Events in the year 1953 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), ...

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 ...

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 ...

Shigeru Yoshida (22 September 1878 – 20 October 1967) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1954. Yoshida was one of the longest-serving Japanese prime ministers, and is the third-long ...

(

Liberal Democratic Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into diff ...

) *

Chief Cabinet Secretary The is a member of the cabinet and is the leader and chief executive of the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan. The Chief Cabinet Secretary coordinates the policies of ministries and agencies in the executive branch, and also serves as the government ...

Taketora Ogata was a Japanese journalist, Vice President of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and later a politician. During the war, he joined the Imperial Rule Assistance Association. After the end of the war, he was purged from public service. Later, he became t ...

until March 24, Kenji Fukunaga *Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

: Kōtarō Tanaka *President of 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 ...

: Banboku Ōno until March 14,

Yasujirō Tsutsumi was a Japanese entrepreneur, politician, and business tycoon who founded a dynasty which became the wealthiest, most influential family of 20th century Japan. Tsutsumi served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan from May 19 ...

from May 18 *President of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, ...

Naotake Satō was a Japanese diplomat and politician. He was born in Osaka, graduated from the Tokyo Higher Commercial School (東京高等商業学校, ''Tōkyō Kōtō Shōgyō Gakkō'', now Hitotsubashi University) in 1904, attended the consul course of ...

until May 19, Yahachi Kawai

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 ...

Mikine Kuwahara Mikine Kuwahara (桑原幹根, ''Kuwahara Mikune'', August 29, 1895 – April 11, 1991) was a Japanese Home Ministry government official. He was born in Yamanashi Prefecture. He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo. He was twice governor of Ai ...

*Akita Prefecture:

Tokuji Ikeda was a after '' Kagen'' and before '' Enkyō.'' This period spanned the years from December 1306 through October 1308. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1306 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The pr ...

*Aomori Prefecture:

Bunji Tsushima Bunji or Bunji-ye may refer to: Places * Bunji-ye Karbasi, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran * Bunji-ye Maski, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran * Bunji-ye Saheli Latidan, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran * Bunji, Pakistan, a town in G ...

*Chiba Prefecture:

Hitoshi Shibata Hitoshi (written: , , , , , , , , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese politician *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese baseba ...

*Ehime Prefecture: Sadatake Hisamatsu *Fukui Prefecture: Harukazu Obata *Fukuoka Prefecture:

Katsuji Sugimoto Katsuji is both a masculine Japanese given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *, better known as Mr. Hito, Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese photographer *Katsuji Hasegawa Katsuji Hasegawa (born 3 May 1 ...

*Fukushima Prefecture:

Sakuma Ootake Sakuma (written: 佐久間) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Akira Sakuma (born 1952), Japanese video game designer *, Japanese ice hockey player *Kumi Sakuma (born 1976), Japanese voice actress *Rei Sakuma (born 19 ...

*Gifu Prefecture:

Kamon Muto Kamon may refer to: * Kamon (name) *Mon (emblem), also known as kamon (家紋), a Japanese heraldic symbol * Kamon, Israel, a village See also * Camon (disambiguation) * Kumon (disambiguation) *Cimon Cimon or Kimon ( grc-gre, Κίμων; – 45 ...

*Gunma Prefecture:

Shigeo Kitano Shigeo (written: 茂雄, 茂生, 茂男, 茂夫, 成雄, 成男, 重雄, 重男, 重夫, 繁雄, 繁男, 晟郎, 殖生 or 滋雄) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese swimm ...

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 ...

Hiroo Ōhara was the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from 1951 to 1962. References 1894 births 1971 deaths People from Hiroshima Governors of Hiroshima {{Japan-politician-stub ...

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

Toshifumi Tanaka Toshifumi is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Toshifumi can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Some examples: *敏文, "agile, literature" *敏史, "agile, history" *敏郁, "agile, aroma/progress" *� ...

*Hyogo Prefecture:

Masaru Sakamoto is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Masaru can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *勝, "excel" *優, "excel" *大, "large" *将 or 將, "commander" The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana. ...

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, ...

: Yoji Tomosue *

Ishikawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,140,573 (31 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,186 km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to ...

: Wakio Shibano *Iwate Prefecture:

Kenkichi Kokubun Kenkichi (written: 健吉, 謙吉, 鎌吉, 鍵吉 or 憲吉) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese weightlifter *, Japanese mathematician *, Japanese businessman *, Japanese nobleman *, Japanese spor ...

*Kagawa Prefecture:

Masanori Kaneko Masanori is a masculine Japanese name, Japanese given name. Kanji and meaning The name Masanori is generally written with two kanji, the first read and the second read , for example: *Starting with ("correct"): **: second kanji means "rule" o ...

