Events from the year 1921 in Japan. It corresponds to Taishō 10 (大正10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), ...

: Taishō *

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

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 ...

(from November 25) *

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 ...

: **

Hara Takashi was a Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1918 to 1921. Hara held several minor ambassadorial roles before rising through the ranks of the Rikken Seiyūkai and being elected to the House of Representatives. Har ...

(until November 4) **

Takahashi Korekiyo Viscount was a Japanese politician who served as a member of the House of Peers, as Prime Minister of Japan from 1921 to 1922, and as the head of the Bank of Japan and Ministry of Finance. Takahashi made many contributions to Japan's develop ...

(from November 13)

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 ...

: Shunji Miyao (until 18 April); Hikoji Kawaguchi (starting 18 April) *Akita Prefecture: Ryoshin Nao *Aomori Prefecture: ** until 9 March: Hidehiko Michioka ** 9 March-28 September: Shundo Kahei ** starting 28 September: Yujiro Ozaki *Ehime Prefecture:

Toshio Mawatari Toshio is a common masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Toshio can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *敏夫, "agile, man" *敏男, "agile, man" *敏雄, "agile, male" *俊夫, "sagacious, man" *俊雄, "sagaci ...

(until 27 May); Juunosuke Miyazaki (starting 27 May) *Fukui Prefecture: Kohei Yuji (until 27 May); Josuke Shiraogawa (starting 27 May) *Fukuoka Prefecture:

Yasukouchi Asakichi Yasukouchi Asakichi (April 15, 1873 – July 15, 1927) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from May 1918 to April 1919. He was governor of Shizuoka Prefecture (1915-1918), Fukuoka Prefecture (1919-1922) and Kan ...

*Fukushima Prefecture: Miyata Mitsuo *Gifu Prefecture:

Kanokogi Kogoro Kanokogi (written: 鹿子木) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Rena Kanokogi (1935–2009), American judoka * Ryohei Kanokogi, Japanese judoka *, Japanese painter *, Japanese professor {{surname Japanese-language ...

(until 27 May); Manpei Ueda (starting 27 May) *Gunma Prefecture:

Muneyoshi Oshiba Muneyoshi is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese ''daimyō'' *, Japanese agricultural scholar *, Japanese sumo wrestler See also *, Japanese samurai under the Tokugawa clan, whose name was misread b ...

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 ...

Raizo Wakabayashi was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Shimane Prefecture (1908), Nara Prefecture (1909-1913), Yamanashi Prefecture (1913-1914), Saga Prefecture (1914-1915), Kagawa Prefecture (1915-1917), Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture o ...

(until 19 July);

Ichiro Yoda Ichiro Yoda (1860 – September 28, 1933) was a Japanese politician who served as the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from July 1921 to October 1922. Prior to that, he served as the governor of Gunma Prefecture (1912), and of Nagano Prefecture ...

(starting 19 July) *

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, ...

: Yuichiro Chikaraishi (until 27 May); Genjiro Moriya (starting 27 May) *Iwate Prefecture:

Takeo Kakinuma Takeo may refer to: * Takéo Province, a province of Cambodia **Doun Kaev (town), formerly known as Takéo, the capital of Takéo province *Ta Keo, an Angkorian temple in Cambodia *Takeo, Saga, a city in Saga Prefecture, Japan *Takeo (given name), ...

*Kagawa Prefecture: Yoshibumi Satake *Kochi Prefecture:

Abe Yoshihiko Abe or ABE may refer to: People and fictional characters * Shinzo Abe (1954–2022), former Prime Minister of Japan * Abe (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Abe (surname), a list of people and ...

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 ...

: Hikoji Kawaguchi (until 27 May); Sansuke Nakayama (starting 27 May) * Kyoto Prefecture:

Eitaro Mabuchi was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Yamagata Prefecture (1906-1912), Yamaguchi Prefecture (1914-1916), Mie Prefecture (1914-1916), Hiroshima Prefecture from April 1916 to May 1918, Kyoto Prefecture (1918-1921) and mayor of Kyot ...

(until July);

(starting July) *Mie Prefecture:

Haruki Yamawaki Haruki is both a masculine/neutral Japanese given name and a Japanese surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese-born theatre performer *, Japanese footballer *, Nippon Professional Baseball pla ...

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 ...

Mori Masataka Mori is a Japanese and Italian surname, and also a Persian pet name for Morteza. It is also the name of two clans in Japan, and one clan in India. Italian surname * Barbara Mori, Uruguayan-Mexican actress *Camilo Mori, Chilean painter *Cesa ...

