Portal:Japan/Anniversaries/January

These are the selected anniversaries for January that appear on the Japan portal. The "edit" links edit the portal subpages that are displayed as sections here.

January 1

January 1:

Events

• 1873 - Japan begins using the Gregorian calendar
• 1930 - The Ministry of Rail adopts the metric system for all of Japan's railways
• 1946 - Emperor Shōwa renounces his divinity, known in Japanese as the Human Declaration
• 1948 - The Nijūbashi Bridge, a well known double arched stone bridge located between the front and middle gates of the Imperial Palace, is opened to the public
• 1950 - The old practice of advancing one's age every New Year's Day (regardless of one's date of birth) is replaced by the western style of advancing one's age on each anniversary of one's date of birth. Under the old system, someone born on November 1, for example, would turn one on January 1, two months later.
• 1963 - The well known animated television show Astro Boy begins a four-year 200-episode run
• 1973 - Health care for those over 70 years of age is made free of charge
• 1991 - Telephone numbers in Tokyo are expanded from 7 digits to 8 digits

Births

• 1638 - Emperor Go-Sai (d. 1685)
• 1884 - Chikuhei Nakajima (d. 1949), naval officer, engineer, and politician, founded Nakajima Aircraft Company
• 1894 - Shitsu Nakano (d. 2007), super-centenarian
• 1900 - Chiune Sugihara (d. 1986), diplomat
• 1907 - Kinue Hitomi (d. 1931), sprinter and long jumper
• 1919 - Yoshio Tabata (d. 2013), singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1929 - Haruo Nakajima, actor, stuntman, and choreographer
• 1956 - Kōji Yakusho, actor
• 1968 - Miki Higashino, pianist and composer
• 1975 - Eiichiro Oda, illustrator
• 1979 - Koichi Domoto, singer-songwriter and actor
• 1983 - Emi Kobayashi, model and actress

Holidays and observances

• New Year's Day, most businesses are closed

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January 2

January 2:

Events

• 1905 - Russia surrenders Port Arthur, or Lüshunkou, to the Japanese, during the Russo-Japanese War.
• 1942 - World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces.
• 1948 - The Imperial Palace is reopened to the public for New Year's celebrations for the first time in 25 years, drawing 130,000 visitors.
• 1954 - Sixteen people are crushed to death during New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace's Nijūbashi Bridge.
• 1966 - Japan's first monster show, Ultra Q, begins broadcasting.
• 1969 - During New Year's celebrations, a man is arrested for hurling a pachinko ball at Emperor Shōwa in resentment for having lost a friend during the war. The next year, the emperor begins making his New Year's appearances from behind protective glass.

Births

• 1892 - Seiichiro Kashio (d. 1962), tennis player
• 1928 - Daisaku Ikeda, religious leader
• 1931 - Toshiki Kaifu, politician, 76th Prime Minister of Japan
• 1933 - Seiichi Morimura, author
• 1940 - Masahiko Tsugawa, actor and director
• 1946 - Goro Ibuki, actor
• 1960 - Naoki Urasawa, illustrator, singer, and guitarist
• 1961 - Hitoshi Saito (d. 2015), martial artist
• 1968 - Goichi Suda, video game designer
• 1971 - Yutaka Takenouchi, actor
• 1974 - Tamao Satō, actress, voice actress, television personality, and model
• 1978 - Megumi Toyoguchi, voice actress and singer
• 1988 - Satomi Akesaka, voice actress

Holidays, observances, and anniversaries

• Hatsuyume

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January 3

January 3:

Events

• 1087 - Retired Emperor Shirakawa initiates cloistered rule. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-sixth Day of the Eleventh Month, 1086)
• 1721 - The Love Suicides at Amijima (Shinjūten no Amijima) is performed for the first time at the Takemoto Theater. (Traditional Japanese Date: Sixth Day of the Twelfth Month, 1720)
• 1868 - Meiji Restoration: the Chōshū and Satsuma clans proclaim a restoration of ruling power to the emperor and the start of the new Meiji government. (Traditional Japanese Date: Ninth Day of the Twelfth Month, 1867)
• 1938 - Actress Okada Yoshiko and actor Sugimoto Ryōkichi defect to the Soviet Union.
• 1944 - World War II: Top Ace Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington is shot down in his Corsair by Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Zero.
• 1945 - World War II: Admiral Chester W Nimitz is placed in command of all U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Japan.
• 1951 - First broadcast of the Kōhaku Uta Gassen, a singing competition between female celebrity singers, representing the red team, and male celebrity singers, representing the white team. Although it is now a well known television program that is broadcast every New Year's Eve, it actually began as a 50-minute radio program that was first broadcast on January 3, 1951. The television version began on December 31, 1953.
• 1972 - Japan and the United States reach a trade agreement on textiles.