*Kagoshima Prefecture:

Katsushi Terazono Katsushi (written: 克志, 克史, 勝志, 豪氏 or かつし in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese animator *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese editor *, Japanese ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

: Iwataro Uchiyama *Kochi Prefecture: Wakaji Kawamura *

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 ...

: Saburō Sakurai * Kyoto Prefecture: Torazō Ninagawa *Mie Prefecture:

Masaru Aoki was a Japanese Sinologist. Works Aoki wrote an article named "Hu Shih and the Chinese Literary Revolution" which was published in ''Chinese Study'' (T: 支那學, S: 支那学, P: ''Zhīnà Xué'') in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Aoki's w ...

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 ...

: Otogorō Miyagi *Miyazaki Prefecture: Nagashige Tanaka *

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 ...

: Torao Hayashi *Nagasaki Prefecture:

Takejirō Nishioka Takejirō, Takejiro or Takejirou (written: 竹二郎 or 武次郎) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * (1853–1938), Japanese publisher * (1867–1935), Japanese politician {{DEFAULTSORT:Takejiro Japanese ...

*Nara Prefecture: Ryozo Okuda *

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 ...

Shohei Okada is a Japanese footballer who plays as a forward for Nankatsu SC are a Japanese football club based in Katsushika, Tokyo. They play in the Kantō Soccer League. As the club aims for a future qualification to the J.League, they currently hol ...

*Oita Prefecture: Tokuju Hosoda *

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 ...

Yukiharu Miki was a Japanese physician and politician. He served as Governor for the Okayama Prefecture

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 ...

: Bunzō Akama *

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 ...

: Naotsugu Nabeshima *

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 ...

Yuuichi Oosawa Yūichi, Yuichi, or Yuuichi is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yūichi can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *勇一, "courage, 1" *祐一, "to help, 1" *祐市, "to help, cit ...

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 ...

: Kotaro Mori *Shiname Prefecture:

Yasuo Tsunematsu Yasuo is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yasuo can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *安雄, "tranquil, male" *安男, "tranquil, man" *安夫, "tranquil, husband" *安� ...

*Shizuoka Prefecture:

Toshio Saitō 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 ...

*Tochigi Prefecture: Juukichi Kodaira *Tokushima Prefecture: Kuniichi Abe *

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 ...

: Seiichirō Yasui *Tottori Prefecture: Shigeru Endo *Toyama Prefecture:

Kunitake Takatsuji Kunitake (written: 国威, 国武 or 邦武) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese women's footballer *, Japanese businessman *, Japanese historian *, Japanese politician Kunitake (written: 国武) ...

*Wakayama Prefecture:

Shinji Ono is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for J1 League club Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. Career Urawa Reds Ono grew up in the Shizuoka Prefecture and began his professional career with Urawa Reds in the J1 League in 1998. ...

*Yamagata Prefecture: Michio Murayama *Yamaguchi Prefecture:

Tatsuo Tanaka Tanaka Tatsuo (Japanese: 田中龍夫, Tanaka Tatsuo; September 20, 1910 – March 30, 1998) was a Japanese politician and baron. He was the eldest son of Prime Minister Tanaka Giichi. Early life and education Born on September 20, 1910, in ...

(until 24 March); Taro Ozawa (starting 30 April) *Yamanashi Prefecture:

Hisashi Amano Hisashi is a masculine Japanese given name. Its meaning differs depending on the kanji used to write it. Kanji Single kanji used to write the name Hisashi include: *: "long time" *: "eternal" *: "still" *: "standard" *: "complete" *: "long" *: "li ...

Events

* ''date unknown'' – The Japanese

10 yen coin The is one denomination of the Japanese yen. The obverse of the coin depicts the Phoenix Hall of Byōdō-in, a Buddhist temple in Uji, Kyoto prefecture, with the kanji for "Japan" and "Ten Yen". The reverse shows the numerals "10" and the date ...

is issued with serrated edges for a 5-year period, beginning in 1953. All 10 yen coins since have had smooth edges. * June–August – Heavy massive rain, landslides, and flooding in western and southwestern Japan kill an estimated 2,566, and injure 9,433, mainly at

Kizugawa is a city located in southern Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is the southernmost city in the prefecture and it is named after the Kizu River, a tributary of the Yodo River, which runs through the city. Kizugawa City is a part of the Kansai Science ...

Wakayama Wakayama may refer to: *Wakayama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan *Wakayama (city) Wakayama City Hall is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 351,391 in 157066 househol ...

Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

, and

Kitakyushu is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fuku ...

. * January 4 –

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestri ...

