Events in the year 1972 in Japan. It corresponds to Shōwa 47 (昭和47年) in the

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

Incumbents

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

: 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 i ...

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 di ...

) until July 7,

Kakuei Tanaka was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1947 to 1990, and was Prime Minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974. After a power struggle with Takeo Fukuda, he became the most influential member of the ruling Liberal ...

(

) * Chief Cabinet Secretary:

Noboru Takeshita was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1987 to 1989 during the bubble economy. Takeshita led the largest faction at the time in the Liberal Democratic Party, which he inherited from Kakuei Tanaka, from the 1980s ...

until July 7,

Susumu Nikaido Susumu is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * Susumu Akagi (born 1972) Japanese voice actor * Susumu Aoyagi (青柳進, born 1968), Japanese baseball player *Susumu Chiba (born 1970), Japanese voice actor *, J ...

*Chief Justice of the Supreme Court:

Kazuto Ishida Kazuto Ishida ( ja, 石田和外; May 20, 1903 – May 9, 1979) was the 5th Chief Justice of Japan (1969–1973). He was a practitioner of kendo. He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo. As an associate justice in the mid-1960s, Ishida penn ...

*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 ...

: Naka Funada until November 13, Umekichi Nakamura from December 22 *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, or ...

Kenzō Kōno Kenzō Kōno ( ja, 河野謙三) (May 14, 1901 – October 16, 1983) was President of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (1965–1975). He was the younger brother of his predecessor, Ichirō Kōno and the uncle of Yōhei Kōno (Ichiro' ...

Governors

* Aichi Prefecture:

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:

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

*Fukui Prefecture: Heidayū Nakagawa *Fukuoka Prefecture: Hikaru Kamei *Fukushima Prefecture: Morie Kimura *Gifu Prefecture: Saburō Hirano *Gunma Prefecture: Konroku Kanda * Hiroshima Prefecture:

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 ...

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 lar ...

Naohiro Dōgakinai Naohiro Dōgakinai ( ja, 堂垣内尚弘) (June 2, 1914 – February 2, 2004) was the 3rd Governor of Hokkaido (1971–1983). He was member of the Liberal Democratic Party, and originally from Sapporo. Awards *Order of the Sacred Treasure T ...

*Hyogo Prefecture: Tokitada Sakai *

Ibaraki Prefecture is a 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, Tochigi Prefecture ...

: Nirō Iwakami * Ishikawa Prefecture: Yōichi Nakanishi *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: Saburō Kanemaru *

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. Kanag ...

: Bunwa Tsuda *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 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 ...

: Issei Sawada * Kyoto Prefecture: Torazō Ninagawa *Mie Prefecture: Satoru Tanaka (until 7 November); Ryōzō Tagawa (starting 24 December) * Miyagi Prefecture: Sōichirō Yamamoto *Miyazaki Prefecture: Hiroshi Kuroki * Nagano Prefecture:

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: Kan'ichi Kubo *Nara Prefecture: Ryozo Okuda *

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

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), ...

*Oita Prefecture: Masaru Taki * Okayama Prefecture: Takenori Kato (until 11 November); Shiro Nagano (starting 12 November) * Okinawa Prefecture: Chōbyō Yara (starting 15 May) * Osaka Prefecture:

Ryōichi Kuroda was a Japanese jurist and politician from Suita, Osaka. Early life and academic career After graduating from Tohoku Imperial University in 1933, Kuroda was sent to Manchukuo to be an instructor at a service academy. He spent five years in a ...

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 Nagasa ...

: Sunao Ikeda * Saitama Prefecture: Hiroshi Kurihara (until 12 July);

Yawara Hata was a Japanese politician, who served as a member of the House of Representatives and a governor of Saitama Prefecture. In 1993 he received the highest distinction of the Scout Association of Japan, the Golden Pheasant Award The is the highest ...

(starting 13 July) *

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 north ...

: Kinichiro Nozaki *Shiname Prefecture:

Seiji Tsunematsu Seiji (written: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese ski jumper *, Japanese racing driver *, Japanese politician *, Japanese film directo ...

*Shizuoka Prefecture: Yūtarō Takeyama *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 List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

: Ryōkichi Minobe *Tottori Prefecture: Jirō Ishiba *Toyama Prefecture: Kokichi Nakada *Wakayama Prefecture: Masao Ohashi *Yamagata Prefecture: Tōkichi Abiko *Yamaguchi Prefecture: Masayuki Hashimoto *Yamanashi Prefecture:

Kunio Tanabe Kunio (written: 邦夫, 邦男, 邦雄, 邦生, 國男, 國士, 国男, 国夫, 州男 or 久仁生) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese businessman *, Japanese businessman *, Japanese judge *, Jap ...

