line would serve through trains in only one direction. The Surface Transportation Board, successor to the ICC, approved the UP-SP merger on July 3, and UP control of SP took effect on September 11, 1996. BNSF trackage rights operations began on the Central Corridor on October 10, and soon thereafter on other lines.

BNSF continued projects started by its predecessors, most notably BN's work on reopening Stampede Pass. BN had closed Stampede Pass, the Northern Pacific Railway's main line across Washington, in 1984, in favor of the ex-Great Northern Railway's Stevens Pass. BN never abandoned the line and began rehabilitating it in early 1996, and the route reopened in early December, relieving the crowded Stevens Pass. The ex-ATSF main line, now known as the Southern Transcon, has also seen steady work to add tracks, giving BNSF more capacity on this major intermodal route.

Attempted merger with CN
On December 20, 1999, BNSF and the recently privatized Canadian National Railway announced plans (STB Finance Docket No. 33842 ) to combine as subsidiaries of a new holding company, North American Railways, which would control about 50000 mi of railroad. With CN's lines located primarily in Canada and, through subsidiary Illinois Central Railroad, on a north–south corridor near BNSF's eastern edge, the two systems had little overlap. The combination would have benefited both companies by expanding available cash for capacity improvements, and allowing for longer single-system movements. Shippers and the Surface Transportation Board expressed concern and surprise about the timing, since the merger that produced BNSF had been the only one in the 1990s that did not cause severe deterioration in service. The STB imposed on March 17, 2000, a 15-month moratorium (STB Ex Parte No. 582 ) on mergers involving any two Class I railroads, citing widespread opposition not only to the merger but its effects, likely starting the final round of mergers into two big systems. BNSF and CN immediately turned to the U.S. Court of Appeals, which on July 14 ruled that the STB's right to regulate mergers allowed a moratorium, and the two railroads called off the merger. The STB released its final rules ([http://www.stb.dot.gov/home.nsf/case?openform&caseID=27147&caseDocket=EP_582_1 STB Ex Parte No. 582 (Sub-No. 1)] ) on June 11, 2001, requiring any new application to merge two Class I railroads, with the exception of smaller Kansas City Southern Railway, to demonstrate that competition would be preserved and address effects of defensive moves by other carriers. No further Class I mergers would take place until the merger between Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific in April 2023, creating the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway.

Acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation was incorporated in 1993 to facilitate the merger of Burlington Northern, Incorporated, parent of the Burlington Northern Railroad, and Santa Fe Pacific Corporation, which owned the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe). The corporate merger was consummated on September 22, 1995, at which point shareholders of the previous companies became shareholders of BNSF and the two companies became wholly owned subsidiaries of BNSF. In December 1996, the two holding companies and two railroads were formally merged, and in January 1998 the remaining intermediate holding company was folded into the railroad.

Robert D. Krebs of Santa Fe Pacific was president of BNSF from the merger until 1999, chief executive from the merger until 2000, and chairman from 1997 until 2002. He was succeeded in all three positions by Matthew K. Rose.

On November 3, 2009, Berkshire Hathaway made a $26 billion offer to buy the remaining 77.4% of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation it did not already own, valuing the purchase at $34 billion. The deal, which including Berkshire's previous investment and the assumption of $10 billion in Burlington Northern debt brings the total value to $44 billion. Consummated February 12, 2010, it is the largest acquisition in Berkshire Hathaway's history.

The deal was structured so that the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation would merge with and into R Acquisition Company, LLC, an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. The deal closed on February 12, 2010, and at the same time, the now merged company changed its name to Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC that remains an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.

Acquisition of Montana Rail Link
In January 2022, BNSF agreed to purchase Montana Rail Link, a private company, for $2 billion, through an "early lease termination". The return to BNSF control required the approval of the Surface Transportation Board, which was approved on March 8, 2023. The railroad had over 900 mi of track, and served 100 stations. The main classification yard was in Laurel, Montana, with smaller yards in Missoula, Billings, Bozeman and Helena.

BNSF took over MRL operations on January 1, 2024. This absorbed the MRL into BNSF, integrating MRL operations, technology and personnel. All 1,200 employees were offered employment with BNSF.

