Events in the year 1979 in Japan. It corresponds to Shōwa 54 (昭和54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 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 ...

(Emperor Shōwa) *

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 ...

Masayoshi Ōhira was a Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1978 to 1980. Ōhira's time in office was cut short when he died in office; he remains the most recent Japanese Prime Minister to die in office. Early life Masayoshi Ōhira was bo ...

( L–Kagawa, 2nd term from November 9) *

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 ...

: Rokusuke Tanaka (L–Fukuoka) until November 9,

Masayoshi Itō was a Japanese political figure. He served as acting prime minister of Japan in 1980 after the sudden death of Masayoshi Ōhira. He then served as foreign minister of Japan from 1980 to 1981. Early life Ito was born on 15 December 1913 in Ai ...

(L–Fukushima) * 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 ...

Masao Okahara Masao Okahara ( ja, 岡原昌男; April 1, 1909 – July 14, 1994) was the 8th Chief Justice of Japan (1977–1979). He was graduate of the University of Tokyo. He was a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, esta ...

until March 31,

Takaaki Hattori Takaaki Hattori ( ja, 服部高顯; October 1, 1912 – March 24, 1993) was the 9th Chief Justice of Japan (1979–1982). He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bun ...

from April 2 * 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 ...

Shigeru Hori was a prominent Japanese politician who served in various cabinet positions, including Chief Cabinet Secretary, and was also Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan. He was also the founder of the Liberal Party, and later served in seni ...

(L–Saga) until February 1,

Hirokichi Nadao Hirokichi Nadao ( ja, 灘尾弘吉; 21 December 1899 – 22 January 1994) was a Japanese politician. Throughout his career, he served as Minister of Education multiple times, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Minister of Health and Welf ...

(L–Hiroshima) until September 7 and again from October 30 * 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, ...

Ken Yasui Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in t ...

(L–Tokyo) *

Diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

sessions: 87th (regular session opened in December 1978, to May 14), 88th (extraordinary, August 30 to September 7), 89th (special, October 30 to November 16), 90th (extraordinary, November 26 to December 11), 91st (regular, December 21 to 1980, May 19)

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 ...

Yoshiaki Nakaya Yoshiaki is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yoshiaki can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *義明, "justice, bright" *義昭, "justice, bright" *義章, "justice, chapte ...

*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 ...

(until 30 April); Kikuji Sasaki (starting 30 April) *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 ...

(until 25 February);

Masaya Kitamura Masaya () is the capital city of Masaya Department in Nicaragua. It is situated approximately 14 km west of Granada and 31 km southeast of Managua. It is located just east of the Masaya Volcano, an active volcano from which the city ...

(starting 26 February) *Chiba Prefecture:

Kiichi Kawakami Kiichi (written: , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese politician *, Japanese equestrian *, Imperial Japanese Navy admiral *, Japanese politician *, Japanese mixed martial artist *, J ...

*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 is a Japanese unisex given name meaning "light" or "radiance". Possible writings Hikaru can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: * 光, "light" * 輝, "radiance" The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana. It is m ...

*Fukushima Prefecture:

Isao Matsudaira is a masculine Japanese given name which was popular during the Shōwa period. Possible writings Isao can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *功, "achievement" *勲, "meritorious" *績, "exploits" *公, "public" *勇男 ...

*Gifu Prefecture: Yosuke Uematsu *Gunma Prefecture: Ichiro Shimizu *

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 ...

Hiroshi Miyazawa was the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from 1973 to 1981 and justice minister from 1995 to 1996. Biography Miyazawa was born in 1921. He was the younger brother of Kiichi Miyazawa. He was elected as governor of Hiroshima in December 1973 fo ...

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 ...

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 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, ...

Fujio Takeuchi Fujio (written: 正行, 藤雄, 藤夫, 不二夫, 富士雄, 冨士夫, 富士夫, 富士男, 希仁男 or ふじを, ふじお in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese manga artist *, Mon ...

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 (until 30 April); (starting 30 April) *Kagawa Prefecture: Tadao Maekawa *Kagoshima Prefecture: Kaname Kamada *

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 ...

: Kazuji Nagasu *Kochi Prefecture: Chikara Nakauchi *

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 ...

: Issei Sawada * Kyoto Prefecture:

Yukio Hayashida was a Japanese politician and former member of the House of Councillors. Hayashida served as the governor of Kyoto from April 16, 1978 until April 15, 1986. He later became the Minister of Justice from November 6, 1987 to December 27, 1988. Hay ...

