Events in the year 1981 in

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 ...

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 ...

Zenko Suzuki The Kudara no Konikishi ( ja, 百済王) was a Japanese clan whose founder, Zenkō ( or ), was a son of King Uija, the last king of Baekje, in southwestern Korea. ''Kudara'' was an ''uji'', or clan name, and represented its country of origin, Baek ...

( L–Iwate) *

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 ...

Kiichi Miyazawa was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1991 to 1993. He was a member of the National Diet of Japan for over 50 years. Early life and education Miyazawa was born into a wealthy, politically active family in Fukuyama ...

(L–Hiroshima) * 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 ...

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 ...

* 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 ...

Hajime Fukuda is the Japanese word meaning . In the Japanese traditional martial arts such as karate, judo, aikido, Kūdō and kendo, it is a verbal command to "begin". Hajime is also a common Japanese given name for males. In the Amami Islands, Hajime (元) ...

(L–Fukui) * 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, ...

Masatoshi Tokunaga Masatoshi (written: , , , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese politician *, Japanese film director *, Japanese politician *, Japanese comedian *, Japanese samurai *, Japanes ...

(L–national) *

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: 94th (regular session opened in December 1980, to June 6), 95th (extraordinary, September 24 to November 28), 96th (regular, December 21 to 1982, August 21)

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: Kikuji Sasaki *Aomori Prefecture:

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 ...

*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 ...

(until 27 February);

Takeshi Numata Takeshi ( in hiragana or in katakana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings *武, "warrior" *毅, "strong" *猛, "fierce" *健, "healthy" *剛, "sturdy" *彪, "spotted" *威, "intimidate" *壮, "robust" *丈, "length" *雄, "mascu ...

(starting 4 April) *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 ...

(until 29 October);

Toranosuke Takeshita was the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from 1981 to 1993. In August 1990, while participating in a symposium in Hiroshima, publicly called on Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 20 ...

(starting 29 October) *

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: *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: Suketaka Matsukata *

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 ...

: Gorō Yoshimura *Nagasaki Prefecture: Kan'ichi Kubo *Nara Prefecture: Shigekiyo Ueda *

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:

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 ...

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 ...

: Sakae Kishi *

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 ...

: Kumao Katsuki *

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 (until 4 October);

Shinzo Miki ''Shinzo'', known as in Japan, is an anime television series produced by TV Asahi, Toei Advertising, and Toei Animation. It was directed by Tetsuo Imazawa, with Mayori Sekijima handling series scripts, Sachiko Kamimura designing the characte ...

(starting 5 October) *

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 ...

: Shun'ichi Suzuki *Tottori Prefecture: Kōzō Hirabayashi *Toyama Prefecture: Yutaka Nakaoki *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: Kōmei Mochizuki

Events

*January to March - A heavy massive snowfall with

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...

hit around Japan, according to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency confirmed report, 152 peoples lost their lives, 2,158 peoples were wounded. *March 31 - Pink Lady performs their farewell concert in the same stadium where Candies performed their concert 3 years earlier. *October 10 -

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

issues

jōyō kanji The is the guide to kanji characters and their readings, announced officially by the Japanese Ministry of Education. Current ''jōyō kanji'' are those on a list of 2,136 characters issued in 2010. It is a slightly modified version of the ''tō ...

. *October 16 - Gas explosions at a coal mine in Hokutan,

Yūbari, Hokkaido is a city located in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of April 30, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 8,612, with 5,030 households. The total area is 763.20 km². Hemmed in by mountains Yūbari stretches for 25 kilomete ...

kill 93. *The first fully

Automated guideway transit An automated guideway transit (AGT) or automated fixed-guideway transit or automatic guideway transit system is a type of fixed guideway transit infrastructure with a riding or suspension track that supports and physically guides one or more dr ...

driverless

people mover A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks. ...

train technology in the world, introduced on

Port Island Line The , commonly known as is an urban automated guideway transit (AGT) system in Kobe, Japan, operated by Kobe New Transit. Opened in 1981, the Port Liner was the world's first List of automated train systems, driverless urban transit system, a fe ...

