Events in the year 1903 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 ...

. It corresponds to Meiji 36 (明治36年) in the

Japanese calendar Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written form starts with t ...

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 ...

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 ...

: Masaaki Nomura *Akita Prefecture: Shiba Sankarasu then Ichiro Tsubaki *Aomori Prefecture: Ichiji Yamanouchi then Katsutaro Inuzuka then Shotaro Nishizawa *Ehime Prefecture: Tai Neijro *Fukui Prefecture: Suke Sakamoto *Fukushima Prefecture:

Arita Yoshisuke Arita may refer to: *Arita (surname) *Arita, Saga, a town in Saga Prefecture, Japan :*Arita ware, a kind of Japanese porcelain made in the area around the town * ''Arita'' (skipper), a genus of butterflies in the grass skipper family *Arita, a bra ...

*Gifu Prefecture:

Kawaji Toshikyo Kawaji (written: 川路) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese politician *, pen name of Kawaki Makoto, Japanese poet and literary critic See also *Kawaji Station is a train station in Iida, Nagano Prefe ...

*Gunma Prefecture:

Yoshimi Teru Yoshimi is a unisex Japanese given name and can also be used as a surname. Possible writings *佳美, meaning "excellent, beautiful" *良美, meaning "good, beautiful" *好美, meaning "like, beautiful" *芳美, meaning "fragrant, beautiful" P ...

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 ...

Asada Tokunori Asada Tokunori (, November 21, 1848 – March 30, 1933) was a Japanese politician from the Meiji era. He served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture in 1897–1898 and 1898–1903, governor of Kanagawa Prefecture (1889–1891, 1898–1900), Nagano ...

then Tokuhisa Tsunenori *

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, ...

Chuzo Kono Chuzo may refer to the following people: * Ryuson Chuzo Matsuyama (1880-1954), Japanese landscape artist * Chuzo Tamotzu (1888-1975), Japanese painter * Antonio González Álvarez aka Chuzo (born 1940), Spanish footballer {{disambiguatio ...

then

Teru Terahara 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 ...

*Iwate Prefecture: Ganri Hojo *Kagawa Prefecture:

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 ...

*Kochi Prefecture: Kinyuu Watanabe then

Munakata Tadashi Munakata may refer to: *Munakata (surname) *Munakata, Fukuoka, a city in Japan *Munakata Taisha is a collection of three Shinto shrines located in Munakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the head of the approximately 6,000 Munakata shrines ...

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 ...

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 ...

* Kyoto Prefecture:

Baron Shoichi Omori Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

*Mie Prefecture: Kamon Furusha *

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 *Miyazaki Prefecture:

Toda Tsunetaro Toda may refer to: *Toda (surname), a Japanese surname *Queen Toda of Navarre (fl. 885–970) *Toda people *Toda language *Toda Embroidery *Toda lattice *Toda field theory *Oscillator Toda *Toda, Saitama, Japan * TODA Racing, who tune and race veh ...

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 ...

Seki Kiyohide Seki may refer to: Places * Seki, Gifu, a city in Japan * Seki River, a river in Japan * Şəki, a city and provincial capital in Azerbaijan * Şəki (village), a village and municipality in Azerbaijan * Šeki, a small town in Slovenia * Seki, ...

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

: Hiroshi Abe *Oita Prefecture: Marques Okubo Toshi Takeshi *

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 ...

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 ...

: Fai Kagawa *

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 ...

: Marquis Okubo Toshi Takeshi *

Shiga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the nort ...

Sada Suzuki Sada may refer to: People Given name *Sada Abe (1905–after 1971), Japanese convicted murderer, prostitute and actress * Sada Jacobson (born 1983), American Olympic fencer *Sada Thompson (1927–2011), American actress *Sada Vidoo (born 1977), Dan ...

*Shiname Prefecture: Ryogen Kaneo then

Matsunaga Takeyoshi Matsunaga (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Daniel Matsunaga, Japanese-Brazilian model, actor and football player currently based in the Philippines * Enzo Matsunaga, author *Futoshi Matsunaga, Japanese se ...

*Tochigi Prefecture: Sugai Makoto *Tokushima Prefecture: Saburo Iwao *

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 ...

