Events from the year 1966 in Japan. Under 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 ...

, this year is known as Shōwa 41.

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 ...

Eisaku Satō was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1972. He is the third-longest serving Prime Minister, and ranks second in longest uninterrupted service as Prime Minister. Satō entered the National Diet in 1949 as a membe ...

(

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 ...

: Tomisaburo Hashimoto until August 1,

Kiichi Aichi was a Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ...

until December 3,

Kenji Fukunaga was a Japanese politician who was Chief Cabinet Secretary on four separate occasions, and, as well as serving in various other cabinet positions, was also appointed as Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan. He was also seen as an in ...

*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 ...

Kisaburo Yokota was a Japanese international legal scholar. He served as the 3rd Chief Justice of Japan from 1960 to 1966. He graduated from the University of Tokyo#History, Tokyo Imperial University and later served on its faculty. He received the Degree of Doc ...

until August 5,

Masatoshi Yokota Masatoshi Yokota ( ja, 横田正俊, Yokota Masatoshi; January 11, 1899 – July 1, 1984) was the 4th Chief Justice of Japan (1966–1969). He was born in Hakodate, Hokkaido. He graduated from the University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo ...

from August 6 *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 ...

: Kikuchirō Yamaguchi until December 3, Kentarō Ayabe until December 26 *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, ...

Yūzō Shigemune Yūzō, Yuzo or Yuuzou is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yūzō can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *勇三, "courage, 3" *悠三, "calm, 3" *雄三, "male, 3" *優三, "ge ...

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:

Yūjirō Obata Yūjirō, Yujiro or Yuujirou is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yūjirō can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Some examples: *勇二郎, "courage, 2, son" *勇次郎, "courage, next, son" *勇治郎 ...

*Aomori Prefecture:

Shunkichi Takeuchi Shunkichi (written: 俊吉 or 駿吉) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese field hockey player *, Japanese photographer {{given name Japanese masculine given names ...

*Chiba Prefecture:

Taketo Tomonō Taketo (written: 岳人 or 勇人) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese basketball player and coach *Taketo Gohara Taketo Gohara is a record producer and sound designer who has collaborated with ...

*Ehime Prefecture: Sadatake Hisamatsu *Fukui Prefecture:

Eizō Kita Eizō, Eizo or Eizou (written: 栄三, 栄蔵, 英三, 英蔵 or 永三) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese politician *, Japanese painter *, Japanese gymnast *, Japanese musician *, Japanese film ...

*Fukuoka Prefecture:

Taichi Uzaki Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called "shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. Ta ...

*Fukushima Prefecture: Morie Kimura *Gifu Prefecture: Yukiyasu Matsuno (until 16 October);

Saburō Hirano is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Saburō can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *三郎, "third son" *三朗, "three, bright" The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana. People with the name ...

(starting 17 October) *Gunma Prefecture: Konroku Kanda *

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 ...

Iduo Nagano was the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from 1962 to 1973. In 1974 was elected as a member of the upper house of the Japanese parliament. References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagano, Iduo 1918 births 1981 deaths People from Hiroshima University o ...

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 ...

Kingo Machimura was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Toyama Prefecture (1941–1943), governor of Niigata Prefecture (1945) and the second Governor of Hokkaido (1959–1971). He was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Liberal Democr ...

*Hyogo Prefecture:

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 ...

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, ...

: Nirō Iwakami *

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 ...

Yōichi Nakanishi Yōichi Nakanishi ( ja, 中西陽一) (September 23, 1917 – February 2, 1994) was Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture (1963–1994). He was a graduate of Kyoto University and a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) The , frequently ab ...

*Iwate Prefecture: Tadashi Chida *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:

Masumi Mizobuchi Masumi is a unisex Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese hurdler * Masuumi Juma, a Japanese voice actor *Masumi Aya, a Japanese hammer thrower * Masumi Fuchise, a Japanese racewalker * Masumi Hayashi (disambiguation ...

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 ...