*Mie Prefecture: Ryōzō Tagawa *

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 ...

Sōichirō Yamamoto is a Japanese manga artist. He is known for writing and illustrating ''Teasing Master Takagi-san'', ''In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki'', and '' When Will Ayumu Make His Move?''. Personal life Yamamoto was born and raised in the town of Tonosh� ...

*Miyazaki Prefecture: Hiroshi Kuroki (until 16 June); Suketaka Matsukata (starting 5 August) *

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: Kan'ichi Kubo *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 ...

: Takeo Kimi *Oita Prefecture: Masaru Taki (until 27 April);

Morihiko Hiramatsu was a Japanese politician who was governor of Ōita Prefecture from April 1979 to April 2003. He is best known for initiating the One Village One Product movement in the prefecture, which was later followed by various other countries. Early li ...

(starting 28 April) *

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 ...

: Shiro Nagano *

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

Junji Nishime was a Japanese politician who served as the 4th Governor of Okinawa from 1978 until 1990 and mayor of Naha, the capital of Okinawa. He studied and graduated at the University of Tokyo.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 ...

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 ...

(until 22 April); Sakae Kishi (starting 23 April) *

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 Sunao (written: 直, 淳, 愿, 順, 須直, 直男 or すなお in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese anime director * ...

(until 22 April); Kumao Katsuki (starting 23 April) *

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Masayoshi Takemura was a Japanese politician. Elected as a representative of the Liberal Democratic Party, in 1993 he broke away to form New Party Sakigake, before joining the newly formed Democratic Party of Japan in 1997. He served as chief cabinet secretary and ...

*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: Keizaburō Yamamoto *Tochigi Prefecture: Yuzuru Funada *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 ...

: Ryōkichi Minobe (until 22 April); Shun'ichi Suzuki (starting 23 April) *Tottori Prefecture: Kōzō Hirabayashi *Toyama Prefecture: Kokichi Nakada *Wakayama Prefecture: Shirō Kariya *Yamagata Prefecture: Seiichirō Itagaki *Yamaguchi Prefecture:

Toru Hirai TORU or Toru may refer to: *TORU, spacecraft system *Toru (given name), Japanese male given name *Toru, Pakistan, village in Mardan District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan *Tõru Tõru is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County in western Est ...

*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 ...

(until 16 February); Kōmei Mochizuki (starting 17 February)

Events

*January 26 to 28 - According to Japan National Police Agency confirmed report, a man with a hunting gun pushed into a bank branch for 42 hours, a bank robbery who took more than 30 hostages in

Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is located on the southern part of the Uemachi Plateau, in the southernmost part of Osaka City, and is separated from Sakai City's Sakai-ku and Kita-ku by the Yamato River. There are six rail lines, and thre ...

, killing two banking staff and two police officers, the suspect was shot dead by special riot police on 28 January. *February - The government is rocked by yet another bribery case: the Douglas-Grumman scandal *March 20 - According to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency confirmed report, at least 16 construction workers death by

Daishimizu Tunnel The is a railway tunnel on the Jōetsu Shinkansen on the border of Gunma Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture, Japan. In 1978, the Dai-Shimizu tunnel was completed. This tunnel was dug for the Jōetsu Shinkansen that was to be completed in 1982. Th ...

fire, during under construction in Minakami,

Gunma Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima ...

. *June 28 – 29 –

5th G7 summit The 5th G7 Summit was held at Tokyo, Japan between June 28 and 29, 1979. The venue for the summit meetings was the State Guesthouse in Tokyo, Japan.Japan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MOFA) Summit Meetings in the Past./ref> The Group of Seven ...

held in Tokyo. *July 1 –

Sony Walkman Walkman, stylised as , is a brand of portable audio players manufactured and marketed by Japanese technology company Sony since 1979. The original Walkman was a portable cassette player and its popularity made "walkman" an unofficial term for ...

goes on sale. *July 11 - According to Japan National Police Agency confirmed report, a vehicle caught fire; 173 vehicles burned in the Nihonzaka Road Tunnel,

Tomei Expressway Tomei may refer to: People with the surname Tomei, which is an Italian version of Thomas *Concetta Tomei, (born 1945), American actress *Louis Tomei (1910–1955), American racecar driver *Marisa Tomei, (born 1964), American actress Other: *Tōmei ...