Markets and services
With BNSF's large system, it hauls many different commodities, most notably coal and grain, as well as intermodal freight.

Predecessor Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) entered Wyoming's low-sulfur coal-rich Powder River Basin in the 1970s through construction of the Powder River Basin Joint Line with Union Pacific Railroad predecessor Chicago and North Western Transportation Company. Coal goes north in unit trains on the three-to-four-track Joint Line to Gillette or south to Orin, where older BN lines and other railroads take it in all directions to coal-burning power plants.

BNSF serves over 1,500 grain elevators, located mostly in the Midwest on former BN lines. Depending on where the markets are, this grain may move in any direction in unit trains or wait in silos for demand to rise. Most commonly, grain may move west on the Northern Transcon to the Pacific Northwest and its export terminals, or south to ports in Texas and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's main contribution to BNSF was the Southern Transcon, a fast intermodal corridor connecting Southern California and Chicago. Most traffic is either trailers of trucking companies such as intermodal partner J. B. Hunt, or containers from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The latter begins its trip on the triple-track Alameda Corridor, shared with the Union Pacific Railroad, and then follows BNSF rails from downtown Los Angeles. Its route, the Southern Transcon, has been almost completely double-tracked, and triple-tracking has begun in areas such as Cajon Pass.

BNSF transports Boeing 737 fuselages from the Wichita, Kansas plant to Renton, Washington.

Trackage
The BNSF Railway directly owns and operates track in 28 U.S. states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The railway also operates a small amount of track in Canada, including an approximate 30 mi section that runs from the U.S.–Canada border to Vancouver, British Columbia, some tracks and a yard in Winnipeg, Manitoba, approximately 70 mi of joint track with the Canadian National Railway, which runs south to the U.S. border at Emerson, Manitoba, and less than a kilometer of trackage at the border in Northgate, Saskatchewan.

For administrative purposes, BNSF is divided into two regions and ten operating divisions. The North Region includes the Montana, Northwest, Twin Cities, Heartland and Powder River divisions. The South Region includes the Red River, California, Chicago, Kansas and Southwest divisions. Each division is further divided into subdivisions, which represent segments of track ranging from 300 mi mainlines to 10 mi branch-lines. The former Texas and Gulf divisions were combined into the Red River Division, and the former Springfield and Nebraska divisions were combined into the Heartland Division, in the spring of 2016.

Not including second, third and fourth main-line trackage, yard trackage, and siding trackage, BNSF directly owns and operates over 24000 mi of track. When these additional tracks are counted, the length of track which the railway directly controls rises to more than 50000 mi.

Additionally, BNSF Railway has gained trackage rights on more than 8000 mi of track throughout the United States and Canada. These rights allow the BNSF to operate its own trains with its own crews on competing railroads' main tracks. BNSF locomotives also occasionally show up on competitors' tracks throughout the United States and Canada by way of leases, mileage equalizations, and other contractual arrangements.

Yards and facilities
BNSF operates various facilities all over the United States, plus a yard in Winnipeg, to support its transportation system. Facilities operated by the railway include yards and terminals throughout its rail network, system locomotive shops to perform locomotive service and maintenance, a centralized operations center for train dispatching and network operations monitoring in Fort Worth, and regional dispatching centers.

BNSF Railway also operates numerous transfer facilities throughout the western United States to facilitate the transfer of intermodal containers, trailers, and other freight traffic. BNSF Railway has direct control over a total of 33 intermodal hubs and 23 automotive distribution facilities.

The BNSF mechanical division operates 13 locomotive maintenance facilities that perform preventive maintenance, repairs and servicing of equipment. The largest of these facilities are located in Alliance, Nebraska and Argentine Yard in Kansas City, Kansas. The mechanical division also controls 46 additional facilities responsible for car maintenance and daily running repairs.

The BNSF system mechanical division, a subset of the mechanical division, operates two maintenance-of-way work equipment shops, responsible for performing repairs and preventive maintenance to BNSF's track and equipment, in Brainerd, Minnesota and Galesburg, Illinois. The system mechanical division also operates the Western Fruit Express Company's refrigerated car repair shop in Spokane, Washington.