: Kōsaku Teramoto * Kyoto Prefecture: Torazō Ninagawa *Mie Prefecture: Satoru Tanaka *

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 ...

: Shintaro Takahashi *Miyazaki Prefecture: Hiroshi Kuroki *

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 ...

Gon'ichirō Nishizawa was a Japanese politician and essayist. He was born in Nagano Prefecture. He was a graduate of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology The commonly known as TUAT is a Japanese national university headquartered in Fuchū, Tokyo. This univ ...

*Nagasaki Prefecture:

Katsuya Sato is both a masculine Japanese given name and a Japanese surname. Possible writings *克也, "gram, to be" *勝也, "win, to be" *勝矢, "win, arrow" *勝哉, "win, how" *勝夜, "win, night" *活耶, "active, father" *活弥, "active, extensive, ...

*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 ...

: Juichiro Tsukada (until 28 March);

Shiro Watari Shiro, Shirō, Shirow or Shirou may refer to: People * Amakusa Shirō (1621–1638), leader of the Shimabara Rebellion * Ken Shiro (born 1992), Japanese boxer * Shiro Azumi, Japanese football player 1923–1925 * Shiro Ichinoseki (born 1944), ...

(starting 8 May) *Oita Prefecture:

Kaoru Kinoshita Kaoru is a Japanese given name for males or females. Name Meanings The name's meaning varies depending on its written form: *薫/郁/芳 — "fragrance", common for both males and females *馨/香 — "fragrance", more common for females ...

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 ...

: Takenori Kato *

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 ...

: Gisen Satō *

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 ...

: Sunao Ikeda *

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 ...

: Hiroshi Kurihara *

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 ...

: Kyujiro Taniguchi (until 6 December); Kinichiro Nozaki (starting 7 December) *Shiname Prefecture: Choemon Tanabe *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:

Nobuo Yokokawa Nobuo (written: , , , , , in hiragana or in katakana) is a masculine, Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese basketball player *Nobuo Fujita (1911–1997), Warrant Flying Officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy *, J ...

*Tokushima Prefecture: Yasunobu Takeichi *

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 ...

: Ryōtarō Azuma *Tottori Prefecture:

Jirō Ishiba is a stand-alone Japanese given name along with " Tarō", and a common name suffix for males. Possible writings Jirō can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: * 次郎, "next, son" * 次朗, "next, melodious" * 二郎, "s ...

*Toyama Prefecture: Minoru Yoshida *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: Tōkichi Abiko *Yamaguchi Prefecture:

Masayuki Hashimoto Masayuki (written: , ,, , , , , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese animator and director *, Japanese actor *, Japanese baseball player and manager *, Japanese politician *, ...

*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

*January 9 - The Kanai Building fire in

Kawasaki City is a Cities of Japan, city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, one of the main cities of Greater Tokyo Area and Keihin Industrial Area. It is the second most populated city in Kanagawa Prefecture after Yokohama, and the List of cities in Japan, eight ...

leaves 12 dead, 14 injured. *February 4 -

All Nippon Airways Flight 60 was a Boeing 727-81 aircraft making a domestic commercial flight from Sapporo Chitose Airport to Tokyo Haneda International Airport. On February 4, 1966, all 133 people on board died when the plane mysteriously crashed into Tokyo Bay about ...

crashes into

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous a ...

, killing all 133 people on board. *March 4 -

Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 402 On March 4, 1966, Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 402 (CP402) struck the approach lights and a seawall during a night landing attempt in poor visibility at Haneda Airport in Japan. Of the 62 passengers and 10 crew, only 8 passengers survived. ...

crashes while landing at night with poor visibility at

Tokyo International Airport , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary ...

