Events in the year 1945 in Japan. 1945 was the last year of World War II and the first year of the Allied occupation.

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), ...

: Hirohito *

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 ...

: Kuniaki Koiso,

Kantarō Suzuki Baron was a Japanese general and politician. He was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, member and final leader of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association and Prime Minister of Japan from 7 April to 17 August 1945. Biography Early l ...

Prince Higashikuni General was a Japanese imperial prince, a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 30th Prime Minister of Japan from 17 August 1945 to 9 October 1945, a period of 54 days. An uncle-in-law of Emperor Hirohito twice over, Prince H ...

, Kijuro Shidehara *Minister of War: Gen Sugiyama,

Korechika Anami was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II who was War Minister during the surrender of Japan. Early life and career Anami was born in Taketa city in Ōita Prefecture, where his father was a senior bureaucrat in the Home M ...

*Minister of the Navy:

Mitsumasa Yonai was a Japanese general and politician. He served as admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Minister of the Navy, and Prime Minister of Japan in 1940. Early life and career Yonai was born on 2 March 1880, in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, the firs ...

Supreme Commander Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the United States-led Allied occupation of Japan following World War II. It issued SCAP Directives (alias SCAPIN, SCAP Index Number) to the Japanese government, aiming to suppress its "milit ...

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

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 ...

: ** until 21 April: Shinji Yoshino ** 21 April-10 June: Tadayoshi Obata ** starting 10 June: Ryuichi Fukumoto *Akita Prefecture: Tadashi Hisayasuhiroshi (until 27 October); Kinsaburo Ikeda (starting 27 October) *Aomori Prefecture: Hiroo Oshima (until 21 April);

Motohiko Kanai Motohiko (written: 元彦 or 基彦) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * (1905-1998), Japanese ski jumper * Motohiko Eguchi, Japanese Judo athlete *Motohiko Hino Motohiko "Toko" Hino (January 3, 1946 in To ...

(starting 21 April) *Ehime Prefecture: ** until 21 April: Chiyoji Kizawa ** 21 April-27 October: Hiroyuki Doi ** starting 27 October: Shotaro Toshima *Fukui Prefecture: Hatsuo Kato (until 21 April); Eminai Miyata (starting 21 April) *Fukushima Prefecture: Koichi Kameyama (until 27 October); Ishii Masakazu (starting 27 October) *Gifu Prefecture: ** until 21 October: Masami Hashimoto ** 21 April-27 October: Okino Saturo ** starting 27 October: Yoshihira Nomura *Gunma Prefecture: Toshio Takahashi *

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 ...

: ** until 21 April:

Mitsuma Matsumura Mitsuma Matsumura (January 8, 1894 – April 10, 1970) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from Aug. 1, 1944 to Apr. 21, 1945. He was also governor of Tochigi Prefecture (1936–1937) and Kanagawa Prefecture ...

** 21 April-10 June:

Korekiyo Otsuka Isei Otsuka (大塚惟精, ''Ōtsuka Isei'', December 11, 1884 – August 6, 1945) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from April to June 1945. He was also governor of Tochigi Prefecture (1924–1926), Fukuoka ...

** 10 June-11 October: Genshin Takano ** 11 October-27 October: Kyuichi Kodama ** starting 27 October:

Tsunei Kusunose was the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from October 1945 to 1950. Kusunose was appointed to his position as governor at a time when the city of Hiroshima was in destruction following the first use of the nuclear bomb in August 1945. He was ...

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, ...

: ** until 21 April:

Hisashi Imai is a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is known as lead guitarist of the rock band Buck-Tick since 1983. He has also performed in musical side-projects such as Schaft (1991–1994, 2015), Schwein (2001), and more recently Lucy (2004). Ca ...

** 21 April-19 August: Masami Hashimoto ** starting 19 August: Yoji Tomosue *Iwate Prefecture: Tamemasu Miyata (until 21 April); Tamemasu Miyata (starting 21 April) *Kagawa Prefecture: ** until 21 January: Yoshiji Kosuga ** 21 January-21 April: Osamu Mori Izumi ** 21 April-26 October: Masami Kimura ** starting 26 October: Shogo Tanaka *Kochi Prefecture: ** until 21 April: Saburo Takahashi ** 21 April-25 October: Kurihara Haya ** starting 25 October: Nagano Yoshitatsu *

Kumamoto Prefecture is a 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 the northeast, M ...