Births

• 1196 - Emperor Tsuchimikado (d. 1231)
• 1836 - Sakamoto Ryōma (d. 1867), samurai and rebel leader
• 1873 - Ichizō Kobayashi (d. 1957), businessman, founded the Hankyu Hanshin Holdings
• 1941 - Shima Iwashita, actress
• 1950 - Victoria Principal, Japanese-American actress and producer
• 1959 - Dankan, actor and director
• 1961 - Toshirō Yanagiba, actor
• 1967 - Mayumi Wakamura, actress
• 1969 - Eisaku Yoshida, actor and singer
• 1975 - Jun Maeda, businessman, co-founded the Key Company
• 1977 - Mayumi Iizuka, voice actress and singer
• 1979 - Rie Tanaka, voice actress and singer
• 1985 - Asa Akira, Japanese-American porn actress and director
• 1987 - Nana Yanagisawa, model and actress
• 1989 - Kōhei Uchimura, gymnast
• 1989 - Ayaka Umeda, singer and actress
• 1990 - Yoichiro Kakitani, footballer
• 1995 - Akihisa Shiono, actor and model

Deaths

• 2009 - Hisayasu Nagata, politician (b. 1969)

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January 4

January 4:

Events

• 1873 - With the adoption of the Western calendar, the five seasonal festivals (gosekku)—Jinjitsu on January 7th, Jōshi on March 3rd, Tango on May 5th, Tanabata on July 7th and Chōyō on September 9th)—are abolished.
• 1877 - Land tax reform is implemented.
• 1882 - Emperor Meiji issues the Imperial Script for the Military (Gunjin Chokuyu).
• 1937 - Two plates containing 58 scales are stolen off of the kinshachi (a kind of dolphin fish) affixed to the top of the castle tower of Nagoya Castle. The culprit was apprehended 23 days later.
• 1946 - The Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, General Douglas MacArthur order the Japanese government to expel all militarists from positions of power. The disbandment of all ultra-nationalist organizations is also ordered.
• 1948 - International telephone service between the United States and Japan is established.
• 1953 - NHK Radio broadcasts its first live marathon coverage.
• 1977 - Poisoned cola is placed in a telephone booth near Shinagawa Station, killing two.

Births

• 1848 - Katsura Tarō (d. 1913), general and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Japan
• 1935 - Toru Terasawa, runner
• 1964 - Riki Takeuchi, actor
• 1971 - Junichi Kakizaki, botanist and floral designer
• 1981 - Hitomi Obara, wrestler

Deaths

• 1564 - Hosokawa Ujitsuna (b. 1514), commander

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January 5

January 5:

Events

• 1874 - A road for horse carriages joining Tokyo's Kyōbashi district and Shinbashi district is completed.
• 1905 - Japan's General Nogi Maresuke and Russia's General Anatoly Stoessel meet at Shǔishīgōng (Suishiei).
• 1919 - Matsuisu Mako, a Shingeki (western style drama) actress, commits suicide. It is believed that she committed suicide to be with Shimamura Hōgetsu, who died two months earlier. Shimamura was a literary figure who co-founded the Geijutsuza Club with Matsuisu for the purpose of introducing modern western style drama to Japan.
• 1955 - Cinerama opens in Tokyo and Osaka.
• 1974 - Japan and China sign a trade agreement.

Births

• 1941 - Hayao Miyazaki, animator, director, and screenwriter
• 1956 - Chen Kenichi, Japanese-Chinese chef
• 1971 - Mayuko Takata, actress
• 1976 - Shintarō Asanuma, voice actor and singer
• 1979 - Masami Tanaka, swimmer
• 1982 - Norichika Aoki, baseball player
• 1984 - Nao Nagasawa, actress, voice actress, and singer
• 1985 - Yuka Koide, actress, model, and entertainer
• 1986 - Teppei Koike, actor and singer
• 1998 - Marie Iitoyo, model and actress

Deaths

• 1919 - Sumako Matsui (b. 1886), actress and singer
• 2007 - Momofuku Ando (b. 1910), Taiwanese-Japanese businessman, founded Nissin Foods

Film and television

• 2007 - Hana Yori Dango Returns begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Mao Inoue, Jun Matsumoto, Shun Oguri, Shota Matsuda, and Tsuyoshi Abe
• 2014 - Gunshi Kanbei begins airing on NHK, starring Junichi Okada and Miki Nakatani

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January 6

January 6:

Births

• 1931 - Kaoru Yachigusa, actress
• 1954 - Yuji Horii, video game designer, created Dragon Quest
• 1960 - Kumiko Ohba, actress and singer
• 1975 - Yukana, voice actress and singer
• 1981 - Rinko Kikuchi, actress and director
• 1989 - Arisa Sugi, entertainer
• 1998 - Yuuka Yano, actress

Deaths

• 1725 - Chikamatsu Monzaemon, playwright (b. 1653)

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January 7

January 7:

Events

• 1942 - World War II: The siege of the Bataan Peninsula begins.

Births

• 1943 - Sadako Sasaki (d. 1955), victim of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• 1944 - Kotaro Suzumura, economist and academic
• 1948 - Ichirou Mizuki, singer-songwriter and actor
• 1975 - Yūko Nakamura, actress
• 1978 - Asami Imajuku, model, actress, and singer
• 1979 - Yōko Honna, voice actress
• 1982 - Sho Tomita, actor
• 1997 - Ayumi Ishida, singer

Deaths

• 1989 - Hirohito, emperor (b. 1901)
• 1996 - Tarō Okamoto (b. 1911), painter and sculptor

Film and television

• 1999 - Ring: The Final Chapter begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Toshirō Yanagiba, Tomoya Nagase, Akiko Yada, Kotomi Kyono, and Tae Kimura
• 2003 - Boku no Ikiru Michi begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Akiko Yada, Haruka Ayase, Hiroki Uchi, and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi

Holidays, observances, and anniversaries

• Nanakusa (Seven Herbs Festival).

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January 8

January 8:

Events

• 1989 - Beginning of Heisei era.