, with 64 out of 72 on board killed. *March 5 -

BOAC Flight 911 BOAC Flight 911 (call sign "Speedbird 911") was a round-the-world flight operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) that crashed near Mount Fuji in Japan on 5 March 1966, with the loss of all 113 passengers and 11 crew members ...

crashes while encountering severe

Clear-air turbulence In meteorology, clear-air turbulence (CAT) is the turbulent movement of air masses in the absence of any visual clues, such as clouds, and is caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet. The atmospheric region most suscepti ...

over

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...

shortly after taking off from

, killing all 124 on board. * March 11 – A spa hotel caught fire in

Minakami, Gunma is a town located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 18,383 in 7938 households, and a population density of 24 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Much of the town is within the borders of Jōshin ...

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 ...

, causing 30 deaths, 29 injuries, according to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report. * March 25 – Hachinohe Rinkai Line was opened. *April 1 - Japan switches to the

Metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the Decimal, decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in French Revolution, France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the d ...

. *April 26 - Japan's biggest postwar public transportation strike. *August 22 – Frontier Tea Product Manufacturing, as predecessor of

Ito En () is a Japanese multinational drinks company specializing in tea production, distribution, and sales. Ito En is the largest green tea distributor in Japan. The Ito En Group includes subsidiaries based in Japan, Indonesia, the United States, Aus ...

founded in

Shizuoka City is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in both population and area. It has been populated since prehistoric times. the city had an estimated population of 690,881 in 106,087 households, and ...

. *September 25 – Two typhoons Helen and Ida landed in Japan on same days, 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, total 317 persons were human fatalities with 824 persons were hurt. *November 11 -

All Nippon Airways Flight 533 All Nippon Airways Flight 533, registration JA8658, was a NAMC YS-11 en route from Osaka, Japan, to Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku. It was the fifth crash in Japan in 1966 and the second one experienced by All Nippon Airways that year, the f ...

crashes into the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka ...

, killing all 50 on board. *Undated ** Yamanashi Women's Junior College is founded.

Births

* January 5 -

Yuri Amano is a Japanese voice actress who is affiliated with Arts Vision. Her real name, as well as her former stage name is . Her best known role is Kiyone Makibi in the ''Tenchi Muyo!'' franchise. Other major roles include Asako Nakamura in ''Ushio and ...

, voice actress * January 17 - Jyoji Morikawa, author and illustrator * January 17 -

Hiroko Mita is a Japanese actress and former idol singer. Mita debuted as an idol singer in 1982, the same year as Kyōko Koizumi and Akina Nakamori. Her first single, "Kakete Kita Otome" reached number 21 on the Oricon Singles Chart., and her second sin ...

, actress * January 28 -

Seiji Mizushima is a Japanese anime director who is known for such series as ''Shaman King'', ''Fullmetal Alchemist'', ''Mobile Suit Gundam 00'', ''Un-Go'', and ''Concrete Revolutio''. His first directorial film project, '' Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conque ...

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

director * January 31 -

Nobuyuki Hoshino is a Japanese former Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher. See also * List of top Nippon Professional Baseball strikeout pitchers The following is a list of Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers who have recorded at least 2,000 strikeouts. I ...

, former professional baseball pitcher * February 4 -

Kyōko Koizumi (born February 4, 1966) is a Japanese singer and actress. She is signed to Victor Entertainment. Career In 1981, Kyoko Koizumi participated and won the Star Tanjo! programme and released her 1st single in March 1982. She gained her first num ...

, actress and singer * February 5 -

Maiko Kawakami is a Swedish-born Japanese actress who has starred in numerous movies and TV serials. She is a graduate of Keio University through distance education. Biography Maiko debuted on an NHK drama titled ''Kizuna''. In 1980, she starred in the sec ...

, actress * March 7 -

Atsushi Sakurai is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He has been the vocalist of the rock band Buck-Tick since 1985, previously being their drummer from 1983. He released the solo album '' Ai no Wakusei'' in 2004 and was also a member of Schwein alongsi ...

, singer (

Buck-Tick Buck-Tick (stylized as BUCK-TICK) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band, formed in Fujioka, Gunma in 1983. The group has consisted of lead vocalist Atsushi Sakurai, lead guitarist Hisashi Imai, rhythm guitarist Hidehiko Hoshino, bassist Yutaka Hig ...