: Soga Kajimatsu (until 27 October); Hirai Fumi (starting 27 October) * Kyoto Prefecture: ** until June: Arai Zentaro ** June-October: Shigeo Miyoshi ** starting October: Atsushi Kimura *Mie Prefecture: ** until 21 May: Yoshio Mochinaga ** 21 May-27 October: Shigeo Shimizu ** starting 27 October: Kobayashi Chiaki *

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 ...

: ** until 10 June: Tsurukichi Maruyama ** 10 June-27 October: Motome Ikezumi ** starting 27 October: Saburo Chiba *Miyazaki Prefecture:

Akira Taniguchi 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 ...

(until 27 October); Tadao Annaka (starting 27 October) *

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 ...

: Yasuo Otsubo (until 27 October); Monobe Kaoruro (starting 27 October) *

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 ...

: ** until 1 February: Hatada Masatomi ** 1 February-9 April: Kingo Chisato ** starting 9 April: Hatada Masatomi *Oita Prefecture: Motoharu Nakamura (until 27 October) * Okinawa Prefecture: ** until 3 April: Osamu Mori Izumi ** 12 January-3 April:

Akira Shimada was the last governor of Okinawa Prefecture before Japan's defeat in 1945. He died during the Battle of Okinawa. Early years Born in Suma-ku, Kobe in 1901, Akira Shimada was the first-born son of a physician. He studied in the Department of ...

** starting 20 August: Koshin Shikiya *

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 ...

: Miyazaki Kenta (until 27 October); Genichi Okimori (starting 27 October) *

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 ...

: Ryuichi Fukumoto (until 19 August); Sekigaiyo Otoko (starting 19 August) *Shiname Prefecture: Takeo Yamada (until 12 September); Kiyoshi Ito (starting 12 September) *Tochigi Prefecture: Soma Toshio *

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 ...

: Nisho Toshizo (until 23 August); Hisatada Hirose (starting 23 August) *Toyama Prefecture: Shigero Okamoto (until 27 October); Keiichi Yoshitake (starting 27 October) *Yamagata Prefecture: ** until 21 April: Michio Murayama ** 21 April-27 October: Zhi Sasayama ** starting 27 October: Michio Murayama

Events

*February 18 - U.S. Marines land on Iwo Jima. *March 10 - Major bombing of

*March 12 - First bombing of

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 ...

. *March 13 - First bombing of

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

. *March 26 - U.S. forces win the Battle of Iwo Jima, defeating the last remaining troops led by

Tadamichi Kuribayashi General was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, part-time writer, haiku poet, diplomat, and commanding officer of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff. He is best known for having been the commander of the Japanese garrison at the bat ...

. *April 7 - The Japanese battleship Yamato is sunk. *April 7 - Suzuki forms his cabinet. *May 24 - Second major bombing of Tokyo. *May 29 - First bombing of

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

. *July 26 - Allies issue

Potsdam Declaration The Potsdam Declaration, or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender, was a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S. Truman, Uni ...

; Japan refuses to agree to its terms. *August 6 -

Atomic bombing of Hiroshima The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...

. *August 8 - Soviet Union declares war on Japan. *August 9 - Atomic bombing of Nagasaki. *August 15 - Last Allied bombing of Japan takes place in

Odawara is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in the far western por ...

and

Tsuchizaki is a neighbourhood located in Akita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan. , the neighbourhood had an estimated population of 21,310 and a population density of 3,400 persons per km². The total area of the neibourhood is . Annexed by the city in 1941 ...

. *August 15 - Emperor Hirohito declares Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. *August 30 - Douglas MacArthur arrives in Japan. *September 2 - Japanese officials sign instrument of surrender on the deck of the ''

USS Missouri Four ships of the United States Navy have been named USS ''Missouri'' in honor of the state of Missouri: *, a sidewheel frigate launched in 1841 and destroyed by fire in August 1843 *, a ''Maine''-class battleship in service from 1900 to 1922. *, a ...

''. *24 September - Hirohito says that he did not want war and blames Tojo for the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

*October 2 - Office of the

is established at the Dai-Ichi Seimei Building in Tokyo. *October 5 - Higashikuni cabinet resigns. *October 9 - Shidehara cabinet is formed. *October 15 - Peace Preservation Law is repealed. *October 31 – A news agency, Dōmei, officially disbanded, on following day, the

news agency A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and All-news radio, radio and News broadcasting, television Broadcasting, broadcasters. A news agency may ...

operation in nationwide, which separated into Kyōdō News Service and

Jiji Press is a news agency in Japan. History Jiji was formed in November 1945 following the breakup of Domei Tsushin, the government-controlled news service responsible for disseminating information prior to and during World War II. Jiji inherited Dom ...