Births

• 1556 - Uesugi Kagekatsu (d. 1623), daimyo
• 1907 - Keizō Hayashi (d. 1991), civil servant and military official
• 1926 - Hanae Mori, fashion designer
• 1941 - Yoshinori Watanabe (d. 2012), mobster
• 1942 - Junichiro Koizumi, politician, 56th Prime Minister of Japan
• 1942 - Junko Maya, actress
• 1961 - Kazuki Takahashi, manga writer and artist
• 1968 - Bull Nakano, wrestler and golfer
• 1975 - Reiko Chiba, actress, voice actress, model, and singer
• 1986 - Maria Ozawa, Japanese-Canadian porn actress and model
• 1991 - Asuka Hinoi, singer

Deaths

• 2007 - Iwao Takamoto (b. 1925), Japanese-American animator, director, and producer

Film and television

• 2001 - Hero begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Takuya Kimura
• 2012 - Penance begins airing on WOWOW, starring Kyōko Koizumi, Yū Aoi, Eiko Koike, Sakura Ando, and Chizuru Ikewaki

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January 9

January 9:

Events

• 1945 - World War II: The United States invades Luzon in the Japan-occupied Philippines.
• 2014 - An explosion at a Mitsubishi Materials chemical plant in Yokkaichi, Japan, kills at least five people and injures 17 others.

Births

• 1624 - Empress Meishō (d. 1696)
• 1947 - Ittoku Kishibe, actor and musician
• 1953 - Shigeru So, runner
• 1953 - Takeshi So, runner
• 1970 - Masashi Goda, actor
• 1971 - Yusuke Naora, director and producer
• 1979 - Tomiko Van, singer-songwriter and actress
• 1987 - Mao Inoue, actress
• 1987 - Asami Kai, actress and model

Deaths

• 1562 - Amago Haruhisa (b. 1514), warlord
• 1998 - Kenichi Fukui (b. 1918), chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Film and television

• 2006 - Saiyūki begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Shingo Katori, Eri Fukatsu, Atsushi Itō, Teruyoshi Uchimura, and Asami Mizukawa
• 2007 - Himitsu no Hanazono begins airing on Kansai Telecasting Corporation and Fuji Television, starring Yumiko Shaku
• 2010 - Majisuka Gakuen begins airing on TV Tokyo, starring Atsuko Maeda
• 2015 - Kaiki Renai Sakusen begins airing on TV Tokyo, starring Kumiko Asō, Maki Sakai, and Tamaki Ogawa

Edit January 9 anniversaries ‧ January 9 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ January 9 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia

January 10

January 10:

Births

• 1919 - Terukuni Manzō (d. 1977), sumo wrestler, the 38th Yokozuna
• 1939 - Sonosuke Fujimaki, fencer
• 1964 - Akifumi Tada, composer
• 1965 - Yuji Tanaka, comedian
• 1966 - Naomi Zaizen, actress
• 1974 - Akari Kaida, pianist and composer
• 1974 - Ryōka Yuzuki, voice actress
• 1982 - Misato Fukuen, voice actress
• 1986 - Hideaki Ikematsu, footballer
• 1987 - Chiaki Ito, singer, actress, dancer, and model
• 1996 - Sakurako Ohara, actress and singer
• 1997 - Ayuri Konno, actress
• 2000 - Sota Yamamoto, figure skater

Deaths

• 1951 - Yoshio Nishina (b. 1890), physicist and academic

Film and television

• 2005 - Shibuya Fifteen begins airing on TV Asahi, starring Saya Yūki, Yui Aragaki, and Yuria Haga
• 2012 - Honjitsu wa Taian Nari begins airing on NHK, starring Yūka

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January 11

January 11:

Events

• 1942 - World War II: Japan declares war on the Netherlands and invades the Netherlands East Indies.
• 1942 - World War II: The Japanese capture Kuala Lumpur.

Births

• 1322 - Emperor Kōmyō (d. 1380)
• 1359 - Emperor Go-En'yu (d. 1393)
• 1911 - Zenko Suzuki (d. 2004), politician, 70th Prime Minister of Japan
• 1948 - Wajima Hiroshi, sumo wrestler, 54th Yokozuna
• 1956 - Kuniaki Kobayashi, wrestler
• 1973 - Eri Fukatsu, actress
• 1985 - Rie fu, singer
• 1985 - Kazuki Nakajima, race car driver
• 1988 - Junjun, Chinese-Japanese singer
• 1989 - Sonmi, model

Deaths

• 1979 - Jack Soo (b. 1917), Japanese-American actor and singer

Film and television

• 2000 - Omiai Kekkon begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Takako Matsu and Yūsuke Santamaria
• 2008 - Guren Onna begins airing on TV Tokyo, starring Ai Takabe

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January 12

January 12:

Events

• 1898 - Ito Hirobumi begins his third term as Prime Minister.

Births

• 1914 - Mieko Kamiya (d. 1979), psychiatrist
• 1935 - Tomiko Ishii, actress
• 1949 - Kentarō Haneda (d. 2007), pianist and composer
• 1949 - Haruki Murakami, author, translator, and academic
• 1968 - Junichi Masuda, director, producer, and composer
• 1976 - Miki Nakatani, actress and singer
• 1983 - Miho Tanaka, model, entertainer, and actress
• 1986 - Ayako Imoto, comedian and television personality
• 1992 - Mao Kobayashi, model and singer
• 1993 - Yu Inaba, Japanese actor
• 1993 - Aika Mitsui, singer
• 1996 - Ai Hashimoto, model and actress

Deaths

• 2003 - Kinji Fukasaku (b. 1930), actor, director, and screenwriter

Film and television

• 2004 - Pride begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Takuya Kimura and Yūko Takeuchi
• 2012 - Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Kyōko Koizumi and Kiichi Nakai
• 2012 - Saiko no Jinsei begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Tomohisa Yamashita, Nana Eikura, and Takashi Sorimachi

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January 13

January 13:

Events

• 1992 - Japan apologizes for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery (Comfort women) during World War II.