: Baron Sangay Takatomi *Toyama Prefecture: Rika Ryusuke *Yamagata Prefecture: Tanaka Takamichi *Yamanashi Prefecture:

Takeda Chiyosaburo is a Japanese family name.1990 Census Name Files< ...

Events

*March 1 –

1903 Japanese general election General elections were held in Japan on 1 March 1903.Thomas T Mackie & Richard Rose (1991) ''The International Almanac of Electoral History'', Macmillan, p281 The Rikken Seiyūkai party remained the largest in the House of Representatives, winni ...

: The

Rikken Seiyūkai The was one of the main political parties in the pre-war Empire of Japan. It was also known simply as the ''Seiyūkai''. Founded on September 15, 1900, by Itō Hirobumi,David S. Spencer, "Some Thoughts on the Political Development of the Japane ...

party remained the largest in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, winning 175 of the 376 seats, but lost its majority. *July 7 – Momijigari, the oldest extant Japanese film, premiers. It runs until August 1. * Unknown date – Kagome was founded, as predecessor name was Aichi Tomato Food Processing in Tokai, Aichi

Prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

Births

* January 2 –

Kane Tanaka was a Japanese supercentenarian who, until her death at the age of , was the world's oldest verified living person following the death of Chiyo Miyako on 22 July 2018. She is the oldest verified Japanese person and the second-oldest verified ...

, supercentenarian (oldest verified Japanese person and the second oldest verified person ever) (d.

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

) *January 7 –

Mori Mari was a Japanese writer. New York University Professor Keith Vincent has called her a "Japanese Electra", referring to the Electra complex counterpart put forth by Carl Jung to Sigmund Freud's Oedipal complex. Early life and family Mari Mori w ...

, author (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 ...

) *January 25 –

Fumiko Kaneko or rarely Park Fumiko and Park Munja, was a Japanese anarchist and nihilist. She was convicted of plotting to assassinate members of the Japanese Imperial family. Early life Fumiko Kaneko was born in the Kotobuki district of Yokohama during the ...

, anarchist (d.

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

) *February 3 –

Yasutarō Yagi (3 February 1903 – 8 September 1987) was a Japanese screenwriter, mostly famous for his adaptations of literary works for the director Tomu Uchida in the 1930s, such as '' Jinsei gekijō'' and ''Kagirinaki zenshin'', and for his collaborati ...

, screenwriter (d.

) *February 5 –

Koto Matsudaira was a Japanese diplomat who served as an ambassador to the United Nations from 1957 to 1961. Biography Matsudaira was born in Tokyo on 5 February 1903, the eldest son of Ichisaburō Matsudaira, a shipowner, and Tami Yamamura. He attended high ...

, diplomat (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 ...

) *February 18 –

Tokihiko Okada (February 18, 1903 – January 16, 1934) was a silent film star in Japan during the 1920s and early 1930s. A native of Tokyo, he first started at the Taikatsu studio and later he was a leading player for Japanese directors such as Yasujirō ...

, silent film actor (d.

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

) *March 6 –

Empress Kōjun , born , was a member of the Imperial House of Japan, the wife of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and the mother of Shigeko Higashikuni, Princess Sachiko Hisa-nomiya, Kazuko Takatsukasa, Atsuko Ikeda, the Emperor Emeritus Akihito, Prince Masahito ...

, empress consort of Emperor

Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

(d.

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

) *March 30 –

Chiezō Kataoka (March 30, 1903 – March 31, 1983) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. Career Born in 1903 in Gunma Prefecture (his real name was Masayoshi Ueki), he was raised in Tokyo. As a child he began ...

, actor (d.

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

) *April 11 -

Misuzu Kaneko was a Japanese poet, known for her poetry for children. She was born in the fishing village of Senzaki, now part of Nagato, Yamaguchi prefecture. Motifs of fishing and the sea often make appearances in her poems. Celebrated during her lifetime ...

, poet (d.

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

) *May 19 - Shimoe Akiyama, Japanese supercentenarian (d.

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

) *June 8 –

Yukie Chiri was a Japanese transcriber and translator of Yukar (Ainu epic tales). Life Yukie Chiri was born into an Ainu people, Ainu family in Noboribetsu, Hokkaidō during the Meiji (era), Meiji era. At the time, increasing immigration of Japanese peopl ...