On October 1, 2022, BNSF Railway announced plans to construct a $1.5 billion state of the art master planned rail facility in Southern California, the first such facility developed by a Class I railroad. The Barstow International Gateway, encompassing approximately 4,500 acres (1,800 ha, 7.0 sq mi), an integrated rail facility, will be located on the west side of Barstow, California. This new facility, when built, will enable more efficient rail operations from the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach to trains for transport through the Alameda Corridor onto the BNSF mainline to the new facility, and then move across the nation on the eastbound BNSF route network.

In June 2024, BNSF Railway announced plans to develop the Surprise Intermodal/Logistics Center, a regional rail-served facility near Phoenix, Arizona. The planned site is located in northwest Maricopa County and will cover 4,321 acres (1,749 ha) of land. The facility consists of three distinct, interrelated components:
 * An intermodal facility on 1,770 acres (716 ha), which will provide a transfer hub for rail shipments by containers and trailers.
 * A logistics park on 1,420 acres (575 ha), which will provide sites for warehouse and distribution facilities.
 * A logistics center on 1,131 acres (458 ha), providing direct-rail-serviced sites for local industry.

Hump Yards
Large freight car hump yards are located throughout the BNSF system.
 * Barstow, California – Barstow Yard
 * Galesburg, Illinois – Galesburg Yard
 * Kansas City, Kansas – Argentine Yard
 * Lincoln, Nebraska – Hobson Yard
 * Memphis, Tennessee – Tennessee Yard
 * Minneapolis, Minnesota – Northtown Yard
 * Pasco, Washington – Pasco Yard
 * Tulsa, Oklahoma – Cherokee Yard

Intermodal Yards
Location of some intermodal yards:
 * Cicero, Illinois – Chicago Cicero
 * Chicago, Illinois – Corwith Intermodal Facility
 * Commerce, California
 * Edgerton, Kansas – Logistics Park Kansas City
 * Elwood, Illinois – Logistics Park Chicago
 * Hodgkins, Illinois – Willow Springs Intermodal Facility
 * Haslet, Texas – Alliance Yard
 * Los Angeles, California – Hobart Yard
 * Memphis, Tennessee
 * Oakland, California – Oakland International Gateway
 * Omaha, Nebraska - Gibson Yard
 * Seattle, Washington – Seattle International Gateway (SIG) Intermodal Facility

Routes

 * The Northern Transcon runs between Seattle and Chicago. The route is a combination of parts of the old Great Northern, the Northern Pacific, and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway.
 * The Southern Transcon runs between Los Angeles and Chicago. The 2006 BNSF Annual Report states: "We also added about 33 miles of second main track on our main line between Chicago and Los Angeles. All but 51 mi of this high-volume 2200 mi route were double track, as of the end of 2006. Last year, we ran 100 trains per day on this expanded main line, compared with 60 per day in 2000." Technically, it is not double tracked in mid-Kansas where two routes are used: Mulvane to Wichita to Newton to Emporia for primarily eastbound traffic; Emporia to El Dorado to Augusta to Mulvane for primarily westbound traffic. In 2008, BNSF completed nearly 16 mi of a third main track through Cajon Pass in Southern California, increasing capacity on the transcontinental main route between Chicago and Los Angeles from 100 to 150 trains per day. BNSF started adding a second main track in Abo Canyon (east of Belen, New Mexico) the largest bottleneck on the Transcon with grading in 2008–2009, bridges in 2010 and signal work in late 2010 or early 2011. Approximately 1.7 e6cuyd of rock need to be excavated, mostly by blasting. The 2008 BNSF Annual Report states: "Following completion of the Abo Canyon project scheduled in 2011, our 2,200‑mile [3,540 km] Transcontinental Corridor between Southern California and Chicago will have only about 30 miles [48 km] of single track."
 * The Powder River Basin supplies forty percent of the coal in the United States. The 2008 BNSF Annual Report states that the quadruple track project was completed.