. *November 6 – According to

Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard of Japan. The Japan Coast Guard consists of about 13,700 personnel and is responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Th ...

official confirmed report, a passenger ship ''Toyo-maru No 10'', capsized off Hakata Island, Seto Inland Sea,

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

, 397 persons were perished. *November 12 – According to

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

official confirmed report, a large scale explosion, while to Allied Peacekeeping Forces were disposing of weapons hidden by

Japanese Imperial Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

in Futamata Tunnel in Soeda,

Kyushu Island is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

, 147 persons were human fatalities and 149 persons were wounded. *December 9 – According to Japan Coast Guard official confirmed report, a passenger ship ''Sekirei-maru'' capsized by

overcapacity Capacity utilization or capacity utilisation is the extent to which a firm or nation employs its installed productive capacity. It is the relationship between output that ''is'' produced with the installed equipment, and the potential output whi ...

and rough sea off

Akashi Akashi may refer to: People *Akashi (surname) Places *Akashi, Hyōgo *Akashi Station, a Japanese railroad station on the Sanyō Main Line *Akashi Strait *Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, crossing the former *Akashi Castle *Akashi Domain * Akashi, the name ...

, Hyogo Prefecture, total 304 persons were their lost to lives. :ja:せきれい丸沈没事故 (Japanese language edition) Retrieved date on 19 October 2021. *December 17 - Women's suffrage is granted in Diet elections. *December 18 - House of Representatives is dissolved: Diet elections called for April 1, 1946.

Births

*January 6:

Toshiko Hamayotsu (January 6, 1945 - November 29, 2020) was a Japanese politician of the New Komeito Party who served as a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan, Diet (national legislature) from 1992 to 2010. She was born in Taipei, Taiwan (then ...

, politician *January 29:

Yoko Shinozaki is a Japanese volleyball player and Olympic champion. She was a major player to help Japanese women's national volleyball team to dominate the World in 1962-67 by winning 1962 FIVB Women's World Championship The 1962 FIVB Women's Wo ...

, volleyball player *February 16: Masataka Itsumi, television announcer and singer (died 1993) *February 25:

Toshikatsu Matsuoka was a Japanese politician who served as the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from 2006 until his suicide in 2007 amid a financial scandal. Early life and education He was born in Aso, Kumamoto, Kyūshū on 25 February 1945. Hi ...

, politician (died 2007) *March 7:

Sadakazu Tanigaki is a Japanese politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1983 to 2016, as Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2006, as President of the Liberal Democratic Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2009 to 2012, as Minist ...

, politician *March 13:

Sayuri Yoshinaga is a Japanese actress and activist. She has won four Japan Academy Best Actress awards, more than any other actress, and has been called "one of the foremost stars in the postwar world of film." Career Her first media appearance was in the rad ...

, actress *March 14:

Komaki Kurihara is a Japanese stage and film actress. She has appeared in 30 films since 1967. She starred in the 1974 film ''Sandakan No. 8'', which was entered into the 25th Berlin International Film Festival. In 1975 she was a member of the jury at the 9th ...

, actress *June 9: Yūji Aoki, manga artist (died 2003) *June 14:

Hiroshi Miyauchi is a Japanese actor and singer from Chiba Prefecture. Miyauchi graduated from Nihon University. In 1969, he signed with Toei Company and made his film debut with ''Nagasaki Blues''. He first attracted attention after landing a role in a televisio ...

, actor *July 6:

Kyōzō Nagatsuka is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best actor at the 24th Yokohama Film Festival for '' The Laughing Frog''. Filmography Film Television References External links * 1945 births Living people Japanese male actors People fr ...

, actor *July 7:

Ikezawa Natsuki is a Japanese poet, novelist, essayist and translator. He draws upon the relationship between civilization and nature in his writing, among other themes. Ikezawa translates a wide variety of writing, from contemporary Greek poetry to modern novel ...

, author *July 10:

Katsuji Mori is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. He is most known for the roles of Go Mifune (''Mach GoGoGo''), Joe Shimamura/009 (''Cyborg 009'' 960s, Ken the Eagle ('' Science Ninja Team Gatchaman''), Jouji Minami ('' Tekkaman: The Sp ...

, voice actor and narrator *July 19:

Kenji Kimura is a Japanese former volleyball player who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: M ...

, volleyball player *July 25:

Masakatsu Morita was a Japanese political activist who committed ''seppuku'' with Yukio Mishima in Tokyo. Morita was the youngest child of the headmaster of an elementary school. Losing both parents at the age of three, Morita was cared for by his brother Osamu ...