Births

• 1955 - Ran Ito, actress
• 1968 - Chara, singer-songwriter and actress
• 1970 - Shinya Yamada, musician and media personality
• 1972 - Yukiko Iwai, voice actress
• 1980 - Akira Kaji, footballer
• 1981 - Yujiro Takahashi, wrestler
• 1984 - Aya Hirayama, actress

Deaths

• 703 - Empress Jitō (b. 645)

Film and television

• 2005 - Fugo Keiji begins airing on TV Asahi, starring Kyoko Fukada, Kazuma Suzuki, Ryuji Sainei, and Shinji Yamashita
• 2011 - Diplomat Kosaku Kuroda begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Yūji Oda
• 2012 - Saba Doru begins airing on TV Tokyo, starring Mayu Watanabe
• 2015 - Masshiro begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Maki Horikita

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January 14

January 14:

Events

• 1943 - World War II: Operation Ke, the successful Japanese operation to evacuate their forces from Guadalcanal during the Guadalcanal campaign, begins.

Births

• 1702 - Emperor Nakamikado (d. 1737)
• 1905 - Takeo Fukuda (d. 1995), politician, 67th Prime Minister of Japan
• 1925 - Yukio Mishima (d. 1970), author, poet, and playwright
• 1938 - Morihiro Hosokawa, journalist and politician, 79th Prime Minister of Japan
• 1954 - Masanobu Fuchi, wrestler and booker
• 1954 - Junichi Ishida, actor and television personality
• 1959 - Kōtarō Yoshida, actor
• 1980 - Yūko Kaida, actress
• 1980 - Sosuke Sumitani, announcer
• 1980 - Hiroshi Tamaki, actor and singer
• 1981 - Chiharu Niiyama, actress and model
• 1983 - Takako Uehara, singer, actress, and radio host
• 1984 - Erika Matsuo, violinist
• 1986 - Kouhei Takeda, actor, entertainer, and model
• 1987 - Atsushi Hashimoto, actor
• 1998 - Ai Moritaka, model and actress

Deaths

• 1701 - Tokugawa Mitsukuni, daimyo (b. 1628)

Film and television

• 2007 - Karei-naru Ichizoku begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Takuya Kimura
• 2008 - Bara no nai Hanaya begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Shingo Katori, Yūko Takeuchi, and Shota Matsuda
• 2011 - Heaven's Flower The Legend of Arcana begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Umika Kawashima, Yoshiko Mita, and Gō Ayano
• 2012 - Gekkō no Kamen, a film starring Itsuji Itao, Tadanobu Asano, and Satomi Ishihara
• 2013 - Biblia Koshodō no Jiken Techō begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Ayame Goriki and Akira

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January 15

January 15:

Births

• 1481 - Ashikaga Yoshizumi (d. 1511), shogun
• 1538 - Maeda Toshiie (d. 1599), general
• 1890 - Michiaki Kamada (d. 1947), admiral
• 1905 - Kamatari Fujiwara (d. 1985), actor
• 1943 - Kirin Kiki, actress
• 1955 - Mayumi Tanaka, voice actress
• 1956 - Miki Fujimura, singer

Film and television

• 2012 - Hayami-san to Yobareru Hi begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Nao Matsushita and Yoshihiko Inohara

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January 16

January 16:

Births

• 1929 - Shigeru Kōyama, actor
• 1950 - Damo Suzuki, singer and guitarist
• 1959 - Kimiko Ikegami, actress
• 1967 - Dandy Sakano, comedian
• 1972 - Richard T. Jones, Japanese-American actor and producer
• 1973 - Sheila, model, entertainer, sportscaster, and actress
• 1979 - Toshiki Kashu, actor

Deaths

• 1710 - Emperor Higashiyama (b. 1675)
• 2010 - Takumi Shibano (b. 1926), translator and author

Film and television

• 2000 - Beautiful Life begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Takuya Kimura and Takako Tokiwa
• 2011 - School begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Yōsuke Eguchi
• 2012 - Lucky Seven begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Jun Matsumoto and Eita

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January 17

January 17:

Events

• 1995 - The Great Hanshin earthquake: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits near Kobe, Japan, causing extensive property damage and killing 6,434 people.

Births

• 1952 - Ryuichi Sakamoto, pianist, composer, producer, and actor
• 1959 - Momoe Yamaguchi, singer and actress
• 1962 - Jun Azumi, broadcaster and politician, 46th Japanese Minister of Finance
• 1970 - Masaaki Mochizuki, wrestler
• 1971 - Youki Kudoh, actress and singer
• 1972 - Ken Hirai, singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1973 - Ryō, model, actress, voice actress, and singer
• 1977 - Dante Carver, American actor
• 1985 - Riyu Kosaka, singer and actress
• 1990 - Kaori Matsumura, singer

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January 18

January 18:

Births

• 885 - Emperor Daigo (d. 930)
• 1868 - Kantarō Suzuki (d. 1948), admiral and politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan
• 1879 - Tane Ikai (d. 1995), super-centenarian
• 1921 - Yoichiro Nambu (d. 2015), Japanese-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1944 - Kei Ogura, singer-songwriter and composer
• 1947 - Sachio Kinugasa, baseball player and journalist
• 1947 - Takeshi Kitano, actor and director
• 1966 - Kazufumi Miyazawa, singer
• 1973 - Shinobu Nakayama, actress and singer
• 1979 - Hirofumi Arai, Japanese-Korean actor
• 1984 - Makoto Hasebe, footballer
• 1986 - Ikusaburo Yamazaki, actor and singer

Film and television

• 2002 - Kisarazu Cat's Eye begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Junichi Okada, Sho Sakurai, Yoshinori Okada, Ryuta Sato, and Takashi Tsukamoto

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January 19

January 19:

Events

• 1942 - World War II: Japanese forces invade Burma.
• 1946 - General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals.