Ainu Ainu or Aynu may refer to: *Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japan and the Russian Far East *Ainu languages, a family of languages **Ainu language of Hokkaido **Kuril Ainu language, extinct language of the Kuril Islands **Sakhalin Ainu la ...

transcriber and translator (d.

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

) *June 22 –

Jiro Horikoshi was the chief engineer of many Japanese fighter designs of World War II, including the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter. Early life Jiro Horikoshi was born near the city of Fujioka, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, in 1903. Horikoshi graduated from the new ...

, aircraft designer and engineer (d.

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

) *August 3 –

Roppa Furukawa was a Japanese comedian. Career Furukawa was born the sixth son of Baron Katō Terumaro (1863–1925), making him the grandson of Baron Katō Hiroyuki. The family custom, however, was to have the younger sons adopted by related families, so Fur ...

, film actor (d.

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

) *September 7 – Kensaku Shimaki, writer (d.

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

) *October 1 –

Yoshiyuki Tsuruta (October 1, 1903 – July 24, 1986) was a Japanese swimmer. He won a gold medal in the Amsterdam Olympics and the Los Angeles Olympics. Biography Tsuruta was born in Ishiki Village, Kagoshima District, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan. (Present ...

, Olympic swimmer (d.

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

) *October 13 –

Takiji Kobayashi was a Japanese writer of proletarian literature. He is best known for his short novel '' Kanikōsen'', or ''Crab Cannery Ship'', published in 1929. It tells the story of the hard life of cannery workers, fishermen and seamen on board a cannery ...

, writer (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 3 – Shizue Shiono, film actor (d.

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

) *December 12 –

Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in t ...

, film director and screenwriter (d.

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

) *December 31 – Fumiko Hayashi, writer (d.

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

)

Deaths

*February 18 **

Prince Komatsu Akihito was a Japanese career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army, who was a member of the Fushimi-no-miya, one of the ''shinnōke'' branches of the Imperial Family of Japan, which were eligible to succeed to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Biography Early ...

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afg ...

(b. 1846) **

Onoe Kikugorō V was a Japanese Kabuki actor, one of the three most famous and celebrated of the Meiji period,"Onoe family" (尾上家, ''Onoe-ke'')Kabuki Encyclopedia(歌舞伎事典, ''kabuki jiten''). Japan Arts Council, 2001–2003. Accessed 30 May 2009. alon ...

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

actor (b. 1844) *April 28 –

Saigō Tanomo was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. Chief senior councilor (''hittōgarō'' 筆頭家老) of the Aizu clan, he achieved fame due to his distinguished action in the Boshin War. He adopted the name Hoshina Chikanori (保科近野里). ...

, Shinto priest, martial artist and former Samurai (b. 1830) *May 22 –

Misao Fujimura was a Japanese philosophy student and poet, largely remembered due to his farewell poem. Biography Fujimura was born in Hokkaidō. His grandfather was a former samurai of the Morioka Domain, and his father relocated to Hokkaidō after the Meij ...

, student and poet (b. 1886) *June 29 –

Rentarō Taki was a Japanese pianist and composer of the Meiji era. Taki was born in Tokyo, but moved to many places during his childhood owing to his father's job. He graduated from the Tokyo Music School in 1901. One of his famous pieces is " Kōjō no Tsuk ...

, pianist (b. 1879) *August 27 –

Kusumoto Ine Kusumoto Ine (, 31 May 182727 August 1903; born Shiimoto Ine ) was a Japanese physician. She was the daughter of Kusumoto Taki, who was a courtesan from Nagasaki; and the German physician Philipp Franz von Siebold, who worked on Dejima, an is ...

, physician, first female doctor of Western medicine in Japan (b. 1827) *September 13 –

Ichikawa Danjūrō IX was one of the most successful and famous Kabuki actors of the Meiji period (1868–1912). Ninth in the line of actors to hold the name Ichikawa Danjūrō, he is depicted in countless ''ukiyo-e'' actor prints (''yakusha-e''), and is widely cr ...

, kabuki actor (b. 1838) *October 30 –

Ozaki Kōyō was a Japanese author and poet. His real name was , and he was also known by various noms de plume including and . Biography Ozaki was the only son of Kokusai (), a well-known carver in the Meiji period. Ozaki is known as a classic Japanes ...

, author (b. 1868)

Notes

References

{{Asia topic, 1903 in 1900s in Japan

Years of the 20th century in Japan