Events

*January 24 - Two hunters discover Yokoi Shōichi, a former lieutenant in the

Imperial Japanese 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 ...

who lived in a cave in

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

for 28 years after the end of World War II. Upon his return to Japan on February 2, he proclaimed, "it is with much shame that I return." *February 3–13 - The

1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Euro ...

are held in

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...

. *February 19-28 – Asama-Sanso incident occurs in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. *May 12 – Industrial robot brand,

Fanuc FANUC ( or ; often styled Fanuc) is a Japanese group of companies that provide automation products and services such as robotics and computer numerical control wireless systems. These companies are principally of Japan, Fanuc America Corpor ...

was founded in

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the ...

. *May 13 - A fire at the Sennichi Department Store in

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 ...

kills 118, injures 78. *May 15 -

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

returned to Japan after being occupied by the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is th ...

for 27 years. *July 3 to 13 - A heavy

torrential rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water fo ...

with

debris flow Debris flows are geological phenomena in which water-laden masses of soil and fragmented rock rush down mountainsides, funnel into stream channels, entrain objects in their paths, and form thick, muddy deposits on valley floors. They generally ...

hit Kyushu and

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

area, according to Fire and Disaster Management official confirmed report, 447 people were killed, while another 1056 person were injured. *July 5 -

replaces

as Prime Minister. *July 21 –

MOS Burger , doing business as (which stands for "Mountain Ocean Sun"), is an international fast-food restaurant chain (fast-casual) from Japan. Its headquarters are in the ThinkPark Tower in Ōsaki, Shinagawa, Tokyo. At one time its headquarters wer ...

was founded. *November 6 - An express passenger train caught fire in Hokuriku Rail Tunnel in Tsuruga,

Fukui Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 778,943 (1 June 2017) and has a geographic area of 4,190 km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the north, G ...

, according to Japan Transport Ministry official confirmed report, 31 lives were lost, and 714 people were injured. :ja:北陸トンネル列車火災事故 (Japanese language ) Retrieved date on March 14, 2017. *December 10 - General election of 1972 - Liberal Democratic Party win 271 out of 491 seats.

Births

Junko Takeuchi - Dimanche - Japan Expo 2013 - P1670498

*January 7 – Tamakasuga Ryōji, sumo wrestler *January 8 –

Ryō Tamura is a Japanese actor from Kyoto. His father was silent-film star Tsumasaburo Bando. With his elder brothers, the late Takahiro and Masakazu, he is one of the Three Tamura Brothers. Ryō graduated from Seijo University and made his cinema debu ...

, comedian *January 10 –

Shuntaro Furukawa is a Japanese businessman and executive. He is the sixth and current president of the video game company Nintendo in Japan. He took over as company president in June 2018, succeeding Tatsumi Kimishima. Early life Furukawa was born in Tokyo, ...

, businessman *January 13 **

Yukiko Iwai is a Japanese voice actress who is best known for her voice role as Ayumi Yoshida in ''Detective Conan''. She was born in Chiba. Roles Anime 1995 *Ping Pong Club - Junko Hoshino * Saint Tail - female student (ep 5); first year girl A (ep 11) ...

, voice actress **

Akinori Otsuka (born January 13, 1972) is a retired Japanese baseball pitcher who coaches for the Chunichi Dragons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He was formerly the set-up man for the San Diego Padres and the Texas Rangers. He was also the closer for Jap ...

, baseball pitcher *January 17 –

Ken Hirai is a Japanese R&B and pop singer. Since his debut, Hirai has worked as a model, actor, composer, lyricist, singer, and brand ambassador. During his career, Hirai has released 45 singles and nine studio albums as of January 2019.Romi Park Due to technical issues, Park's name is often written as due to the '' Hyōgaiji'' status of (which is the kan'on reading of the kanji). She has also been referred by 朴路美 and 朴王路美. is a Japanese actress and singer affiliated wi ...

, voice actress *January 24 –

Junko Kubo is a television presenter and announcer in Japan. Her nicknames are Kubojun and Junjun. Born the daughter of two Nippon Television announcers, Junko spent four years in England during elementary school, and lived in the United States during her s ...

, announcer and presenter *January 28 –

Tsuyoshi Shinjo , also known as , is a former Japanese professional baseball outfielder and current manager for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Born on January 28, 1972, Shinjo is the second Japanese-born position player ...