Births

• 1874 - Hitachiyama Taniemon (d. 1922), sumo wrestler, the 19th Yokozuna
• 1876 - Wakashima Gonshirō (d. 1943), sumo wrestler, the 21st Yokozuna
• 1963 - Yutaka Matsushige, actor
• 1970 - Udo Suzuki, comedian and singer
• 1977 - Cocco, singer-songwriter
• 1980 - Kotoko, singer
• 1983 - Hikaru Utada, American-Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
• 1985 - Rika Ishikawa, singer and actress
• 1988 - Yusuke Yamamoto, actor
• 1991 - Yu Takahashi, actress and model

Deaths

• 1976 - Hidetsugu Yagi (b. 1886), engineer and academic

Film and television

• 2003 - Good Luck!! begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Takuya Kimura and Kou Shibasaki
• 2008 - Full Swing begins airing on NHK, starring Katsumi Takahashi
• 2013 - Flashback Memories 3D, a 3D music documentary film starring Goma, Kosuke Tsuji, Kenta Tajika, and Kyoichi Shiin
• 2013 - Tokyo Family, a drama film starring Isao Hashizume, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Masahiko Nishimura, Tomoko Nakajima, and Satoshi Tsumabuki

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January 20

January 20:

Births

• 1435 - Ashikaga Yoshimasa (d. 1490), shogun
• 1899 - Kenjiro Takayanagi (d. 1990), engineer
• 1909 - Gōgen Yamaguchi (d. 1989), martial artist
• 1931 - Hachidai Nakamura (d. 1992), pianist and composer
• 1955 - Hiromi Ōta, singer
• 1964 - NoB, singer
• 1964 - Kaho Minami, actress
• 1964 - Kazushige Nojima, screenwriter and songwriter
• 1969 - Noriko Kinohara, actress
• 1971 - Wakanohana Masaru, sumo wrestler, the 66th Yokozuna
• 1979 - Asaka Kubo, singer
• 1983 - Mari Yaguchi, singer and actress
• 1985 - Marina Inoue, voice actress and singer

Film and television

• 2012 - Renai Neet: Wasureta Koi no Hajimekata begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Yukie Nakama

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January 21

January 21:

Events

• 1912 - Japan's first skiing competition is held at Takada in Niigata Prefecture.
• 1913 - The first French private school opens in Tokyo. Later graduates include Sakaguchi Ango, Tanizaki Junichiro and Takehisa Yumeji.
• 1930 - Japan, the United States, Great Britain, France and Italy hold a meeting in London regarding arms reduction.
• 1952 - Shiratori Kazuo of the Sapporo Police Department is shot and killed (the Shiratori Incident). Suspicion falls upon the Japanese Communist Party as being involved in the crime.
• 2007 - Awashima Marine Park catches a video tape of the rare frilled shark.

Births

• 1935 - Masamichi Noro (d. 2013), Japanese-French martial artist
• 1936 - Koji Hashimoto (d. 2005), director
• 1959 - Masaki Kyomoto, actor, singer, entertainer, and guitarist
• 1960 - Mamoru Nagano, animator and director
• 1969 - Tsubaki Nekoi, illustrator
• 1972 - Yasunori Mitsuda, composer and producer
• 1975 - Yuji Ide, race car driver
• 1980 - Nana Mizuki, singer-songwriter and voice actress
• 1981 - Masayuki Deai, actor
• 1982 - Go Shiozaki, wrestler

Deaths

• 1546 - Azai Sukemasa (b. 1491), daimyo

Film and television

• 2012 - Always Sanchōme no Yūhi '64, a film starring Hidetaka Yoshioka, Koyuki, Shinichi Tsutsumi, and Hiroko Yakushimaru

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January 22

January 22:

Events

• 646 - Emperor Kōtoku issues the Taika Reform Edicts. (Traditional Japanese Date: First Day of the First Month, 646)
• 1887 - Tōkyō Denkō begins selling electric lights.
• 1916 - Japan launches its first domestically manufactured blimp. The blimp left Tokorozawa at 1:30 p.m. and, after landing and refueling at Toyohashi, landed in Osaka at 5:10 p.m. the next day.
• 1947 - Armed police begin riding the Tōkaidō line to prevent illegal activity.