(until 27 May); Yuichiro Chikaraishi (starting 27 May) *Miyazaki Prefecture: Naomiki Hirose (until 3 July); Goro Sugiyama (starting 3 July) *

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 ...

Tenta Akaboshi was a Japanese politician. He was governor of Kumamoto Prefecture (1913–1914), Yamaguchi Prefecture (1914–1915), Nagano Prefecture (1915–1921) and Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasa ...

(until 27 May);

Tadahiko Okada was a Japanese politician. He was governor of Saitama Prefecture (1916-1919), Nagano Prefecture (1921-1922) and Kumamoto Prefecture (1922-1923). Awards *1945 - Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January ...

(starting 27 May) *

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 ...

Ota Masahiro OTA or ota may stand for: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Off the Air'', an Adult Swim television series * Otakon, an annual anime convention in Baltimore, Maryland Electronics, science, and technology * Ochratoxin A (also termed OTA), a mycoto ...

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

Masao Kishimoto Masao Kishimoto ( ja, 岸本正雄) (October 1881 – May 20, 1963) was Director of the Karafuto Agency (December 17, 1931 – July 5, 1932). He was Governor of Akita Prefecture (1922–1924), Yamagata Prefecture (1924), Okayama Prefecture (1927� ...

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 ...

: Sōsuke Kawagoe (until 27 May); Jyun Wada (starting 27 May) *

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 ...

: Sawada Ushimaro (until 3 June);

Tominaga Tominaga (written: or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese fashion model and actress *Geovanna Tominaga Geovanna de Oliveira Tominaga (born April 12, 1980) is a Brazilian actress and television host. B ...

(starting 3 June) *

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 ...

: Horiuchi Hidetaro *Shiname Prefecture: Sanehide Takarabe *Tochigi Prefecture: Hiroyoshi Hiratsuka *Tokushima Prefecture: Rinpei Otsu (until month unknown) *

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 ...

: Hiroshi Abe (until 27 May); Katsuo Usami (starting 27 May) *Toyama Prefecture: Higashizono Motomitsu (until 24 December); Shida Jisho (starting 24 December) *Yamagata Prefecture:

(until 19 July); Morimoto Izumi (starting 19 July) *Yamanashi Prefecture:

Miki Nagano Miki may refer to: Places *Miki, Hyōgo, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan *Miki, Kagawa, a town in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan *Miki, Azerbaijan, a village in Astara Rayon, Azerbaijan People *Miki (given name) *Miki (surname) *Miki Núñez (born ...

Events

*January 15 –

Mitsubishi Electronics , established on 15 January 1921, is a Japanese multinational electronics and electrical equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi. The products from MELCO include elevators ...

was separate section from Mitsubishi Shipbuildings (now

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the predecessor of Mitsubishi Mo ...

) which was founded in Ōsone,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

. *January Unknown date –

Komatsu Limited or () is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures construction, mining, forestry and military equipment, as well as diesel engines and industrial equipment like press machines, lasers and thermoelectric generators. Its headquarte ...

was founded, as predecessor name was Komatsu Ironworks. *September –

Sempill Mission The Sempill Mission was a British naval aviation technical mission led by Captain William Forbes-Sempill. and sent to Japan in September 1921, with the objective of helping the Imperial Japanese Navy develop its aeronaval forces. The mission con ...

sent by Britain to Japan, with the objective of helping the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

develop its aeronaval forces. *October 16 –

Janome Sewing Machine is a Japanese company that produces sewing machines, with manufacturing plants in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. The company name until September 30, 2021 is . History The Pine Sewing Machine factory was founded on 16 October 1921. In 1935, the ...

founded. *November 4 – Prime Minister

is assassinated at

Tokyo Station Tokyo Station ( ja, 東京駅, ) is a railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is ...

. *November 12 –

Washington Naval Conference The Washington Naval Conference was a disarmament conference called by the United States and held in Washington, DC from November 12, 1921 to February 6, 1922. It was conducted outside the auspices of the League of Nations. It was attended by nine ...

opens at

Memorial Continental Hall The Memorial Continental Hall in Washington, D.C. is the national headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). It is located at 1776 D Street NW, sharing a city block with the DAR's later-built Administration Building, and Con ...