Operating divisions
The BNSF system is divided into 13 divisions grouped into three regions. Each division includes numerous subdivisions, normally comprising a single main line and branches. A fourteenth division, Colorado, has been consolidated with the Powder River Division, except for the Casper and Cody Subdivisions, which were transferred to the Montana Division.

Passenger train service
BNSF directly operates the BNSF Railway Line for Metra in Chicago and the Sounder in the Puget Sound Region — using BNSF-supplied crews in addition to running over its rails. The company's network additionally hosts other commuter trains, including: Metrolink in Southern California, and the Northstar Line in Minneapolis.

The line used by New Mexico Rail Runner Express was sold to the state of New Mexico, but BNSF retained all freight rights on the line and operates freight trains as needed.

Metra's cars that were originally purchased by BNSF predecessor Chicago Burlington & Quincy have letterboards above the doors. In about 2011, about 15 of the remaining cars had the original "BURLINGTON" lettering restored, while the rest now read "BNSF RAILWAY". Other Metra cars assigned to BNSF have the current BNSF "swoosh" logo next to the door.

Many Amtrak routes use BNSF rails: the Amtrak Cascades, California Zephyr, Carl Sandburg, Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, Heartland Flyer, Illinois Zephyr, Lincoln Service, Pacific Surfliner, San Joaquin, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, and Texas Eagle.

After the 2015 Oxnard train derailment, BNSF loaned 40 of their AC4400CWs to Metrolink while their Rotem cab cars received upgrades. These 40 units were converted to PTC. The locomotives have since been returned after the cab cars went back into service.

Although it does not have a steam program like the Union Pacific, the BNSF has allowed for the Southern Pacific 4449, St. Louis–San Francisco 1522, Santa Fe 3751, Santa Fe 2926, Spokane, Portland and Seattle 700 and Milwaukee Road 261 steam locomotives to operate excursions over their rails.

Safety
BNSF has received E.H. Harriman Award for safety multiple times. But a number of accidents and incidents have occurred on the railway since its inception.

As one of the leading supporters of the Operation Lifesaver program to promote safety at railway crossings and rights-of-way, the BNSF Railway, in 2000, established a grade-crossing closure program. This program, in which BNSF works with communities and landowners to identify unnecessary or redundant crossings, has helped close more than 2,900 of BNSF's railway crossings throughout the United States. Due to the program, BNSF has been the industry leader in lowering the number of grade-crossing collisions.

BNSF contracts with News Link, a small business in Lincoln, Nebraska, to publish employee newsletters focused on safety for some of the railroad's divisions and shops. These newsletters vary in length from four to 28 pages, published ranging from monthly to quarterly.

In 2014, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ordered BNSF to pay over $526,000 to workers who had been terminated in 2010 and 2011 after revealing workplace injuries at the terminal in Havre, Montana, which is in contravention of provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act protecting whistleblowers.

In August 2016, a "huge number" of used hypodermic drug needles were found along a BNSF railroad bridge in between the University Park and St. Johns neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon that has become an encampment for homeless individuals. According to a conductor quoted by The Oregonian "Pretty much see people down there at all hours of the night. We report them but nobody does anything."

In March 2024 the company furloughed 360 mechanical workers, a small percentage of the railroad's 37,000 employees, but enough to encourage a condemning letter from the Transportation Trades Department labor coalition calling on the Federal Railroad Administrator to increase inspections. The unions maintain that these cuts will make it difficult for BNSF to finish needed repairs and inspections of its rolling stock. In a letter dated March 2024 sent to the FRA, the Shop Craft Unions at BNSF urged the Administration look at “…safety and maintenance issues” in the railroad industry, presenting evidence of a 41% decrease in repair and maintenance departments since 2015. BNSF shippers complain that shipments to the US Northwest have seen delays, most citing lack of enough crew as the reason. They also complained of high rates for secondary shuttle freight.