, baseball player *January 29 – Masaru Hamaguchi, comedian *February 2 – Hisashi Tonomura, musician *February 5 – Koriki Chōshū, comedian *February 7 –

Akiko Suwanai is a Japanese classical violinist. At the age of 18, she became the youngest winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1990. In addition, she was awarded second prize in the Paganini Competition in 1988 and Queen Elisabeth Competi ...

, violinist *February 8 –

Hiroshi Tsuchida is a Japanese voice actor and live-action actor affiliated with 81 Produce. He frequently dubs character voices from English-speaking films into Japanese for the local market. He is known for his role as Grisha Jaeger in ''Attack on Titan'' (201 ...

, actor and voice actor *February 17 -

Yuki Isoya Yuki, Yūki or Yuuki may refer to: Places * Yuki, Hiroshima (Jinseki), a town in Jinseki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yuki, Hiroshima (Saeki), a town in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yūki, Ibaraki, a city on Honshu island in Japan * Yuki ...

, singer *March 10 - Takashi Fujii (Matthew Minami), television performer *March 29 -

Junichi Suwabe is a Japanese voice actor and singer from Tokyo. He is affiliated with Haikyō. His popular roles include Omega Zero in Megaman Zero 3 , Keigo Atobe in '' The Prince of Tennis'', Victor Nikiforov in '' Yuri!!! on ICE'', Grimmjow Jaegerjaque ...

, voice actor *April 5 -

Junko Takeuchi is a Japanese actress and voice actress employed by Ogipro The Next Co. Inc. & BQMAP. Taking a well-trod path by many voice actresses, she often voices young male characters with generally very quirky and goofy personalities. One of her most wel ...

, voice actress *April 30 -

Takako Tokiwa is a Japanese actress. Career Tokiwa was nominated for the "Best Actress" award at the Japanese Academy Awards in 2005 for her performance in '' Akai Tsuki''. She co-starred with Hidetoshi Nishijima in Amir Naderi's 2011 film '' Cut''. Fil ...

, voice actress *May 6 -

Naoko Takahashi is a retired Japanese long-distance runner and Olympic gold medal-winning marathoner. She won the gold medal in the marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and became the first woman to complete a marathon in under 2:20:00 in 2001. Biography Tak ...

, long-distance runner *May 21 -

Kaoru Fujino is a Japanese voice actress who was born in Kōchi and raised in Tokyo. One of her lesser known roles is that of the heroine Cornett Espoire in the Nippon Ichi Software game '' The Puppet Princess of Marl Kingdom''. She voice acted both Rockman ...

, voice actress *May 30 -

Sōichirō Hoshi is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with Arts Vision. Some of his major anime roles include Son Goku in '' Saiyuki'', Kira Yamato in '' Gundam Seed'', '' Gundam Seed Destiny'', Kazuki Fuuchouin in ''GetBackers'', Masaru Daimon in ...

, voice actor *July 1 –

Tetsu Inada is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with Aoni Production. Biography Filmography Anime Films Video games Tokusatsu Dubbing Drama CDs References External linksOfficial agency profileTetsu Inadaat Ryu's Seiyuu Infos * * ...

, voice actor *July 5 -

Tatsuhito Takaiwa (born Go Yong-Il (Hangul: 고 용일), July 5, 1972) is a Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler. Takaiwa is one of the more well-traveled junior heavyweights in Japan, having wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Pro Wrestling Zero1, ...

, Zainichi-Korean wrestler *July 8 -

Shōsuke Tanihara is a Japanese actor probably best known outside Japan for his portrayal of Riki Fudoh in '' Fudoh: The New Generation''. Tanihara hosts ''Tokyo Twenty-Four Living Supported by FLET’S Hikari'', a podcast produced by TOKYO FM. The podcast began ...

, actor *July 14 - Masami Suzuki, voice actress *July 19 –

Naohito Fujiki is a Japanese actor and singer. Filmography Drama * (1996), Guest at Table 3 * ハートにS (1996) * (1996) * * ''Shin-D Love Blood'' (1997) * (1997) * * * (1998) * (1998) * (1999) * (1999) * (1999) * (2000) * * ''LOVE REVOLUTION ...

, actor and singer *July 27 ** Takako Fuji, actress **

Takashi Shimizu Takashi Shimizu (清水崇 ''Shimizu Takashi'', born 27 July 1972) is a Japanese filmmaker. He is best known for being the creator of the ''Ju-On'' franchise, and directing four of its films, internationally, in both Japan and the U.S. Accor ...

, director *August 3 - Atsunori Inaba, baseball coach and former player *August 14 -

Takako Honda is a Japanese voice actress and narrator affiliated with Office Osawa. She is the regular dubbing voice actress for Halle Berry, Hilary Swank and Milla Jovovich (especially in '' Resident Evil'' film series). In 2006, Takako was chosen to suc ...