Births

• 826 - Emperor Montoku (d. 858)
• 1928 - Yoshihiko Amino (d. 2004), historian, author, and academic
• 1939 - Sonny Chiba (d. 2021), actor and martial artist
• 1955 - Keiko Takahashi, actress
• 1967 - Manabu Nakanishi, wrestler and mixed martial artist
• 1968 - Heath (d. 2023), singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1972 - Romi Park, voice actress and singer
• 1977 - Hidetoshi Nakata, footballer
• 1993 - Tasuku Nagase, actor

Deaths

• 1993 - Kōbō Abe (b. 1924), playwright and photographer

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January 23

January 23:

Events

• 829 - Buddhist monk Kūkai establishes a private school known as the Shugei Shuchi In. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fifteenth Day of the Twelfth Month, 828)
• 1337 - Emperor Godaigo leaves Kyoto for Yoshino where he sets up the Southern Court, beginning a 60 year era of rival imperial courts in Japan. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-first Day of the Twelfth Month, 1336)
• 1890 - The founder of Dōshisha University, Niijima Jō, dies at the age of 48.
• 1902 - The Aomori Infantry, Eighth Division begin their snow march toward Mt. Hakkoda. 199 soldiers die when a blizzard hits (known as the Snow March to Mt. Hakkoda).
• 1905 - The last remaining Japanese wolf is shot and killed at Mt. Yoshino.
• 1943 - World War II: Australian and American forces finally defeat the Japanese army in Papua. This turning point in the Pacific War marks the beginning of the end of Japanese aggression.
• 1949 - The appointment of supreme court justices by referendum is instituted.
• 1956 - Ishihara Shintaro's Season of the Sun wins the Akutagawa Prize, one of Japan's most prestigious literary awards.
• 1963 - A blizzard hits northwestern Japan (Hokuriku, Jōetsu and Shin’etsu), killing 178 people and injuring 288.
• 1984 - The Yuri 2a Broadcasting Satellite is launched.

Births

• 1828 - Saigō Takamori (d. 1877), samurai
• 1907 - Hideki Yukawa (d. 1981), physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1938 - Giant Baba (d. 1999), wrestler and promoter, founded All Japan Pro Wrestling
• 1954 - Fumiyo Kohinata, actor
• 1968 - Taro Hakase, musician and composer
• 1976 - Tsuyoshi Muro, actor
• 1986 - Gero, singer
• 1986 - Yukie Kawamura, model and actress
• 1992 - Reina Triendl, model

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January 24

January 24:

Events

• 1336 - Ashikaga Takauji defeats Nitta Yoshisada at Hakone. (Traditional Japanese Date: Eleventh Day of the Twelfth Month, 1335)
• 1946 - The General Headquarters abolishes licensed prostitution.
• 1969 - The governor of Tokyo, Minobe Ryōkichi announces the end of public sponsored gambling.
• 1971 - The popular band Group sounds band The Tigers perform their last concert.
• 1972 - Two hunters discover Yokoi Shōichi, a former lieutenant in the Japanese army who lived in a cave in Guam for 28 years after the end of World War II. Upon his return to Japan on February 2, he proclaimed, "it is with much shame that I return."
• 1990 - Japan successfully launches an experimental satellite, the Hiten.

Births

• 1936 - Yōko Nogiwa, actress
• 1947 - Michio Kaku, Japanese-American physicist and academic
• 1947 - Masashi Ozaki, baseball player and golfer
• 1959 - Akira Maeda, wrestler, mixed martial artist, and actor
• 1963 - Houka Kinoshita, actor
• 1972 - Naoshi Mizuta, bass player and composer
• 1977 - Kensuke Kita, singer and guitarist
• 1985 - Yuki Ito, actor and musician
• 1990 - Mao Abe, singer-songwriter
• 1995 - Yū Wakui, Japanese voice actor

Deaths

• 1973 - Masao Ohba (b. 1949), boxer

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January 25

January 25:

Events

• 1573 - Battle of Mikatagahara; Takeda Shingen defeats Tokugawa Ieyasu.
• 1660 - The first bridge to span the Sumida River in Tokyo, the Ryōgoku Bridge, is built to give people a means of escape from fires. (Traditional Japanese Date: Thirteenth Day of the Twelfth Month, 1659)
• 1683 - Yaoya Oshichi sets fire to her home in the hopes of being able to meet a young priest with whom she fell in love while seeking shelter from a previous fire. The fire destroyed a large section of Edo (present day Tokyo). Oshichi was later caught and punished for her crime by being burned at the stake. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-eighth Day of the Twelfth Month, 1682)
• 1879 - Japan's popular daily, Asahi Shimbun, begins printing.
• 1936 - Yokoyama Ryūichi's Edokko Kenchan, a precursor to the popular comic Fukuchan, makes its first appearance in the Asahi Shimbun.
• 1970 - The director of Godzilla, Tsuburaya Eiji of Toho Studios, dies.
• 1979 - The 22.23 kilometer Daishimizu tunnel, connecting Minakami-machi, Gunma Prefecture and Yuzawa-machi, Niigata Prefecture, is completed.

Births

• 1858 - Mikimoto Kōkichi (d. 1954), businessman
• 1885 - Kitahara Hakushū (d. 1942), poet and author
• 1900 - Yōjirō Ishizaka (d. 1986), author and educator
• 1938 - Shotaro Ishinomori (d. 1998), author and illustrator
• 1938 - Leiji Matsumoto, author, illustrator, and animator
• 1942 - Kenichi Shinoda, mobster
• 1944 - Tōru Emori, actor, voice actor, and director
• 1972 - Shinji Takehara, boxer
• 1982 - Sho Sakurai, singer-songwriter and actor
• 1988 - Ryota Ozawa, actor
• 1989 - Mikako Tabe, actress and singer
• 1992 - Mayuko Arisue, model, actress, and entertainer

Deaths

• 1949 - Makino Nobuaki (b. 1861), politician, 15th Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
• 1957 - Ichizō Kobayashi (b. 1873), businessman, founded Hankyu Hanshin Holdings
• 1957 - Kiyoshi Shiga (b. 1871), physician and bacteriologist
• 1970 - Eiji Tsuburaya (b. 1901), director and producer