Equipment
According to the 2007 BNSF Annual Report, at the end of 2007 the railway had more than 40,000 employees; 6,400 locomotives (8,359 as of 2018); and 85,338 freight cars (72,369 as of 2018).
 * Broken down by specific kind of car, the BNSF owned:
 * 36,439 covered hoppers
 * 13,690 gondolas
 * 11,428 open hoppers
 * 10,470 flatcars
 * 7,948 boxcars
 * 4,196 refrigerated "reefer" cars
 * 427 tank cars
 * 416 automobile carriers
 * 81 private/business cars
 * 324 "other" types of cars
 * In addition, the railroad also owned:
 * 3,253 domestic containers
 * 11,714 domestic chassis (Swap body) (?)
 * 4,070 company service vehicles
 * 1,200 trailers
 * 163 commuter passenger cars

At the end of 2007, the average age (from date of manufacture) was 15 years for the BNSF's locomotive fleet and 14 years for the freight car fleet.

On January 24, 2006, BNSF announced a US$2.4 billion program of infrastructure upgrades for 2006. The upgrade program includes: double- and triple-tracking 40 mi of track and a second mainline track through New Mexico's Abo Canyon on the former ATSF transcontinental line; expanding the Lincoln, Nebraska, classification yard and double- and triple-tracking 50 mi of track in Wyoming's Powder River Basin region; expansions at eight of the railroad's larger intermodal facilities, and extending many sidings and expanding and improving refueling facilities. In making the announcement, BNSF chairman Matthew K. Rose cited improvements in the company's return on invested capital and expressed hope for continued improvement. In March 2008, the railroad was completing the triple-tracking of Cajon Pass in California, creating four tracks through the pass—three BNSF (former Santa Fe and newly installed) and one Union Pacific (former Southern Pacific).

Paint schemes
Most of BNSF's high-horsepower road locomotives are painted in "Heritage" schemes – primarily based on BN predecessor Great Northern Railway's colors of Omaha Orange and Pullman Green, with yellow striping and silver underframes. Since 2005, BNSF's locomotives feature black instead of dark green paint.

Many locomotives retain their original paint schemes, but this is gradually changing, as these units are now either being retired, or rebuilt and repainted in the Heritage III and Heritage IV schemes, respectively.

The first locomotive to bear BNSF lettering was BN SD70MAC No. 9647, introduced in late August 1995, just as the Interstate Commerce Commission was approving the merger. VMV Enterprises in Paducah, Kentucky painted it in a one-of-a-kind commemorative scheme, combining Santa Fe's "Warbonnet" with BN's "Executive" colors of dark "Grinstein green" and cream. It was nicknamed the "vomit bonnet" by railfans. "BNSF" replaced "SANTA FE" on the front of the unit, and "Burlington Northern Santa Fe" was painted on the side. The locomotive has since been repainted into the standard Heritage III livery.

By January 1996, BNSF had begun painting locomotives originally ordered for BN and ATSF patched with “BNSF” on the front and sides. Then, in late May, the company introduced a new design on BN SD60M 9297, painted mainly in BN predecessor Great Northern Railway's pre-1967 colors of orange and dark "Pullman green," but also incorporating red and silver, and said to represent all major BN predecessors and Santa Fe. On the front was a new logo, placing "Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway" in the Santa Fe cross. Some of the striping details were different on each side, and employees voted for the simpler right-side design, which, with some minor changes, became the new scheme, replacing the BN colors. However, president and CEO Robert Krebs said the railroad was big enough for two designs, and Santa Fe's "Warbonnet" (with "BNSF" instead of "Santa Fe" on the front ) remained alongside the new Heritage I scheme.

On January 24, 2005, as part of its tenth-anniversary celebration, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway was renamed BNSF Railway and adopted a new logo. By March, the logo had been applied to the sides and fronts of six ES44DCs, and on April 11, BNSF officially chose the design it had applied to No. 7701. The New Image scheme is also referred to as Heritage III.

Since 2006, BNSF's locomotives designated for yard work or local trains have been painted in the Heritage IV scheme. Somewhat of a simplified form of the Heritage III scheme, Heritage IV is virtually identical to the original Heritage I scheme, with black instead of dark green, and the current BNSF logo.