, voice actress *August 20 - Anna Umemiya, model *September 8 -

Tomokazu Seki is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He has previously worked with Haikyō. He is honorary president of and affiliated with Atomic Monkey and the chairman of theater company HeroHero Q. He is a special lecturer at Japan Newart College. Caree ...

, voice actor *September 10 - Rio Tahara, snowboarder *September 20 –

Sawa Suzuki , Tower Records (October 24, 2013) better known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress represented by the talent agency Horipro. Biography After dropping out of Joshibi University of Art and Design Junior College, Suzuki became a research s ...

, actress *September 29 – Taizo Son, entrepreneur and investor *October 9 -

Kōki Miyata is a Japanese voice actor who works for 81 Produce. He was formerly credited as . He made his radio CM narration debut on 2 March 1993. Filmography Anime * '' Nintama Rantarou'' (1993), Kanzaki Samon * '' Trigun'' (1998), young Vash the Stamped ...

, voice actor *October 19 - Sayaka Aoki, voice actress *October 21 -

Masakazu Morita is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer. He previously worked for Aoni Production. He is also the host of the radio show ''Bleach B-Station''. He played Ichigo Kurosaki in ''Bleach'', Maeda Keiji in '' Sengoku Basara'', Marco the Phoenix ...

, voice actor *October 29 -

Takafumi Horie is a Japanese entrepreneur who founded Livedoor, a website design operation that grew into a popular internet portal. After being arrested and charged with securities fraud in 2006, he severed all connections with the company. His trial began o ...

, entrepreneur *November 1 -

Naoki Yanagi is a Japanese voice actor who was born in Tokyo. He was associated with Trias Production, and is now with Artist Crew. He has voiced in a number of anime shows and video games. Some of his lead roles include Manabu Yuuki in ''The Galaxy Railway ...

, voice actor *November 9 - Naomi Shindou, voice actor *November 13 -

Takuya Kimura is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy bands in Asia. A 1996 television drama series, ''Long ...

, member of

SMAP SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six- ...

and actor *December 3 -

Saki Takaoka is a Japanese actress. Her uncle is the jazz pianist Yōsuke Yamashita. She won the award for best actress at the 19th Hochi Film Award for ''Crest of Betrayal''. Filmography Film * ''cf girl'' (''cfガール'', 1989) * ''Swimming Upstream ...

, actress *December 4 -

Yūko Miyamura is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and sound director. Her nickname is . She played Kazuha Toyama in ''Detective Conan'', Casca in Berserk and Asuka Langley Soryu in ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''. Personal life Miyamura was born in Ko ...

, voice actress and singer *December 12 - Arihito Muramatsu, baseball player *December 13 -

Jun Itoda is a Japanese comedian who performs ''tsukkomi The following glossary of words and terms (generally of Japanese origin) are related to ''owarai'' (Japanese comedy). Many of these terms may be used in areas of Japanese culture beyond comedy, ...

, comedian *December 14 - Kiriko Nananan, manga artist *December 18 -

Shinji Takeda , born December 18, 1972, is a Japanese actor, talent and saxophone player. He has had notable roles in such works as '' The Incite Mill'', ''Kyō Kara Hitman'' and ''Tokyo Eyes''. Filmography Film Television Dubbing *'' Rambo: Last Blood'', ...

, actor *December 19 -

Hideki Niwa is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Kasugai, Aichi and graduate of Tamagawa University is a Japanese university in Machida, ...

, politician *December 20 -

Takeshi Rikio Takeshi Inoue (born December 20, 1972) known by his stage name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, who worked for Pro Wrestling Noah. He is also a former sumo wrestler. Sumo career He made his sumo debut in March 1988, after leav ...

, professional wrestler *December 22 - Takayuki Yokoyama, football player *December 28 -

Shinobu Terajima is a Japanese actress. Her feature films include '' Akame 48 Waterfalls'' (2003) and '' Vibrator'' (2003). For her role in ''Caterpillar'' (2010), Terajima won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 60th Berlin Film Festival while her performan ...

, actress

Deaths

*February 17 – Taiko Hirabayashi, writer (b.

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia ( Shostakovich's 11th Symphony ...

) *April 16 -

Yasunari Kawabata was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal a ...

, writer,

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

laureate (b.

1899 Events January 1899 * January 1 ** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. ** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City. * January 2 – **Bolivia sets up a c ...

) *August 26 - Goroku Amemiya, photographer (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 ...

)

References