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January 26

January 26:

Events

• 1700 - The Mw 8.7–9.2 Cascadia earthquake takes place off the west coast of North America, as evidenced by Japanese tsunami records.
• 1870 - The first public utility, Denshin, is established. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-fifth Day of the Twelfth Month, 1869)
• 1882 - Painter Georges Ferdinand Bigot arrives in Japan.
• 1886 - The Hokkaidō Agency opens, with its main office in Sapporo and branch offices in Hakodate and Nemuro.
• 1924 - The future Emperor Shōwa marries Princess Kuninomiya Nagako.
• 1948 - Twelve employees of the Shiina branch of the Teikoku Bank (a precursor to the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation) die from arsenic poisoning. Hirasawa Sadamichi is arrested later that year and sentenced to death, but the sentence was never carried out because of problems with his conviction. He later died in prison of natural causes in May 1987.
• 1949 - The main hall of Hōryūji burns down.
• 1958 - Japanese ferry Nankai Maru capsizes off southern Awaji Island, 167 killed.
• 1979 - Umekawa Akiyoshi, wielding a hunting rifle, kills 2 policemen and 2 employees and takes 40 hostages at the Kitabatake branch of Mitsubishi Bank (in Osaka). He is shot and killed 2 days later.
• 1985 - Takenaka Masahisa, the boss of the Yamaguchi-gumi (a yakuza group), is shot. He dies the next day.
• 1992 - Takanohana becomes the youngest sumo wrestler to ever win a championship.

Births

• 1497 - Emperor Go-Nara (d. 1557)
• 1902 - Jokichi Ikarashi (d. 2013), super-centenarian
• 1921 - Akio Morita (d. 1999), businessman, co-founded Sony
• 1966 - Kazushige Nagashima, actor, sportscaster, and baseball player
• 1967 - Toshiyuki Morikawa, voice actor
• 1973 - Mayu Shinjo, author and illustrator
• 1976 - hitomi, singer-songwriter and actress
• 1978 - Atsuko Kurusu, actress
• 1980 - Sanae Kobayashi, voice actress
• 1982 - Gō Ayano, actor
• 1982 - Yuki Koyanagi, singer
• 1982 - Yasushi Tsujimoto, wrestler
• 1986 - Matt Heafy, Japanese-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1988 - Yukiyo Mine, softball player
• 1989 - Yukari Kabutomushi, entertainer

Deaths

• 1998 - Shinichi Suzuki (b. 1898), violinist and educator

Film and television

• 2010 - Nakanai to Kimeta Hi begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Nana Eikura
• 2013 - Strawberry Night, a film starring Yūko Takeuchi, Takao Osawa, and Hidetoshi Nishijima

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January 27

January 27:

Events

• 1868 - The Battle of Toba–Fushimi begins. (Traditional Japanese Date: Third Day of the First Month, 1868)
• 1885 - The first ship of Japanese immigrants headed for Hawaii leaves Yokohama harbor.
• 1970 - The first Japan airliner is allowed to fly over Siberia, cutting the flight time to Europe by two hours.
• 1983 - The Seikan Tunnel, a 53.9 kilometer tunnel connecting the main island of Honshū with Hokkaidō, is completed. It opens in March.
• 1993 - Miyazawa Rie announces that she is breaking off her engagement to Sumō wrestler Takanohana.
• 1993 - Akebono becomes the first non-Japanese sumō wrestler to reach the rank of Yokozuna, and Takanohana becomes the youngest wrestler to be promoted to Ōzeki.

Births

• 1827 - Nakahama Manjirō (d. 1898), translator
• 1848 - Tōgō Heihachirō (d. 1934), admiral
• 1885 - Seison Maeda (d. 1977), painter
• 1920 - Hiroyoshi Nishizawa (d. 1944), flying ace
• 1942 - Maki Asakawa (d. 2010), singer and composer
• 1954 - Jōkō Ninomiya, Japanese-American martial artist
• 1955 - Koji Ushikubo, race car driver
• 1966 - Tamlyn Tomita, Japanese-American actress and singer
• 1969 - Cornelius, singer, guitarist, and producer
• 1979 - Akiko Hinagata, actress and model

Deaths

• 1490 - Ashikaga Yoshimasa (b. 1435), shogun

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January 28

January 28:

Events

• 935 - Provincial governor Ki no Tsurayuki begins writing the Tosa Diary, describing his return to Kyōto. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-first Day of the Twelfth Month, 934)
• 1618 - Rules are established for the Ōoku, the section of Edo Castle that housed the Shōgun's consort and his concubines. (Traditional Japanese Date: Second Day of the First Month, 1618)
• 1856 - The port of Shimoda is opened per Japan's first treaty of amity with Russia. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-first Day of the Twelfth Month, 1855)
• 1871 - Japan's first Japanese language daily newspaper, the Yokohama Mainichi Shinbun, is printed in Yokohama. (Traditional Japanese Date: Eighth Day of the Twelfth Month, 1870)
• 1912 - Lieutenant Nobu Shirase and 27 others reach a point at the South Pole 80 degrees 5' south and 156 degrees 37'. They name it Yamato Sekihara.
• 1932 - Japanese forces attack Chinese forces at Shanghai in what is known as the First Shanghai Incident.
• 1946 - The General Headquarters begins censoring movies.