Hall in downtown

Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. *November 25 – Crown Prince

is made

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

in place of his ailing

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

. *December 13 – In the

Four-Power Treaty The was a treaty signed by the United States, Great Britain, France and Japan at the Washington Naval Conference on 13 December 1921. It was partly a follow-on to the Lansing-Ishii Treaty, signed between the U.S. and Japan. This was a treaty r ...

on Insular Possessions,

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 ...

, the United States, United Kingdom, and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

agree to recognize the status quo in the Pacific. *Termination of

Anglo-Japanese Alliance The first was an alliance between Britain and Japan, signed in January 1902. The alliance was signed in London at Lansdowne House on 30 January 1902 by Lord Lansdowne, British Foreign Secretary, and Hayashi Tadasu, Japanese diplomat. A dip ...

. * Ladies' Agreement *Unknown date –

Otsuka Pharmaceutical (), abbreviated OPC, is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo, Osaka and Naruto, Japan. The company was established August 10, 1964. History OPC's parent company Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd. joined the Tokyo Stock Exchange through an ini ...

(大塚製薬) founded in Naruto, Shikoku Island.

Births

*January 3 –

Natsuko Kahara was a Japanese stage and film actress. She was a member of the Bungakuza theatre company and regularly appeared in the films of director Mikio Naruse. During her 50 years spanning career, she also worked for directors such as Yasujirō Ozu, Aki ...

, actress (d.

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

) *January 26 –

Akio Morita was a Japanese businessman and co-founder of Sony along with Masaru Ibuka. Early life Akio Morita was born in Nagoya. Morita's family was involved in sake, miso and soy sauce production in the village of Kosugaya (currently a part of Tokoname ...

, businessman and co-founder of Sony Corporation (d.

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

) *February 9 –

Junzo Shono was a Japanese novelist. A native of Osaka, he began writing novels after World War II. He won the 1954 Akutagawa Prize for his book ''Purusaido Shokei'' (''Poolside Scene''). Shōno's other award-winning books include ''Seibutsu'' (''Still Life' ...

, writer (d.

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

) *February 11 –

Edward Seidensticker Edward George Seidensticker (February 11, 1921 – August 26, 2007) was an American noted post-World War II scholar, historian, and preeminent translator of classical and contemporary Japanese literature. His English translation of the epic '' Th ...

, scholar, historian, and translator (d.

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

) *February 14 –

Toshiko Taira was a Japanese textile artist who was based in Okinawa. She created , a cloth made from the fibre of the ''Musa basjoo'', otherwise known as the Japanese fibre banana plant. Taira became a designated Living National Treasure of Japan in 2000. ...

, textile artist (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 ...

) *March 19 –

Heitaro Nakajima was a Japanese digital audio pioneer, who led Sony's Compact Disc project in the 1970s. Born in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Nakajima graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1944, and ...

, engineer (d.

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

) *April 20 –

Michiko Inukai was a Japanese Roman Catholic author and philanthropist. She was the founder of the Michiko Inukai Foundation, which provides financial aid for refugees seeking education. Biography Michiko Inukai was born in Yotsuya, Tokyo, the eldest daughte ...

, writer and philanthropist (d.

) *December 20 –

Kosuke Gomi was the pen-name of Yasusuke Gomi, a Japanese novelist active during the Shōwa period of Japan. He is primarily known for his popular fiction on historical themes. Life and career Gomi was born in the Namba neighborhood of Osaka. His parents ...

, novelist (d.

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

)

Deaths

*January 13 –

Ijuin Gorō Marshal Admiral Baron was a Meiji-period career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Life and career Born in what is now part of Kagoshima city, as the son of a ''samurai'' retainer of Satsuma domain, he fought as a Satsuma ''samurai'' and ...

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

(b. 1852) *June 19 – Nabeshima Naohiro, politician and former

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

(b. 1846) *September 28 –

Yasuda Zenjirō was a Japanese entrepreneur from Toyama, Etchu Province (present-day Toyama Prefecture) who founded the Yasuda zaibatsu (安田財閥). He donated the to the University of Tokyo. He was a maternal great-grandfather of Yoko Ono via his adop ...

, entrepreneur, founder of the Yasuda zaibatsu (b. 1838) *November 4 –

, Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1856) *November 5 – Yusuke Hashiba, archaeologist, historian and anthropologist (b.

1851 Events January–March * January 11 – Hong Xiuquan officially begins the Taiping Rebellion. * January 15 – Christian Female College, modern-day Columbia College, receives its charter from the Missouri General Assembly. ...

) *December 29 – Hayashi Yūzō, politician (b. 1842)

References

{{Asia topic, 1921 in 1920s in Japan Years of the 20th century in Japan