Events from the year 1897 in Japan.

Incumbents

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

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 ...

: Matsukata Masayoshi

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 then

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 ...

*Akita Prefecture: Saburo Iwao *Aomori Prefecture: Naomasa Maki then Ichiro Konoshu *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 origin ...

then Yutori Kojiro then Park Shin Maki Naomasa *Fukui Prefecture: Kunizo Arakawa then Denzaburo Hatano then Shingo Seki *Fukushima Prefecture:

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 acto ...

then Kimumichi Nagusami *Gifu Prefecture: Sukeo Kabayama then Yoshinori Yumoto *Gunma Prefecture:

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 ...

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 ...

then Asada Tokunori *

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, ...

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 ...

then

Prince Kiyoshi Honba A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

*Iwate Prefecture: Ichizo Hattori *Kagawa Prefecture: 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 ...

: Kanetake Oura * Kyoto Prefecture: Baron Nobumichi Yamada then Baron Utsumi Tadakatsu *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 ...

Minoru Katsumata Minoru is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Minoru Arakawa (荒川實, born 1946), Japanese former president of Nintendo of America *Minoru Chiaki (千秋実, 1917–1999), Japanese actor *Minoru Fujita (� ...

then Sukeo Kabayama *Miyazaki Prefecture: Senda Sadakatsuki *

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 ...

then Gondo Ka'nichi * Niigata Prefecture: Asada Tokunori then

*Oita Prefecture: Yasuhiko Hirayama then Shigetoo Sugimoto *

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 ...

then Tokito Konkyo *

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 ...

Akira Oyama Akira may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Akira'' (franchise), a Japanese cyberpunk franchise ** ''Akira'' (manga), a 1980s cyberpunk manga by Katsuhiro Otomo ** ''Akira'' (1988 film), an anime film adaptation of the manga ** ''Akira'' (vide ...

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 ...

: 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 ...

then Hikoji Nakamura *Tochigi Prefecture: Sato Nobu then

then Sento Kiyoshi *

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 ...

: Marquis Michitsune Koga then Viscount Okabe Nagahon *Toyama Prefecture: Ando Kinsuke then Tsurayuki Ishida *Yamagata Prefecture: Shuichi Kinoshita then Kikuchi Karasu

Events

*January 17 – A first issue

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

Kahoku Shinpō is a Cities of Japan, city located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 35,188 in 12787 households, and a population density of 550 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Kahoku is locate ...

was published in

. *May – Opening of the Kyoto National Museum. *June 1 – Opening of

Matsugishi Station is a junction passenger railway station in the city of Chōshi, Chiba, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Matsugishi Station is served by the Sōbu Main Line and Narita Line, and is located 117.3 km from the ...

in Chōshi, Chiba. *June 10 – Founding of the publishing company Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha. *June 18 – establishment of

Kyoto University , mottoeng = Freedom of academic culture , established = , type = National university, Public (National) , endowment = ¥ 316 billion (2.4 1000000000 (number), billion USD) , faculty = 3,480 (Teaching Staff) , administrative_staff ...

under the name Kyoto Imperial University.

Births

*March 2 –

Shizue Kato Shizue (written: 静江, しずえ in hiragana or シヅエ in katakana) is a feminine Japanese given name, also romanized as Shidzue. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese idol, actress and singer *, Japanese activist and politician * ...

, politician and activist (d.

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

) *March 28 –

Yusuke Hagihara was a Japanese astronomer noted for his contributions to celestial mechanics. Life and work Hagihara graduated from Tokyo Imperial University with a degree in astronomy in 1921 and became an assistant professor of astronomy there two years ...

, astronomer (d.

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

) *April 19 –

Jiroemon Kimura was a Japanese supercentenarian who lived for 116 years and 54 days. He became the verified oldest man in history on 28 December 2012, when he surpassed the age of Christian Mortensen (1882–1998), as well as, so far, the only man who has li ...

, supercentenarian, oldest man ever, world's oldest living person from December 2012 to June 2013. (d.

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

) *October 10 –

Shigeji Tsuboi was an influential Japanese poet of the modern era of Japanese literature. He was cofounder (with Hagiwara Kyojiro) of the Dadaist-Anarchist poetry journal ''Aka tokuro'' (Red and Black, 1923–24) and ''Bungei Kaiho'' (Literary liberation, 1927) ...

, poet (d.

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

) *October 23 –

Yae Ibuka Yae, YAE or yae may refer to: * Yae, also known as Ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic drink in South America * Yae (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter (Ԙ ԙ) * Yae (Goemon), a video game character from ''Goemon'' * yae, the ISO 639 code for the Yaruro langu ...

, nurse (d.

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

) *November 12 –

Eddie Imazu Edwin "Eddie" Imazu (12 November 1897 – 29 May 1979) was a Japanese-American art director and production designer, whose 50-year career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood included television and movie credits. A 1936 Academy Award ...

, art director (d.

) *November 17 –

Kinichiro Sakaguchi was a Japanese agricultural chemist and microbiologist. He was born in Niigata prefecture. He is the inventor of the ''Sakaguchi flask'', a round-bottom long-neck shake flask. In Jōetsu, Niigata, a sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; als ...

, agricultural chemist and microbiologist (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 ...

) *November 28 –

Chiyo Uno was a Japanese author and kimono designer. She was known for her contributions to Japanese fashion, film, and literature. Early years Uno was born in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi. In 1915, she was fired from her job as a teacher's assistant due to an ...

, writer and author (d.

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

) *December 8 –

Prince Fushimi Hiroyoshi was the eldest son of Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu, and heir-apparent due to inherit the position of 24th head of the Fushimi-no-miya shinnōke (collateral branch of the Imperial Family of Japan), and a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. ...

, naval officer (d.

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

; myocardial infarction)Fujitani,T. Splendid Monarchy: Power and Pageantry in Modern Japan. University of California Press; Reprint edition (1998). *December 26 –

Unno Juza was the pen name of Sano Shōichi (佐野昌一), the founding father of Japanese science fiction. He was born to a family of medical doctors in Tokushima city. In 1928 he opened his writer’s career with ''The case of the mysterious death i ...

, writer, founding father of Japanese science fiction (d.

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

)

Deaths

*August 24 –

Mutsu Munemitsu Count was a Japanese statesman and diplomat in Meiji period Japan. Early life Mutsu Munemitsu was born in Wakayama domain, Kii Province as the sixth son of Date Munehiro, a ''samurai'' retainer of the Kii Tokugawa clan. His father was activ ...

, statesman and diplomat (b. 1844) *November 29 –

Mitsukuri Rinsho Mitsukuri (written: 箕作 or 三栗) is a Japanese surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family na ...

, statesman and legal scholar (born

1846 Events January–March * January 5 – The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Country with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. * January 13 – The Milan–Venice railway' ...

)

References

{{Asia topic, 1897 in 1890s in Japan Years of the 19th century in Japan