, Shizuoka City, total seven person were lost to fire. *October 7 – 1979 Japanese general election *October 19 – 13

US Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

die in fire at

Camp Fuji Combined Arms Training Center (CATC) Camp Fuji is an installation of the United States Marine Corps next to the Japan Ground Self Defense Force JGSDF Camp Takigahara ( ja, 滝ヶ原駐屯地). It is located near the city of Gotemba in Shizuoka ...

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

, caused by

Typhoon Tip Typhoon Tip, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Warling, was the largest and most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded. The forty-third tropical depression, nineteenth tropical storm, twelfth typhoon, and third super typhoon of the 1979 Paci ...

. *November – Japan Project Industry Council (JAPIC) was found as voluntary organization. (date unknown)

Popular culture

Arts and entertainment

In film, '' Vengeance Is Mine'' by

Shōhei Imamura was a Japanese film director. His main interest as a filmmaker lay in the depiction of the lower strata of Japanese society. A key figure in the Japanese New Wave, who continued working into the 21st century, Imamura is the only director from J ...

won the Best film award at the Japan Academy Prize, at the

Blue Ribbon Awards The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan. The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers. In 1961, the six major Japanes ...

and at the

Mainichi Film Award The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946. It is the first film festival in Japan. History The origins of the contest date back to 1935, ...

, ''

Taiyō o Nusunda Otoko , also known as ''The Man Who Stole the Sun'', is a 1979 Japanese political satire spy film, directed by Hasegawa Kazuhiko and written by Leonard Schrader. Plot Makoto Kido, a high school science and chemistry teacher, has decided to build his o ...

'' by

Kazuhiko Hasegawa is a Japanese film director. He won the award for Best Director at the 1st Yokohama Film Festival for ''The Man Who Stole the Sun''. Life and career Hasegawa began his career in film at Nikkatsu in the early 1970s as a scriptwriter on such ''R ...

won Best film at the

Yokohama Film Festival The is an annual awards ceremony held in Yokohama, Japan. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year and various awards are given to personnel. The first festival, held on February 3, 1980, was a small affair by fans and film critics. In 1994, ...

and at the

Hochi Film Awards The are film-specific prizes awarded by the ''Hochi Shimbun , previously known as , is a Japanese-language daily sports newspaper. In 2002, it had a circulation of a million copies a day. It is an affiliate newspaper of ''Yomiuri Shimbun''. ...

. For a list of Japanese films released in 1979 see

Japanese films of 1979 A list of films released in Japan in 1979 (see 1979 in film). See also *1979 in Japan *1979 in Japanese television Footnotes References * * * External links Japanese films of 1979at the Internet Movie Database {{DEFAULTSORT ...

. In

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, the winners of the

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan, Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being ...

were '' Doza no Ippon Tsuri'' by Yusuke Aoyagi (general) and

Toward the Terra is a Japanese science fiction manga series by Keiko Takemiya. It was originally serialized in Asahi Sonorama's ''Gekkan Manga Shōnen'' magazine, between January 1977 and May 1980. In 1978, it won the first Seiun Award for manga, and in ...

and

Kaze to Ki no Uta is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Keiko Takemiya. It was serialized in the manga magazine '' Shūkan Shōjo Comic'' from 1976 to 1980, and in the manga magazine ''Petit Flower'' from 1981 to 1984. One of the earliest w ...

Keiko Takemiya is a Japanese manga artist and the former president of Kyoto Seika University. Career Keiko Takemiya (or Takemiya Keiko) is included in the Year 24 Group, a term coined by academics and critics to refer to a group of female authors in the ea ...

(shōnen or shōjo). ''

Tonda Couple is a shōnen manga series by Kimio Yanagisawa. It won the 1979 Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen. It was adapted into a 1980 film directed by Shinji Sōmai and starring Shingo Tsurumi and Hiroko Yakushimaru. Cast *Shingo Tsurumi *Hiroko Ya ...

'' by

Kimio Yanagisawa is a Japanese manga artist. His real name is pronounced the same way, but is written with the kanji . He graduated from Niigata Prefectural Muramatsu High School two years prior to Yoshifumi Kondō. After graduation, he attended Wakō University ...

(shōnen) and ''

The Star of Cottonland is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yumiko Ōshima. It was serialized by Hakusensha in ''LaLa'' magazine from 1978 to 1987 and collected in seven ''tankōbon'' volumes. The story is about an abandoned kitten called Chibi-n ...