, Tatenokai member (died 1970) *August 6:

Yoshinori Sakai was the Olympic flame torchbearer who lit the cauldron at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. Biography Sakai was born on the day of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He was chosen for the role to symbolize Japan's postwar reconstruction a ...

, Olympic flame torchbearer (died 2014) *August 20: Tomio Sumimoto, sprint canoer *August 22:

Tamori , known by his stage name (an anagram of his surname), is a Japanese television celebrity. Known for his trademark dark sunglasses, Tamori is one of the "big three" television comedians in Japan along with Takeshi Kitano (a.k.a. Beat Takeshi ...

, entertainer *September 3:

Fusako Shigenobu is a Japanese communist activist and founder of the disbanded militant group Japanese Red Army (JRA).< ...

, leader of the

Japanese Red Army The was a militant communist organization active from 1971 to 2001. It was designated a terrorist organization by Japan and the United States. The JRA was founded by Fusako Shigenobu and Tsuyoshi Okudaira in February 1971 and was most active i ...

*September 12:

Yumiko Fujita Yumiko Fujita (藤田弓子; born 12 September 1945 in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese actress. Selected filmography Film * '' If You Were Young: Rage'' (1970) * ''Under the Flag of the Rising Sun'' (1972) * ''Karafuto 1945 Summer Hyosetsu ...

, actress *October 2:

Shigenobu Murofushi is a retired Japanese hammer thrower. He competed at the 1972, 1976 and 1984 Olympics and finished in 8th, 11th and 14th place, respectively.Kiyoko Suizenji, enka singer *October 19:

Shigeo Nakata is a Japanese wrestler and Olympic champion in Freestyle wrestling. He also won a gold medal at the 1967 World Wrestling Championships and at the 1966 Asian Games. Olympics Nakata competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City wh ...

, wrestler *October 25:

Keaton Yamada is a Japanese former actor, voice actor and narrator from Mikasa, Hokkaidō. He switched from going by his real name, Shunji Yamada, to going by Keaton Yamada in the 1980s. He is currently represented by Remax. On December 5, 2020, it was anno ...

, voice actor and narrator *November 16:

Haruko Okamoto is a Japanese figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in Londo ...

, figure skater *December 15:

Kimiko Kasai (born December 15, 1945 in Kyoto, Japan) is a retired Japanese jazz singer. Biography Kimiko was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1945. She first became interested in jazz at the age of 13 after hearing Chris Connor's song "All About Ronnie" on the radio ...

, jazz singer *December 23:

Noriko Tsukase was a Japanese voice actress and chanson singer active during the 1970s and 1980s. Her most popular roles included Spank in ''Ohayō! Spank'', Miss Alphonne in the original '' Cutie Honey'' TV series and Non (as well as Furu-Furu the cat) in ''Maj ...

, voice actress (died 1989)

Deaths

*January 9:

Shigekazu Shimazaki , was a Japanese career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II. Biography Shimazaki was a native of Ōita Prefecture and a graduate of the 57th class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1929, ranking 31st of 1 ...

, career officer *February 26: Sanji Iwabuchi *March 22:

Takeichi Nishi Colonel Baron was an Imperial Japanese Army officer, equestrian show jumper, and Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. He was a tank unit commander at the Battle of Iwo Jima and was killed in action during the defense of t ...

*March 26:

*April 1:

Gōtarō Ogawa was an economist, educator, politician and cabinet minister in the pre-war Empire of Japan. Background Ogawa was born in Satoshō, Okayama as the son of Murayama Kikuzo, but was adopted into a prominent family of doctors in Okayama. He graduat ...

*May 11:

Kiyoshi Ogawa Kiyoshi Ogawa ( ja, 小川清 ''Ogawa Kiyoshi'', October 23, 1922 – May 11, 1945) was a Japanese naval aviator ensign () of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. As a kamikaze pilot, Ensign Ogawa's final action took place on May 11, ...

, naval aviator (suicide) *March 17: Tatsugo Kawaishi, swimmer (b. 1911) *April 16:

Toshiko Tamura was the pen-name of an early modern feminist novelist in Shōwa period Japan. Her birth name was . Biography Tamura was born in the plebeian Asakusa district of Tokyo,Esashi, p.37 where her father was a rice broker. At the age of seventeen ...

, novelist (b. 1884) *May 16:

Shintarō Hashimoto was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Biography Hashimoto was born in Wakayama prefecture. He graduated from the 41st class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1913. He was ranked 43rd in a class of 118 cadets. A ...

, admiral (b.

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

) *May 21:

Prince Kan'in Kotohito was the sixth head of a cadet branch of the Japanese imperial family, and a career army officer who served as Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff from 1931 to 1940. During his tenure as the Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army Ge ...