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

Popular culture

Arts and entertainment

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, ''

Station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

'' by

Yasuo Furuhata was a Japanese film director. He was a director of Toei film company and he often worked with Ken Takakura in such films as '' Eki'' and ''Shin Abashiri Bangaichi''. He won the 2000 Japan Academy Prize for Director of the Year and 31st Internati ...

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

Enrai or ''Distant Thunder'' is a 1981 Japanese film adaptation of Wahei Tatematsu's novel of the same name, directed by Kichitaro Negishi. Synopsis ''Enrai'' is a low-key study of a farmer, Mitsuo Wada, in 1980s Japan when modernization and urbaniza ...

'' by

Kichitaro Negishi is a Japanese film director. Although his films are admired by critics in Japan for their intelligence, Negishi has received little international recognition for his work. He has not been credited with a distinctive style but he has been called a ...

won Best film 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''. ...

, '' Muddy River'' by

Kōhei Oguri is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Career Born in Gunma, Oguri first became a freelance assistant director after graduating from Waseda University. He made his directorial debut in 1981 with '' Muddy River'', which earned him both a J ...

won Best film 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 ''

Something Like It is a 1981 Japanese film directed by Yoshimitsu Morita. Cast *Katsunobu Itō as Shintoto *Kumiko Akiyoshi as Elizabeth *Isao Bitō Awards and nominations 3rd Yokohama Film Festival * Won: Best Film * Won: Best New Director - Yoshimitsu Morita ...

'' by

Yoshimitsu Morita was a Japanese film director who was born in Tokyo. Career Self-taught, first making shorts on 8 mm film during the 1970s, he made his feature film debut with ''No Yōna Mono'' (''Something Like It'', 1981).Mark Schillin"Director Yoshimitsu Mo ...

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, ...

. For a list of Japanese films released in 1981 see

Japanese films of 1981 A list of films released in Japan in 1981 (see 1981 in film). See also *1981 in Japan * 1981 in Japanese television References Footnotes Sources * * External links Japanese films of 1981at the Internet Movie Database {{DEFAULTS ...

. 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 ''

Sunset on Third Street is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ryōhei Saigan. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga ''Big Comic Original'' since 1974, with its chapters collected in 69 ''tankōbon'' volumes as of May 2022. It has ...

'' by Ryōhei Saigan (general), ''

Dr. Slump is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1980 to 1984, with the chapters collected into 18 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series fol ...

'' by

Akira Toriyama is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for his highly successful manga series ''Dr. Slump'', before going on to create ''Dragon Ball'' (his best-known work) and acting as a character design ...

(shōnen or shōjo) and ''

Doraemon ''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with List of Doraemon chapters, its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ' ...

'' by

Fujiko Fujio was a manga writing duo formed by Japanese manga artists and . They formed their partnership in 1951, and used the Fujiko Fujio name from 1954 until dissolution of the partnership in 1987, upon Fujimoto's illness. The pair was best known ...

(children). ''

Sanshirō of 1, 2 Sanshiro may refer to: *Plawres Sanshiro, a popular anime series aired in 1983 in Japan, Hong Kong, the Middle East and Greece and Algeria *Sanshiro Sugata, the directorial debut of the Oscar-winning Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa *Sanshiro ...

'' by Makoto Kobayashi (shōnen) and ''

Ohayō! Spank is a Japanese shōjo manga written by Shun'ichi Yukimuro and drawn by Shizue Takanashi. The series has been adapted as an anime television series, broadcast in Japan from 1981 to 1982 for 66 episodes, and a theatrical movie released in 1982 ...

'' by

Shun'ichi Yukimuro Shun'ichi Yukimuro (雪室俊一 ''Yukimuro Shun'ichi'', born January 11, 1941, in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan) is a veteran screenwriter for anime television series. Yukimuro has had a career spanning four decades and written over 3,000 anime tele ...

and Shizue Takanashi (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 ...