'' by

Yumiko Ōshima is a Japanese manga artist and is associated with the Year 24 group that heavily influenced the development of shōjo manga in the 1970s. Career She made her debut as a professional manga artist in 1968 with the short story "Paula no Namida" ...

(shōjo) won the

Kodansha Manga Award is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, the event is sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in three categories: '' shōnen'', '' shōjo'', and general. The awards began in 1977, initially w ...

. For a list of manga released in 1979 see :1979 manga. In music, the 30th

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

was won by the Red Team (women).

Hideki Saijo was a Japanese singer and television celebrity most famous for singing the Japanese version of the Village People's hit song " Y.M.C.A.," called " Young Man." In the 1970s, he was called with Goro Noguchi and Hiromi Go. Although the origina ...

won the

FNS Music Festival FNS may refer to: Television * ''Food Network Star'', an American reality television series * ''Fox News Sunday'', an American television news show * Fuji Network System, a Japanese television network * ''WWE Friday Night SmackDown'', an American ...

and

Judy Ongg Judy Ongg (; born 24 January 1950) is a Taiwanese-Japanese singer, actress, author, and woodblock-print artist. Born in Taipei, she graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, and after which, she became a naturalized Japanese citizen. ...

won the 21st Japan Record Award. In television, see:

1979 in Japanese television Events in 1979 in Japanese television. Debuts * ''Anne of Green Gables'', anime (1979) * ''Doraemon'', anime (1979 - 2005) * ''Battle Fever J'', tokusatsu (1979–1980) * ''Kamen Rider (Skyrider)'', tokusatsu (1979–1980) * ''Kinpachi-sensei'' (1 ...

. Japan hosted the

Miss International 1979 Miss International 1979, the 19th Miss International pageant, was held on November 12, 1979 at the Mielparque in Tokyo, Japan. The then–15-year-old Mimilanie "Melanie" Marquez earned Philippines' third Miss International crown, becoming the you ...

beauty pageant, won by

Filipina Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or other ...

Melanie Marquez Mimilanie Laurel Marquez-Lawyer (; born 16 July 1964), popularly known as Melanie Marquez, is a Filipino personality development coach, actress, film producer, author, celebrity endorser, former supermodel and beauty pageant titleholder who was ...

Sports

athletics (track and field) Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

Japan hosted the

Asian Championships An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics * Asian ...

and was first in the medal table with 20 gold medals and a total of 59 medals. In

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

Hiroshima Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda ...

won the

Japan Series The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven series ...

. In

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

Japan hosted the ABC Championship and won the second place behind China. In

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

Japan hosted the

FIFA World Youth Championship The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 when ...

, won by Argentina. Fujita Engineering won the

Japan Soccer League , or JSL, was the top flight association football league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J.League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional ...

. For the champions of the

regional leagues In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

see: 1979 Japanese Regional Leagues. For more see:

1979 in Japanese football Japanese football in 1979 Japan Soccer League Division 1 Division 2 Japanese Regional Leagues Emperor's Cup Japan Soccer League Cup National team Results Players statistics External links {{DEFAULTSORT:1979 In Japanes ...

Births

* January 1:

Koichi Domoto is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, singer-songwriter, composer, lyricist, television personality, Voice acting in Japan, voice actor. Along with Tsuyoshi Domoto (with whom he has no blood-relation), he is a member of the duo KinKi Kids, who holds ...

, idol and singer * January 3:

Rie Tanaka is a Japanese voice actress and singer who is currently affiliated with Office Anemone. Notable among her numerous roles in anime are Lacus Clyne in ''Mobile Suit Gundam Seed'' and ''Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny'', Chi in ''Chobits'', Hikar ...

, voice actress * January 7:

Yōko Honna is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Sōka, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. She works at Re-Max, although she formerly worked at 81 Produce. She is best known as the voice of Nagisa Misumi from the original Pretty Cure series, as w ...

, voice actress * January 9:

Tomiko Van , is a Japanese pop singer and occasional actress. She is as a member of the band Do As Infinity (DAI), along with Ryo Owatari and Dai Nagao, that has resumed activities after their 2005 split. Career Do As Infinity Beginnings as solo ...

, singer (

Do As Infinity Do As Infinity is a Japanese pop and Rock music, rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist Ryo Owatari, and guitarist and composer Dai Nagao. The band's name is sometimes abbreviated as DAI, alluding to the ...