, Chief of Army General Staff (b. 1865) *June 3: Fusashige Suzuki, athlete *June 7:

Kitaro Nishida was a Japanese moral philosopher, philosopher of mathematics and science, and religious scholar. He was the founder of what has been called the Kyoto School of philosophy. He graduated from the University of Tokyo during the Meiji period in 1 ...

, philosopher (b. 1870) *June 22:

Isamu Chō was an officer in the Imperial Japanese Army known for his support of ultranationalist politics and involvement in a number of attempted coup d'états in pre-World War II Japan. Biography Chō was a native of Fukuoka prefecture. He graduated ...

, officer (suicide) *June 23:

Mitsuru Ushijima was a Japanese general who served during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. He was the commanding general of the 32nd Army, which fought in the Battle of Okinawa during the final stages of the war. Ushijima's troops were defeated, ...

, general (suicide) *August 6:

Senkichi Awaya was a Japanese public official who was killed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima while he was its mayor. He was one of the key figures in the historic clash between the Japanese police and the Imperial Japanese Army in 1933. He is also kn ...

, mayor of Hiroshima *August 15: **

, war leader (suicide) **

Matome Ugaki was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, remembered for his extensive and revealing war diary, role at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and kamikaze suicide hours after the announced surrender of Japan at the end of the war. ...

, admiral *August 16:

Takijirō Ōnishi was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II who came to be known as the father of the ''kamikaze''. Early career Ōnishi was a native of Ashida village (part of present-day Tamba City) in Hyōgo Prefecture. He graduated fr ...

, admiral (suicide) *August 17: Shimaki Kensaku, author (b. 1903) *August 20:

Masahiko Amakasu was an officer in the Imperial Japanese Army imprisoned for his involvement in the Amakasu Incident, the extrajudicial execution of anarchists after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, who later became head of the Manchukuo Film Association. B ...

, officer (suicide) *August 24: **

Midori Naka Midori Naka (Japanese: 仲みどり) (19 June 1909 – 24 August 1945) was a Japanese stage actress of the Shingeki style. She initially survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, but died 18 days later. She was the first per ...

, stage actress (b. 1909) **

Shizuichi Tanaka was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and Japanese Military Governor of the Philippines during World War II. Biography Early life and military service Tanaka was born in Issai village, Hyōgo prefecture (now part of the city of Tatsun ...

, general (suicide) *September 9:

Yoshitsugu Tatekawa was a lieutenant-general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He played an important role in the Mukden Incident in 1931 and as Japanese ambassador to the Soviet Union he negotiated the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact in 1941. Biograp ...

, lieutenant-general *September 12:

Hajime Sugiyama was a Japanese field marshal and one of the leaders of Japan's military throughout most of World War II. As Army Minister in 1937, Sugiyama was a driving force behind the launch of hostilities against China in retaliation for the Marco Polo Bri ...

, field marshal (suicide) (b. 1880) *September 14:

Kunihiko Hashida was a Japanese physician and physiologist. Hashida was born in Tottori in 1882. He became a medical professor of Tokyo Imperial University. He also became the Headmaster of the First Higher School in 1937. He served as the Minister of Educa ...

, physician and physiologist (suicide) *September 20: Chōtoku Kyan, Okinawan karate master *September 26:

Kiyoshi Miki was a Japanese philosopher, literary critic, scholar and university professor. He was an esteemed student of Nishida Kitarō and a prominent member of the Kyoto School. Miki was a prolific academic and social critic of his time. He also had ...

, philosopher *October 15:

Mokutaro Kinoshita was the pen-name of a Japanese author, dramaturge, poet, art historian and literary critic, as well as a licensed doctor specializing in dermatology during Taishō and early Shōwa period Japan. His other pen names included Horikason (� ...

, author, Dramaturge, poet, art historian and literary critic *October 18:

Yoshiki Hayama was a Japanese author associated with the Japanese proletarian literature Proletarian literature refers here to the literature created by left-wing writers mainly for the class-consciousness, class-conscious proletariat. Though the ''Encyclopæ ...

, writer (b. 1894) *October 28:

Kesago Nakajima was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese forces under Nakajima's command committed the 1937 Nanking Massacre. Biography A native of Oita prefecture, Nakajima attended military preparat ...

, lieutenant-general *November 30: Shigeru Honjō, general (suicide) *December 13: Goro Shiba, military leader during the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

(b. 1860) *December 16: Fumimaro Konoe, former prime minister (suicide) (b. 1891)

References