) * April 3 - Mina Tominaga, voice actress * April 19 -

El Samurai Satyam Kumar (born 06 August 1997), known professionally as Technical Satyam, is an Indian YouTube personality based in the UAE. Chaudhary is notable for producing YouTube videos concerning graphics and technology in English and Hindi. In 2020, ...

, professional wrestler * April 27 -

Yoshihiro Togashi is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age, before being recognized for his talent by publishing company Shueisha while attending college. Togashi has authored several manga series in different genres during the past thr ...

, author and illustrator * June 26 -

Yūko Minaguchi is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator from Bunkyō, Tokyo. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. In 2012, Minaguchi took a nineteen-month-long hiatus from acting in order to study abroad in the United States. This resulted in Shino ...

, voice actress * July 11 -

Kentaro Miura was a Japanese manga artist. He was best known for his acclaimed dark fantasy series '' Berserk'', which began serialization in 1989 and continued until his death. As of 2021, ''Berserk'' had more than 50 million copies in circulation, making i ...

, manga artist (died

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

) * July 15 -

Masatoshi Nagase is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's '' Cold Fever'' and Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train''. Nagase was described by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as "one of the great unsung heroes of Japane ...

, actress * July 25 -

Wataru Takagi is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is affiliated with Arts Vision. He is best known for his roles in ''Detective Conan'' (as Genta Kojima and Wataru Takagi), ''After War Gundam X'' (as Garrod Ran), '' Slayers Try'' ( ...

, voice actor * July 28 -

Shikao Suga is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter from Tokyo known for writing the theme songs for several anime, movies and commercial ads. His name in kanji is . He uses katakana as his professional name. Prior to career Suga went to Kosei Gakue ...

, singer * August 4 -

Kensuke Sasaki is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and founder of the now-defunct wrestling promotion Diamond Ring. Sasaki is the first of four men ever to hold all three of '' puroresus major heavyweight titles (the IWGP Heav ...

, professional wrestler * August 14 -

Honami Suzuki is a Japanese actress. Career Suzuki began acting after high school and debuted at age 19 in the television drama ''Asobi Ja Nai No Yo, Kono Koi Wa'' (TBS, 1986). Her breakthrough came in 1991 with the role of Rika in the Fuji TV television ad ...

, actress * August 30 -

Mikako Kotani is a Japanese former synchronized swimmer who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics, where she gained a bronze medal each for the solo and duet events, and the 1992 Summer Olympics. She was the first woman to be Japan's flag-bearer for the 198 ...

, former synchronised swimming athlete * September 2 - Yu Hayami, singer and actress * September 11 -

Kiko, Princess Akishino , born ; 11 September 1966), is the wife of Fumihito, Crown Prince Akishino. The Crown Prince is the younger brother and heir presumptive of Emperor Naruhito of Japan and the second son of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko. ...

, wife of

Fumihito, Prince Akishino is the younger brother and heir presumptive of Emperor Naruhito of Japan and the younger son of Emperor emeritus Akihito and Empress emerita Michiko. Since his marriage in June 1990, he has had the title and has headed his own branch of the im ...

* October 8 - Toshiro Yufune, former professional baseball pitcher * October 27 -

Masanobu Takashima is a Japanese film and television actor. Career He has appeared in over 20 television productions and ten films in Japan and other countries as well. Takashima appeared as Daisuke Matoba in the 2008 film '' L: Change the World'' (also known a ...

, actor * October 31 -

Koji Kanemoto (born Kim Il-Sung (김일성); October 31, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler of Zainichi Korean descent. He has previously worked with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. He is currently a freelancer. Professional wrestl ...

, professional wrestler * November 2 -

Yoshinari Ogawa (born November 2, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler who currently works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He has earned the nickname of "Rat Boy" from the English-speaking Puroresu fanbase due to his sneaky, clever in-ring tactics and baiting his ...