) * January 17 **

Masae Ueno is a Japanese judoka who competed in the Athens 2004 Olympics and the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Ueno was born in Asahikawa Hokkaidō. In 2004, she earned Japan's fifth Olympic Gold Medal in ten events, taking the 70 kg women's judo event. S ...

, judoka ** Takafumi Nishitani, former short-track skater * January 18:

Sachiko Kojima is a Japanese actress and voice actress who is affiliated with Mausu Promotion. She is married to Makoto Yasue, a sound director employed by Glovision. On Twitter under the name chiffons, she reported the birth of her first son on August 3, 201 ...

, voice actress * February 2:

Yuichi Tsuchiya is a Japanese actor and full-time member of the 4-man theatre troupe . His nickname is "Tuti". He is best known for his stage roles as Shuichiro Oishi of the ''Prince of Tennis'' musical series, ''Tenimyu'', and as Gin Ichimaru in the rock musica ...

, actor * February 9:

Akinori Iwamura is a former Japanese baseball infielder, who currently is a manager for the Fukushima Red Hopes in Japan's Baseball Challenge League. He made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2007. He earned the nickname Aki while in M ...

, former professional baseball player * February 19:

Miki Furukawa (born February 19, 1979) is a Japanese musician. From 1995 to 2005 she was the bass player and vocalist of the indie rock band Supercar. She released her first solo record in 2006. Biography Originating from Aomori Prefecture, Miki Furukawa ...

, musician * March 8:

Jasmine You Jasmine You (March 8, 1979 – August 9, 2009) was a Japanese musician, best known as original bassist of the symphonic metal band Versailles. Jasmine You, then known as Yuu, entered the visual kei music scene in 1998 after joining Jakura, who ...

, musician (died

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 ...

) * March 20:

Shinnosuke Abe is a Japanese former professional baseball player who spent his entire 19-year career with Nippon Professional Baseball's Yomiuri Giants, serving as the team's captain from 2007 to 2014. He has twice been named the MVP of the Nippon Professional ...

, former professional baseball player * March 26:

Hiromi Uehara , known professionally as Hiromi, is a Japanese jazz composer and pianist. She is known for her virtuosic technique, energetic live performances and blend of musical genres such as stride, post-bop, progressive rock, classical and fusion in her ...

, jazz composer and pianist * April 4:

Bunko Kanazawa is a Japanese adult film actress, who was mostly active in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She has been called "one of the biggest AV idols in Japan". Life and career Debut—Cosmos Plan Bunko Kanazawa was born April 4, 1979 in Kanagawa prefe ...

, AV idol * April 7: Keiichi Hirano, former professional baseball pitcher * April 10:

Tsuyoshi Domoto is a Japanese idol, singer, songwriter, actor, and television personality. Along with Koichi Domoto (with whom he has no blood-relation), he is a member of KinKi Kids, which is a Japanese duo under the management of Johnny & Associates and the r ...

, entertainer (

KinKi Kids is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. KinKi Kids was formed in 1993 and officially debuted on July 21, 1997. With more than 30 million physical copies sold, they are one of ...

) * April 18:

Yusuke Kamiji is a Japanese actor, singer, and tarento. In the music world, he is known simply as . Biography Kamiji graduated from Yokohama Senior High School. He belonged to the baseball club while in school, and played catcher. He and Daisuke Matsuzak ...

, actor * May 14: Jun Ideguchi, football player * May 28:

Atsushi Nomi is a former Japanese professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Hanshin Tigers in the Central League for most of his career. He ended his career as a player-coach for the Orix Buffaloes of the Pacific League. Early baseball career Nōmi ...

, baseball pitcher * May 30:

Rie Kugimiya is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is best known for her voice performances in anime, which include Alphonse Elric in the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' series, Kiana in ''Honkai Impact 3rd'', Kagura in ''Gin Tama'', and Happy in ''Fairy Tail ...

, voice actress and singer * June 9:

Ryoko Kuninaka Ryōko or Ryouko is a Japanese female given name. The meanings of Ryoko vary depending on which Kanji is used to write the name. Possible writings * 涼子 – "refreshing, child" * 亮子 – "helpful, child" * 良子 – "good, child" * 諒子 ...

, actress and singer * June 11:

Rino Nakasone Razalan is a Japanese dancer, choreographer, artistic director and actor. Nakasone and her dance crew, Beat Freaks, participated in the third season of '' America's Best Dance Crew'', where they finished in second place. Nakasone has worked as a chor ...