Births

• 1712 - Tokugawa Ieshige (d. 1761), shogun
• 1886 - Hidetsugu Yagi (d. 1976), engineer and academic
• 1927 - Hiroshi Teshigahara (d. 2001), director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1952 - Tomokazu Miura, actor
• 1954 - Kaneto Shiozawa (d. 2000), voice actor
• 1966 - Seiji Mizushima, director and producer
• 1975 - Hiroshi Kamiya, voice actor and singer
• 1976 - Emiko Kado (d. 1999), wrestler
• 1977 - Takuma Sato, race car driver
• 1980 - Yasuhito Endō, footballer
• 1981 - Gen Hoshino, singer-songwriter, lyricist, actor, and voice actor
• 1988 - Seiya Sanada, wrestler

Deaths

• 1986 - Ellison Onizuka (b. 1946), Japanese-American engineer and astronaut

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January 29

January 29:

Events

• 1879 - Japan enters into an international telecommunications treaty.
• 1934 - The Japan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. is formed from the merger of Hachiman Steel and several other privately owned companies.
• 1940 - Three trains on the Sakurajima Line, in Osaka collide and explode while approaching Ajikawaguchi station. 181 people are killed.
• 1944 - Editors of Reform magazine and Central Review magazine are arrested in a wartime crackdown against liberal intellectuals known as the Yokohama Incident.
• 1957 - The Shōwa Base is established at the South Pole.
• 1961 - Mokkan (inscribed wooden slabs) are excavated at the site of the former capital Heijōkyō in Nara.
• 1968 - A strike at the faculty of medicine marks the beginning of a period of demonstrations and unrest at Tokyo University.

Births

• 1938 - Shuji Tsurumi, gymnast
• 1940 - Kunimitsu Takahashi, motorcycle racer and race car driver
• 1954 - Yukinobu Hoshino, illustrator
• 1969 - Hyde, singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
• 1981 - Ryūji Aoki, impressionist and singer
• 1986 - Sotaro, Japanese-American actor and model
• 1988 - Masaki Kaji, actor and singer
• 1993 - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, singer and model
• 1994 - Ayane Sakura, voice actress
• 1998 - Mion Mukaichi, singer and actress

Deaths

• 1991 - Yasushi Inoue (b. 1907), author and poet

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January 30

January 30:

Events

• 1165 - Emperor Goshirakawa holds an opening ceremony for the Sanjūsangendō, a temple built by Taira no Kiyomori. (Traditional Japanese Date: Seventeenth Day of the Twelfth Month, 1164)
• 1703 - The famed Forty-seven Samurai avenge their leader, Asano Naganori out of loyalty by attacking and killing Kira Kozuke no Suke Yoshinaka, despite being ordered not to. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fourteenth Day of the Twelfth Month, 1702)
• 1902 - Japan and England sign an alliance in London.
• 1920 - Hasegawa Machiko, author of the well known comic Sazae-san and Granny Mischief is born.
• 1943 - World War II: Second day of the Battle of Rennell Island. The USS Chicago (CA-29) is sunk and a U.S. destroyer is heavily damaged by Japanese torpedoes.
• 1944 - World War II: United States troops land on Majuro.
• 1945 - World War II: Raid at Cabanatuan: 126 American Rangers and Filipino resistance liberate from the Japanese Imperial Army 500 prisoners from the Cabanatuan POW camp.
• 1951 - The Pacific League's Clippers and the Central League's Pirates are merged into the Pacific League's Seibu Lions.
• 1957 - William S. Gerard, stationed at a U.S. military base in Gunma Prefecture, shoots and kills a local woman, Sakai Naka, (the Gerard Incident).
• 1974 - Japan and Korea enter into a treaty establishing their borders in the northern part of the Continental Shelf between the 33rd and 36th parallels.
• 1996 - Comet Hyakutake is discovered by amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake.

Births

• 1932 - Knock Yokoyama (d. 2007), comedian and politician
• 1956 - Keiichi Tsuchiya, race car driver and radio host
• 1958 - Sayuri Ishikawa, singer
• 1975 - Yumi Yoshimura, singer and actress
• 1982 - Hidenori Tokuyama, actor and singer
• 1984 - Midori Kuzuoka, model
• 1985 - Yuuri Morishita, model
• 1986 - Asami Shimoda, voice actress and singer
• 1995 - Misaki Iwasa, singer

Deaths

• 1181 - Emperor Takakura (b. 1161)
• 1867 - Emperor Kōmei (b. 1831)

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January 31

January 31:

Events

• 1882 - The first life insurance policy beneficiary in Japan collects on a policy.
• 1944 - World War II: American forces land on Kwajalein Atoll and other islands in the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.
• 1947 - The General Headquarters issues an order prohibiting a general strike scheduled for February 1.
• 1956 - Chiharu Igaya becomes the first Japanese to win an Olympic medal at the 7th Winter Olympics.
• 1979 - Egawa Suguru joins the Hanshin Tigers and is traded the same day for the Tokyo Giants' Kobayashi Shigeru.

Births

• 1543 - Tokugawa Ieyasu (d. 1616), shogun
• 1935 - Kenzaburō Ōe, author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1948 - Muneo Suzuki, politician
• 1961 - Mako Ishino, singer and actress
• 1964 - Miki Maya, actress
• 1966 - Ken Ishiguro, actor and voice actor
• 1977 - Shingo Katori, singer and actor
• 1990 - Kota Yabu, singer and actor

Deaths

• 1398 - Emperor Sukō (b. 1334)
• 1985 - Tatsuzō Ishikawa (b. 1905), author
• 1999 - Giant Baba (b. 1938), wrestler

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