Events in the year 1896 in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Incumbents

Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

: **

Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was also a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior statesmen that dictated Japanese policy during the Meiji era. A London-educated samur ...

(until August 31) **

Kuroda Kiyotaka Count , also known as , was a Japanese politician of the Meiji era. He was Prime Minister of Japan from 1888 to 1889. He was also vice chairman of the Hokkaido Development Commission ( Kaitaku-shi). Biography As a Satsuma ''samurai'' Kur ...

(acting) (August 31 – September 18) ** Matsukata Masayoshi (from September 18)

Governors

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...

: Tokito Konkyo *Akita Prefecture: Yasuhiko Hirayama then Saburo Iwao *Aomori Prefecture:

Masa Sawa ''Masa'' (or ''masa de maíz'') (; ) is a maize dough that comes from ground nixtamalized corn. It is used for making corn tortillas, ''gorditas'', ''tamales'', '' pupusas'', and many other Latin American dishes. It is dried and powdered into a ...

then Naomasa Maki *Ehime Prefecture:

Chang Masaya Komaki Chang may refer to: People Surname * Chang (surname), the romanization of several separate Chinese surnames * Chang or Jang (Korean name), romanizations of the Korean surname Given name * Chang Bunker () (1811–1874), one of the original ...

*Fukui Prefecture: Kunizo Arakawa *Fukushima Prefecture: Yasutaro Hara then Ogura Nobuchika then

Akiyama Akiyama (written: lit. "autumn mountain") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, general in the Imperial Japanese Army and considered father of the Japanese Cavalry *Denis Akiyama (1952–2018), Japanese-Canadian actor ...

*Gifu Prefecture: Sukeo Kabayama *Gunma Prefecture: Motootoko Nakamura then

Abe Hiroshi Hiroshi Abe is the name of: People * Hiroshi Abe (actor) (born 1964), Japanese model and actor * Hiroshi Abe (astronomer) (born 1958), Japanese amateur astronomer affiliated with the Yatsuka Observatory * Hiroshi Abe (war criminal) Hiroshi Abe ( ...

then

Masataka Ishizata Masataka (written: 昌孝, 雅孝, 雅隆, 正隆, 正孝, 正崇, 正太, 正貴, 正尚, 政孝, 仁崇, 將貴, 昌隆, 真孝 or 真隆) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese voice actor *, Japa ...

Hiroshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...

Nabeshima Miki Nabeshima Miki (October 23, 1844 – September 1, 1913) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture in 1889–1896. He was governor of Tochigi Prefecture (1871–1880) and Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Jap ...

then

Orita Hiraochi Orita Hiraochi (January 23, 1847 – May 7, 1905) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from April 1896 to April 1897. He was also governor of Yamagata Prefecture (1882–1883), Fukushima Prefecture (1883–1888 ...

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

Egi Kazuyuki Egi Kazuyuki (May 21, 1853 – August 23, 1932) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture in 1898–1903. He was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture. He was also governor of Ibaraki Prefecture (1896–1897), Tochigi Prefect ...

then

Motohiro Onoda Motohiro (written: , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese singer-songwriter *, Japanese sailor *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese ''kugyō'' *, Japanese noble *, Japanese politic ...

*Iwate Prefecture: Ichizo Hattori *Kagawa Prefecture: Ichizo Fukano then Tsunenori Tokuhisa *Kochi Prefecture: Ishida Eikichi then Hiroshi Shikakui *

Kumamoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to ...

: Matsudaira Masanao then Kanetake Oura * Kyoto Prefecture: Baron Nobumichi Yamada *Mie Prefecture: Terumi Tanabe *

Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the nort ...

: Terumi Tanabe *

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

Takasaki Chikaaki is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as the hometown of t ...

* Niigata Prefecture: Baron Seung Zhi Kuwata *Oita Prefecture: Tameharu Yamada then Yasuhiko Hirayama *

Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city o ...

Shigeru Narahara Shigeru (written: , , , in hiragana or in katakana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, a Japanese architect *, a Japanese voice actor *, Japanese karateka *, Japanese sport wrestler *, Japanese socialist ...