, Japanese-American dancer and choreographer * June 18:

Yumiko Kobayashi is a freelance Japanese voice actress from Chiba Prefecture. She was formerly affiliated with Arts Vision until August 2007. She made her voice acting debut as Mita in '' Kirara'' while still in college in 1998, and her first lead role was as Ken ...

, voice actress * June 23:

Shigeki Tsujimoto is a former Japanese football player. Club career Tsujimoto was born in Suita on 23 June 1979. After graduating from Kindai University High School, he joined Yokohama Flügels in 1998. However the club was disbanded end of 1998 season due to ...

, football player * July 3:

Sayuri Katayama is a Japanese singer, stage actress and songwriter. She has played the role of Kou Seiya in the Sailor Moon musicals. As a songwriter, she is known as Sayuri. Personal life Sayuri studied at Horikoshi High School as a student, and knew Nana Mi ...

, actress, singer and lyricist * July 16 ** Mai Nakamura, backstroke swimmer **

Kinya Kotani , also known as KINYA, is a male singer and actor from Saitama Prefecture, Japan. He sang the theme songs for the anime '' Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle'' and various songs for ''Gravitation''. Discography Albums Singles DVDs * ''LI ...

, singer * July 21: Haruki Mizuno, AV and gravure idol * July 26: Yukihiro Aoba, football player * August 2:

Hitoshi Sogahata is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Kashima Antlers and the Japan national team. Club career Sogahata was born in Kashima on August 2, 1979. He joined J1 League club Kashima Antlers based in his local fr ...

, football player * August 7:

Seiji Koga is a former Japanese football player. His brother Masahiro Koga is also former footballer. Playing career Koga was born in Okawa on August 7, 1979. After graduating from high school, he joined the J1 League club Yokohama Marinos (later ''Yokoh ...

, football player * August 13:

Taizō Sugimura is a Japanese politician and a member of the Diet of Japan, representing the Liberal Democratic Party until 2009. He ran in House of Councillors election in 2010 as a proportional candidate of the Sunrise Party of Japan. Sugimura was born i ...

, politician * August 28:

Yuki Maeda is a former Japanese enka singer within Hello! Project. She started her career under the enka record label Teichiku in 2000 with her debut single "Naki Usagi", but did not have any charting singles in Japan until she signed with Up-Front Works ...

, singer * September 18 **

Ryu Saito is a former Japanese football player. Playing career Saito was born in Muroran on September 18, 1979. After graduating from Kokushikan University, he joined J2 League club Cerezo Osaka in 2002. Although he could not play at all in the match, C ...

, football player **

Junichi Inamoto is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Nankatsu SC. He is a retired international for the Japan national team. Club career Inamoto was born in Kagoshima Prefecture. He played for Japanese club Gamba Osaka during ...

, football player * September 26:

Naomichi Marufuji (born September 26, 1979) is a Japanese professional wrestler who competes for Pro Wrestling Noah, with occasional appearances in other professional wrestling promotions including New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), R ...

, professional wrestler * September 27:

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. ...

, football player * September 30:

Yuta Minami is a Japanese football player who plays for Omiya Ardija. Club career Minami was born in Kawasaki on 30 September 1979. After graduating from Shizuoka Gakuen High School, he joined J1 League club Kashiwa Reysol in 1998. He played as regular go ...

, football player * October 3:

Yuri Ebihara Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Jap ...

, model and actress * October 6: Emi Naito, softball player * October 11:

Reiko Takagaki is a Japanese model and actress who is represented by the agencies Incent and Idea. She graduated from Sagami Women's University High School. She is the eldest of three siblings (with a younger brother and sister). Biography Takagaki debuted as ...

, model and actress * October 12:

Rie Tomosaka is a Japanese actress and pop star from Mitaka-shi, Tokyo. She works for Itoh Company. From 1996 to 1997, she has also released music under the name . Profile Tomosaka's father is a beautician. In 1998, she majored in International Culture a ...

, actress and popstar * October 19:

Hiromi Yanagihara was a Japanese singer and actress. She was a founding member of Hello! Project J-pop group Country Musume. She joined Country Musume in 1999 along with Rinne Toda and Azusa Kobayashi. On July 16, 1999, Yanagihara was killed in a car accident on ...

, J-pop singer (died

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 ...

) * October 30:

Yukie Nakama is a Japanese actress, singer and former idol. History Biography She was born in Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan, into a fisherman's family, the youngest of five siblings. At the start of her career she was a gravure idol and singer (her debut single " ...