Radio broadcasts its first live marathon coverage. * June 18 –

Tachikawa air disaster The occurred on the afternoon of Thursday, June 18, 1953 when a United States Air Force (USAF) Douglas C-124 Globemaster II aircraft crashed three minutes after takeoff from Tachikawa, Japan, killing all 129 people on board. At the time, the cr ...

- 129 die after a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

Douglas C-124 Globemaster II The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shaky", is an American heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. The C-124 was the primary heavy-lift transport for United States Air Force (USAF ...

crashes shortly after taking off from

Tachikawa Airfield is an airfield in the city of Tachikawa, the western part of Tokyo, Japan. Currently under the administration of the Ministry of Defense, it has also served as the civil aviation with Japan's first scheduled air service. History Origins Tach ...

. * June 25 – 1953 North Kyushu flood hit in

Chikugo River The flows through Kumamoto, Ōita, Fukuoka and Saga prefectures in Japan. With a total length of , it is the longest river on Kyūshū. It flows from Mount Aso and empties into the Ariake Sea. It is also nicknamed "Chikushijirō". The up ...

and

area, 1013 persons were human fatalities, 2775 persons were hurt, according to

Japanese government The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state, c ...

official confirmed report. * July 20 – 1953

Kii Peninsula The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is named after the ancient Kii Province. Overview The area south of the “ Central Tectonic Line” is called , and is home to reef-like coral communities which are amongst ...

flood, according to Japanese government official confirmed report, 1124 persons were human fatalities, 5819 persons were wounded. * August 15 – 1953 South Yamashiro flood, 429 person were human fatalities, with 994 person were hurt, according to Japanese government official confirmed report. * September 23 – 1953 Typhoon Tess, 478 person were human fatalities, with 2559 persons were hurt, Japanese government official confirmed report. * December 25 – The

Amami Islands The The name ''Amami-guntō'' was standardized on February 15, 2010. Prior to that, another name, ''Amami shotō'' (奄美諸島), was also used. is an archipelago in the Satsunan Islands, which is part of the Ryukyu Islands, and is southwest o ...

are returned to Japan from the

US military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six Military branch, service branches: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States N ...

following 8 years of occupation. File:Usa, Kokura in 1953.JPG, A flood swept damage in Kokura of 1953 North Kyushu flood File:Okawara Station water damage.jpg, Damage in Ōkawara station by 1953 South Yamashiro Flood

Births

* January 9 **

Shigeru So (born 9 January 1953 in Usuki, Ōita) is a retired long-distance runner from Japan, who represented his native country at two Summer Olympics: 1976 and 1984. He won the 1985 edition of the Tokyo Marathon. His twin brother Takeshi So is also a re ...

, former long-distance runner **

Takeshi So is a retired long-distance runner from Japan, who represented his native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. He won the 1976 edition of the Košice Peace Marathon in Czechoslovakia. His twin brother is also a retired ...

, former long-distance runner * January 29 -

Yorie Terauchi is a Japanese actress and voice actress from Tokyo, Japan. Filmography Television animation *''Detective Conan'' (1997) – Etsuko (eps 88–89); Takako (ep 53) *'' In the Beginning: The Bible Stories'' (1997) – Eve *'' Fighting Spirit'' (2 ...

, actress * February 4 -

Kitarō , born (February 4, 1953), is a Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger noted for his electronic music, electronic-instrumental music, instrumental music, and is often associated with and regarded as one of the most p ...

New Age music New-age is a genre of music intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management to bring about a state of ecstasy rather than tr ...

ian * February 13 -

Kaoru Kurimoto was the pen name of , a Japanese novelist. Imaoka also used the pen name to write criticism and music. She was known for her record-breaking 130-volume ''Guin Saga'' series, which has been translated into English, German, French, Italian and Ru ...

, novelist and 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 23 –

Satoru Nakajima is a Japanese former racing driver. He is a five-time Japanese Top Formula champion, and was the first full-time Japanese Formula One driver. Accordingly, he is responsible for several firsts for Japanese drivers in Formula One, including bei ...

, racing car driver * February 28 -

Kōzō Murashita was a Japanese singer-songwriter who was born in Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan. He died of a brain hemorrhage after hitting his head at a rehearsal in 1999.Walk-Don't Run – The Story of the Ventures Discography Singles Titles listed as: '' ...

, singer and songwriter (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 ...

) * March 18 -

Takashi Yoshimatsu is a Japanese classical music composer. He is well known for composing the 2003 remake of ''Astro Boy''. Biography Yoshimatsu was born and raised in Yoyogi, Tokyo. He did not receive formal musical training while growing up. Yoshimatsu was a fa ...