Osaka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture ...

Utsumi Tadakatsu Baron was a Japanese bureaucrat, statesman and cabinet minister, active in Meiji period Empire of Japan. Biography Utsumi was born to a ''samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern J ...

Saga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of 809,248 (1 August 2020) and has a geographic area of 2,440 km2 (942 sq mi). Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasak ...

Takeuchi Takeuchi ( ja, 竹内; "within bamboo" or ja, 武内; "warrior household") is a Japanese surname. It is common in west-central Japan, and is pronounced Takenouchi (''Take-no-uchi'') by some bearers. The family claims descent from the legendary her ...

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

Teru Tanabe Teru may refer to: * Teru (woreda), a district of Afar Region, Ethiopia * '' Ampelocissus abyssinica'' or Teru, an Ethiopian climbing vine People with the name ;Mononym * Mika Saiki or Teru, beach volleyball player * Teru (singer), vocalist of G ...

then Tomi Senketaka *Shiname Prefecture:

Michio Sokabe Michio (written: 道夫, 道雄, 道郎, 通夫 or 三知男) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese shogi player *, Japanese dancer and choreographer *Michio Kaku (born 1947), American theoretical ph ...

*Tochigi Prefecture:

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Miura Yasushi Miura may refer to: Places *Miura, Kanagawa *Miurakaigan Station *Miura District, Kanagawa *Miura Peninsula * Ganadería Miura, the home of the Miura fighting bull line People * Miura (surname) *Miura clan, Japanese descended clan of the Taira ...

then Marquis Michitsune Koga *Toyama Prefecture:

Tokuhisa Tsunenori was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from June 1903 to January 1904. He was also governor of Toyama Prefecture (1892–1896), Kagawa Prefecture (1896–1898) and Kumamoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, ...

then Ando Kinsuke *Yamagata Prefecture: Shuichi Kinoshita

Events

*June 15 – Sanriku earthquake: One of the most destructive seismic events in Japanese history. The 8.5 magnitude earthquake occurred at 19:32 (local time), approximately off the coast of

Iwate Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture at , with a population of 1,210,534 (as of October 1, 2020). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefectur ...

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

. It resulted in two

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...

s which destroyed about 9,000 homes and caused at least 22,000 deaths. The waves reached a record height of ; more than a meter lower than those created after the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''El ...

which triggered the

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster The was a nuclear accident in 2011 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan. The proximate cause of the disaster was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which occurred on the afternoon of 11 March 2011 and ...

. * December 28 – Nippon Flower Mills (Nipun) was founded. * Unknown date – Penta-Ocean construction company founded

Births

*April 22 – Chishō Takaoka, geisha, writer, and nun (d.

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

) *May 11 – Toshiko, Princess Yasu, daughter of

(d.

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

) *July 28 –

Takeru Inukai was a Japanese politician and novelist active in Shōwa period Japan. Also known as "Inukai Ken", he was the third son of Prime Minister of Japan Inukai Tsuyoshi. Biography Inukai was born in the Ushigome district of Tokyo. Although accepted ...

, politician and novelist (d.

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

) *August 27 – Kenji Miyazawa, author and poet (d.

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

) *November 13 –

Nobusuke Kishi was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1957 to 1960. Known for his exploitative rule of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in Northeast China in the 1930s, Kishi was nicknamed the "Monster of the Shō ...

, politician and Prime Minister of Japan (d.

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

)

Deaths

*February 28 –

Tazawa Inabune , born , was a Japanese writer. Biography She was born in Tsuruoka, Yamagata. Her father, a military doctor, did not approve of her writing ambitions.Ortabasi, p151 Her mother was a businessperson, and she also had a younger sister.Tanaka, p8 ...

, writer (b.

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndas ...

) *November 23 –

Ichiyō Higuchi , real name or , was a Japanese writer from the Meiji Period. She was Japan's first professional female writer of modern literature, specialising in short stories and poetry, and also an extensive diarist. Biography Early life Natsuko Higuchi ...

, writer (b.

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

)

References

{{Asia topic, 1896 in 1890s in Japan

Years of the 19th century in Japan