, actress, singer, and idol * November 1:

Atsuko Enomoto is a Japanese voice actress and singer. Her debut voice acting role was Yukino Miyazawa from ''Kare Kano'' in 1998, which she auditioned for while still in high school. Her debut single was ''Be My Angel'' the opening theme of the 2001 anime Ang ...

, voice actress * November 15:

Aki Nawa is a Japanese female professional ten-pin bowler. She is a member of the Japan Professional Bowling Association The (JPBA) is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in Japan. The organization was founded by ...

, ten-pin bowler * November 24: Sachiyo Shibata, kickboxer * November 26:

Tetsuya Oishi is a former Japanese football player. Playing career Oishi was born in Shizuoka Prefecture on November 26, 1979. After graduating from Shizuoka Gakuen High School, he joined Japan Football League club Kawasaki Frontale is a Japanese prof ...

, football player * November 29:

Shosei Koda was a Japanese citizen who was kidnapped and later beheaded in Iraq on 29 October 2004, by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group, while touring the country. He was the first Japanese person beheaded in Iraq. Early life and education Koda's parents, Sets ...

, terrorism victim (died 2004) * December 7 **

Hirokazu Otsubo is a former Japanese football player who is currently a football referee. Club statistics References External links *spcom.co.jp 1979 births Living people Fukuyama University alumni Association football people from Fukuoka Prefecture ...

, football player **

Ayako Fujitani is a Japanese writer and actress. Early life Ayako Fujitani was born in Osaka, Japan. She is the daughter of Steven Seagal by his first wife, aikido master Miyako Fujitani. As a teenager, she also resided in Los Angeles. Career Acting Fujita ...

, actress * December 9 **

Aiko Uemura is a Japanese freestyle skier. She participates in moguls and dual moguls. Her family moved to Hakuba town, Nagano Prefecture, Japan in 1986. She graduated from Hakuba High School in 1998, and works for the Kitano Construction Corporation in ...

, freestyle skier **

Olivia Lufkin Olivia Lufkin (born December 9, 1979), professionally known as Olivia, is a Japanese-American bilingual singer and songwriter.

, singer-songwriter * December 10 –

Keiko Nemoto is a Japanese voice actress from Chiba and affiliated with 81 Produce. She is married to voice actor Masaya Takatsuka. Filmography Television animation * '' Blue Dragon'' (2007) - Shu * ''Gintama'' (xxxx) - Murata Tetsuko * ''Glass Mask'' (xxxx ...

, voice actress * December 21:

Hinano Yoshikawa Hinano Yoshikawa (吉川ひなの, born Ai Takada; December 21, 1979) is a Japanese actress, fashion model and singer. Biography Life and career Yoshikawa was born on December 21, 1979. In Higashikurume, Tokyo, Japan. She started her fashion m ...

, fashion model and singer * December 23:

Yukifumi Murakami is a Japanese javelin thrower. He was the first Japanese athlete to win a World Championship medal in the javelin, taking bronze at the 2009 edition with a throw of 82.97 metres. He was successful as a junior athlete and won the bronze medal ...

, javelin thrower * December 25:

Tatsuya Ishikawa is a Japanese former football player. Club career Ishikawa was born in Fujieda on December 25, 1979. After graduating from the University of Tsukuba, he joined the Kashima Antlers in 2002. He gradually played more often as left side back during ...

, football player * December 26:

Kazuhiko Ikematsu is a male freestyle wrestler from Japan. He won a bronze medal at the 2003 FILA Wrestling World Championships. During the Men's freestyle (66 kg) event at the 2004 Summer Olympics he was ranked on 5th place. He participated in Men's freest ...

, wrestler * December 29:

Moe Oshikiri is a Japanese model best known her work with fashion magazine ''AneCan'' and its sister magazine ''CanCam'', which Oshikiri was a former top model for. She is also a designer, starting her own Kimono line branded under her name, as well as a hos ...

, model

Deaths

* January 12:

Shunsaku Kudō Commander was an Officer (armed forces), officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He is notable for the humanitarian act of rescuing 442 enemy British and American sailors from the Java Sea in 1942. Biography Born in 1901, Kudō graduated from th ...

, Imperial Japanese Navy officer (b.

1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...