, composer * May 1 –

Mayumi Aoki is a Japanese swimmer. She competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in the 100 m and 200 m butterfly and 4 × 100 m medley relay and won a gold medal in the 100 m butterfly. She won a bronze medal in this event at the 1973 World Aquatics Champion ...

, swimmer * May 4 –

Masashi Ebara , better known as , is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Kanagawa Prefecture. He is affiliated with Aoni Production. He had roles in the '' Initial D'' series (as Jōshima Toshiya "God Hand"), ''Naruto'' (as Might Guy), ''Eat-Man'' ...

, actor and voice actor * June 4 -

Susumu Ojima is a Japanese entrepreneur who was a founder and chairman of Huser Co., Ltd. Biography In 1953, he was born in Shikama, Kami District, Miyagi Prefecture. In 2005, he became the focus of attention in a scandal involving architectural forgery. ...

, entrepreneur * June 6 -

June Yamagishi June Yamagishi (山岸潤史, born Junshi Yamagishi, June 6, 1953) is a Japanese guitarist based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the guitarist for bands Papa Grows Funk and the Wild Magnolias. History Yamagishi was born in Ise City, Mie Pref ...

, Japanese guitarist * July 12 –

Akinobu Mayumi is the former manager (baseball), manager for the Hanshin Tigers baseball team in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. After serving 3 seasons (2009–2011) with the team, he was released in October after failing to make the 2011 play-offs. He ...

, former professional baseball player and coach * July 14 –

Katsuya Okada is a Japanese politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of Japan from January to December 2012. A member of the House of Representatives of Japan, he was the President of the Democratic Party (Japan, 2016), Democratic Party, and previously of th ...

, politician * July 19 -

Shōichi Nakagawa was a Japanese conservative politician in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), who served as Minister of Finance from 24 September 2008 to 17 February 2009. He previously held the posts of Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Ministry of ...

, politician (d.

) * July 31 -

Tōru Furuya is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. As a child, he was a member of Gekidan Himawari, a children's acting troupe. He is currently employed by the talent management firm Aoni Production. Furuya is most known for the anime roles of Amur ...

, actor, voice actor and narrator * August 4 – Masataka Nashida, former professional baseball player and coach * November 28 -

Taeko Onuki is a Japanese singer and songwriter. She is influential in the city pop genre. Early life and career Taeko Onuki was born in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, in 1953. Her father was Kenichiro Onuki, a member of the Japanese Special Attack Units during ...

, singer-songwriter * December 6 -

Masami Kurumada is a Japanese manga artist and writer, known for specializing in fighting manga featuring bishōnen and magical boy. He is the founder of the manga studio Kurumada Productions or Kurumadapro for short. He is famous as the creator/author of popu ...

, manga artist and writer * December 9 –

Hiromitsu Ochiai Hiromitsu Ochiai (落合博満 ''Ochiai Hiromitsu'', born December 9, 1953) is a Japanese professional baseball manager and former player. He is former manager of the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He is considered to b ...

, former professional baseball player and coach * December 17 -

Ikue Mori (born 17 December 1953), also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, electronic musician, composer, and graphic designer. Mori was awarded a "Genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation in 2022. Biography Ikue Mori was born and raised in Japan. She sa ...

, drummer, composer, graphic designer * December 28 -

Tatsumi Fujinami (born December 28, 1953) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE on a legend's contract. Fujinami is most well known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. H ...

, professional wrestler

Deaths

* January 4 -

Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu , was the second son of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako), a younger brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. As a member of the Imperial House of Japan, he was the patron of several ...

* February 19 -

Nobutake Kondō was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. As commander of IJN 2nd Fleet, the Navy's principal detached force for independent operations, Kondō was regarded as second in importance only to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Biog ...

, admiral * May 28 -

Tatsuo Hori was a Japanese translator and writer of poetry, short stories and novels. Early life Born in Tokyo, Hori studied Japanese literature at Tokyo Imperial University under Saisei Murō and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. In addition to Japanese writers of ...

, writer, poet and translator (b.

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

) * July 7 -

Tsumasaburō Bandō was one of the most prominent Japanese actors of the twentieth century. Famous for his rebellious, sword fighting roles in many jidaigeki silent films, he rose to fame after joining the Tōjiin Studio of Makino Film Productions in Kyoto in ...

, actor * September 7 -

Nobuyuki Abe was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Governor-General of Korea, and Prime Minister of Japan. Early life and military career Abe was born on November 24, 1875, in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, the son of former samurai Abe Nobumitsu. H ...

, politician, military leader,

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 ...

References

{{Asia topic, 1953 in Years of the 20th century in Japan

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 ...

1950s in Japan