Swinomish trespassing lawsuit
In 2015, BNSF was sued by the Swinomish Tribe in Washington state for violating the terms of a 1991 easement agreement between BNSF and the tribe that allows trains crossing the Swinomish Reservation to carry no more than 25 cars per day, with the tribe alleging that BNSF was running trains with four times as many cars as permitted under the easement agreement. In 2023, US District Court Judge Robert Lasnik ruled that BNSF "willfully, consciously and knowingly exceeded the limitations on its right of access" from September 2012 to May 2021 "in pursuit of profits," finding that BSNF made a unilateral decision to increase the number of trains and cars crossing the reservation without the tribe's consent. In June 2024, Lasnik ordered BNSF to pay $400 million to the tribe, after holding a four-day trial to determine how much in what Lasnik termed "ill-gotten" profit BNSF made by trespassing on the Swinomish Reservation from 2012 to 2021.

title: BNSF Railway


text:
James Dillon (Fine Gael politician)

James Mathew Dillon (26 September 1902 – 10 February 1986) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of Fine Gael from 1959 to 1965 and Minister for Agriculture from 1948 to 1951 and 1954 to 1957. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1932 to 1969.

Early and personal life
Dillon was born at 2 North Great George's Street, Dublin. He was the son of John Dillon, the last leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party (1918), and Elizabeth Mathew. He was educated at Mount St Benedict's, in Gorey, County Wexford, University College Dublin and King's Inns. He qualified as a barrister and was called to the Bar in 1931. Dillon studied business methods at Selfridges in London. After some time at Marshall Field's in Chicago he returned to Ireland where he became manager of the family business known as Monica Duff's in Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon.

In 1942, while on holiday in Carna, County Galway he met Maura Phelan of Clonmel on a Friday. By the following Monday the two were engaged and six weeks after that, they married. He was 40, and she was 22 years of age.

Political career
In February 1932, Dillon was elected as an independent as one of the TDs for the Donegal constituency. In September 1932 he joined the National Centre Party, and after its merger with Cumann na nGaedheal, the new party of Fine Gael. Dillon played a key role in instigating the creation of Fine Gael and would become a key member of the party in later years. He remained as TD for Monaghan from 1937 to 1969. Dillon became deputy leader of Fine Gael under W. T. Cosgrave.

Dillon resigned from Fine Gael in 1942 over its stance on Irish neutrality during World War II. While Fine Gael supported the government's decision to stay out of the war, Dillon urged the government to side with the Allies. A passionate anti-Nazi, Dillon described the Nazi creed as "the devil himself with twentieth-century efficiency". His zeal against Hitler drew him the ire of the German Minister to Ireland Eduard Hempel, who denounced him as a "Jew" and "German-hater". Even Éamon de Valera, then Taoiseach, was not spared the fierceness of Dillon's rhetoric; when the Taoiseach ridiculed Dillon's stark support for the Allies, noting this meant he had to adopt a Pro-British stance, Dillon defiantly retorted : In 1944, as the danger of allied defeat receded he was approached by Fine Gael to rejoin the party and offered the leadership, on condition he relinquished his views on neutrality, especially since they were no longer strategically important. He refused – ironically, had he accepted he might well have been taoiseach in 1948.

Dillon was one of the independents TD who was part of the first inter-party government (1948–1951), and was appointed Minister for Agriculture. As minister, Dillon was responsible for huge improvements in Irish agriculture. Money was spent on land reclamation projects in the areas of less fertile land while the overall quality of Irish agricultural produce increased.

Dillon rejoined Fine Gael in May 1952. He became Minister for Agriculture again in the second inter-party government (1954–1957). In 1959, Dillon became leader of Fine Gael, succeeding Richard Mulcahy. He became president of the party in 1960. In 1965, Fine Gael lost the general election to Seán Lemass and Fianna Fáil. The non-Fianna Fáil parties won 69 seats to Fianna Fáil's 72. Having narrowly failed to become Taoiseach, Dillon stood down as Fine Gael leader after the election.

On Northern Ireland, while Dillon stood against Partition, he equally opposed any "armed solution" or militant nationalist policy, stating:

We have got to win, not only the barren acres of Ulster, but the hearts of the people who live in it

Dillon was a colourful contributor to Dáil proceedings and was noted for his high standard of oratory. He remained a TD until 1969, when he retired from politics. He died in Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon in 1986 at the age of 83.

title: James Dillon (Fine Gael politician)