) * January 23:

Motoo Ōtaguro (January 11, 1893 – January 23, 1979) was a Japanese music critic. He is considered a pioneer of music criticism in Japan. Biography Early life Ōtaguro was born in Tokyo, on January 11, 1893. He was born into a wealthy family; his father was ...

, music critic (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 ...

) * January 29:

Yusuke Hagihara was a Japanese astronomer noted for his contributions to celestial mechanics. Life and work Hagihara graduated from Tokyo Imperial University with a degree in astronomy in 1921 and became an assistant professor of astronomy there two years ...

, astronomer (b.

1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puniti ...

) * February 24:

Yoshie Shiratori was a Japanese national born in Aomori Prefecture. Shiratori is famous for having escaped from prison four different times, making him an anti-hero in Japanese culture. There is a memorial to Shiratori at the Abashiri Prison Museum. There ar ...

, murderer (b.

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...

) * March 25:

Akinoumi Setsuo , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Hiroshima. He was the sport's 37th ''yokozuna''. Career Akinoumi made his professional debut in February 1932 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in January 1938. He was the man who ...

, sumo wrestler (b.

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

) * March 26:

Iwao Matsuda was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party who was a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Gifu, Gifu, Japan, and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he joined the Ministry of Intern ...

, senior officer in the Imperial Japanese army (b.

1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...

) * April 17: Yukio Tsuda, football player (b.

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

) * May 23:

Hiroshi Ohshita , also spelled Oshita, was a Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder who began his career after World War II. Known for his trademark blue bat, he hit a record 20 home runs in a season and was home run king and leading hitter three times for the ...

, professional baseball player (b.

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

) * May 29:

Eddie Imazu Edwin "Eddie" Imazu (12 November 1897 – 29 May 1979) was a Japanese-American art director and production designer, whose 50-year career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood included television and movie credits. A 1936 Academy Award ...

, art director (b.

) * July 8: Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, physicist (b.

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

) * July 20:

Shōji Yamagishi was a photography critic, curator, and magazine editor. Yamagishi entered Mainichi Shinbunsha (publisher of ''Mainichi Shinbun'') in 1950. He started as a photographer, but was less successful at taking than at selecting photographs. From 1963 u ...

, photography critic, curator, and magazine editor (b.

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

) * July 27: Sōkichi Takagi, admiral and political figure (b.

) * August 24:

Shigeharu Nakano was a Japanese writer and Japanese Communist Party (JCP) politician. Nakano was born in Maruoka, now part of Sakai, Fukui. In 1914 he enrolled in middle school in Fukui, Fukui, and attended high school in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa and Kanazawa, Ish ...

, author and Communist Party politician (b.

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...

) * August 25: Sōgen Asahina, Rinzai zen master (b.

1891 Events January–March * January 1 ** Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany. ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. **Germany takes formal possession of its new Africa ...

) * September 17:

Mitsuru Yoshida Mitsuru Yoshida (吉田満 ''Yoshida Mitsuru'' January 6, 1923 – September 17, 1979) was a Japanese author and naval officer. He was born in Tokyo. He was a survivor of the battleship ''Yamato'' when it was sunk on 7 April 1945 during Operat ...

, author and naval officer (b.

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

) * September 30:

Shiina Etsusaburo was a career bureaucrat and politician. As Foreign Minister of Japan from 1964 to 1966 he played a pivotal role in diplomatic relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea. Biography Early career Shiina was born in Mizusawa, Iwate (now p ...

, foreign minister of Japan from 1964 to 1966 (b.

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

) * October 22:

Mieko Kamiya was a Japanese psychiatrist who treated leprosy patients at Nagashima Aiseien Sanatorium. She was known for translating books on philosophy. She worked as a medical doctor in the Department of Psychiatry at Tokyo University following World War ...

, psychiatrist (b.

) * November 16:

Ichirō Saitō Saito Ichiro. (August 23, 1909 – November 16, 1979) was a Japanese film composer. Film score He made film music for 334 films including: * '' The Record of a Tenement Gentleman'' (長屋紳士録 Nagaya shinshiroku) (1947) * ''Mother'' (お� ...

, film composer (b.

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...

) * December 25:

Kenji Tomiki was a Japanese martial artist who specialized in aikido and judo family of martial arts. He was a pedagogue of martial arts theory (武道論, Budo-ron). He is the founder of Japan Aikido Association and the ''competitive aikido'' (aikido kyogi) ...

, aikido and judo teacher (b.

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1979 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 ...

Years of the 20th century in Japan