, professional wrestler * November 6 -

Kae Araki is a Japanese voice actress from Osaka, Japan. After standing in for Kotono Mitsuishi, the voice of Usagi Tsukino in the series '' Sailor Moon'', when she had appendicitis, Araki was given the role of Chibiusa in the same series. While training ...

, voice actress * November 13 - Mieharu, actor * November 28 -

Narumi Yasuda is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best actress at the 8th Yokohama Film Festival for '' Inujini seshi mono'', '' Minami e Hashire, Umi no Michi o!'' and ''Sorobanzuku''. She also won the award for best actress at the 13th Hochi Film A ...

, actress * December 12 -

Último Dragón (born December 12, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler and actor, better known as . In addition to having trained in Japan, Asai learned to wrestle in the lucha libre style while working in Mexico. He is credited with popularizing the "Asa ...

, professional wrestler * December 17 -

Yuko Arimori is a Japanese professional marathon runner and a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Career Arimori competed for Japan in the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano ...

, former marathon runner * December 22 -

Sayuri Kokusho Sayuri may refer to: People

* Sayuri (given name) * Sayuri (musician) (born 1996), Japanese musician * Yakob Sayuri (born 1997), Indonesian footballer {{disambig ...

, actress * December 27 -

Masahiro Fukuda is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. He was a forward but sometimes played in the midfield. Club career After studying at and playing for Sagami Institute of Technology High School and Chuo University, Fuk ...

, former footballer

Deaths

* January 10 -

Nishizō Tsukahara , was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Biography Tsukahara was born in Fukui Prefecture, but his official residence was Kofu city, Yamanashi Prefecture, where he was raised. Tsukahara graduated from the 36th class of ...

, admiral (b.

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

) * March 6 -

Michitaro Totsuka was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. Biography Tozuka was a native of the former Sendagaya Village in Tokyo, now part of Shibuya. He graduated 33rd out of 149 cadets in the 38th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval ...

, admiral (b.

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

) * April 23 -

George Ohsawa George Ohsawa (born ; October 18, 1893 – April 23, 1966) was a Japanese educator who was the founder of the macrobiotic diet. When living in Europe he went by the pen names of Musagendo Sakurazawa, Nyoiti Sakurazawa, and Yukikazu Sakurazawa. He ...

, dietist, founder of

Macrobiotics A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics) is a fad diet based on ideas about types of food drawn from Zen Buddhism. The diet tries to balance the supposed yin and yang elements of food and cookware. Major principles of macrobiotic diets are to reduce ...

(b.

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

)Michio Kushi & Alex Jack (2003) ''Diet for a Strong Heart: Michio Kushi's Macrobiotic Dietary Guidelines'', St. Martin's Griffin. * June 15 –

Sankichi Takahashi was an Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy. After the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 Takahashi, an important figure of the IJN's Fleet Faction, made a swift career, from commander of an obsolete cruiser in 1923 to commander of the Combined Fle ...

, admiral (b.

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in ...

) * July 12 -

D.T. Suzuki , self-rendered in 1894 as "Daisetz", was a Japanese-American Buddhist monk, essayist, philosopher, religious scholar, translator, and writer. He was a scholar and author of books and essays on Buddhism, Zen and Shin that were instrumental in sp ...

, philosopher (b.

1870 Events January–March * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the Broo ...

) * November 9 -

Jisaburō Ozawa was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He was the last Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet. Ozawa has been noted for his unusual height, measuring in at over tall, although his exact height has not been reliabl ...

, admiral (b.

1886 Events January–March * January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885. * January 5– 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson's novella ''Strange ...

) * November 14 -

Zengo Yoshida was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Biography Military career Yoshida was born as the fourth son of an ex-samurai, Mine Kohachi, in Saga prefecture in 1885, and was adopted into the family of a local rice merchant named Yoshida. The fu ...

, admiral (b.

1885 Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 – ...

)

References

{{Asia topic, 1966 in 1960s in Japan Years of the 20th century in Japan