. '' Kibun wa mou sensou'' by

Katsuhiro Otomo is a Japanese manga artist, screenwriter, animator and film director. He is best known as the creator of '' Akira'', in terms of both the original 1982 manga series and the 1988 animated film adaptation. He was decorated a ''Chevalier'' of th ...

won the

Seiun Award The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Nihon SF Taikai, Japan Science Fict ...

for Best Comic of the Year. For a list of manga released in 1981 see :1981 manga. In

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

, the 32nd

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 White Team (men).

Akira Terao is a Japanese musician, singer and movie actor. As of 2012, he is the only male actor to have received both the Japan Record Award and the Japan Academy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. Early life Terao was born ...

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 ...

. In

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, see: 1981 in Japanese television. In

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

Japan FM Network is a commercial radio network in Japan. It was founded in 1981. TOKYO FM is the main station of the network. Japan FM Network stations Special station Originally in JFN, but now independent FM Fuji was a member from 1988 to 199 ...

, Japan's biggest FM radio network, was established in May 1981.

Sports

athletics 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

1981 Asian Athletics Championships The 1981 Asian Athletics Championships was the fourth edition of the biennial athletics competition for Asian nations, and was held from June 5-7, 1981 in Tokyo, Japan. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table References Asian ...

where it ranked 1st with 18 gold medals. 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

1981 Intercontinental Cup The 1981 Intercontinental Cup was an association football match between Liverpool of England and Flamengo of Brazil on 13 December 1981 at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. The annual Intercontinental Cup was contested between the winners of ...

. 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:

1981 Japanese Regional Leagues Statistics of Japanese Regional Leagues for the 1981 season. Champions list League standings Hokkaido Tohoku Kanto Hokushinetsu Tokai Kansai Chūgoku Shikoku Kyushu {{1981 in Japanese football 1981 Jap Jap ''Jap'' is an ...

. In

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

, Japan hosted the

Federation Cup Federation Cup or Fed Cup is the former name of the premier world team competition in women's tennis. Federation Cup may also refer to: * Capital Football Federation Cup, an Australian territory-based association football tournament *Federation Cup ...

, won by the United States.

Births

* January 4:

Hitomi Sakamoto is a female wrestler from Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. She is Captain in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. On 8 August 2012, Obara won the women's 48kg freestyle wrestling gold in her first Olympic Games at London's Excel Ar ...

, wrestler * January 6:

Rinko Kikuchi (born ; January 6, 1981) is a Japanese actress. She was the first Japanese actress to be nominated for an Academy Award in 50 years, for her work in ''Babel'' (2006). Kikuchi's other notable films include '' Norwegian Wood'' (2010), which sc ...

, actress * January 10:

Kumiko Ikeda is a Japanese long jumper. She won bronze medals at the 2000 World Junior Championships and the 2001 Summer Universiade, and finished eleventh at the 2001 World Championships. On the regional level she won a bronze medal at the 2005 Asian Cha ...

, long jumper * January 14:

Chiharu Niiyama (born January 14, 1981) is a Japanese actress and former gravure idol. Personal life Niiyama was born in Aomori, Aomori. She was previously married to baseball player . They have a daughter named (born July 12, 2006). They divorced on Decembe ...

, actress and model * January 18:

Naoyuki Daigo is a retired male high jumper from Japan. His personal best jump is 2.33 metres, achieved in July 2006 in Kobe. This was the Japanese record until February 2019, when Naoto Tobe broke it by two centimetres. He is part of the Matsuzaka Generati ...

, athlete * February 10:

Yasuyuki Muneta is a Japanese judoka. He won two gold medals and a silver medal at the World Judo Championships. He is from Matsuyama, Ehime. After graduation from Meiji University , abbreviated as Meiji (明治) or Meidai (明大'')'', is a private rese ...

, judoka * February 12: Takashi Takusagawa, football player * February 21:

Jun Kaname is a Japanese actor and tarento. He was born in Mitoyo, Kagawa and made his drama debut as an actor in 2001 in the Tokusatsu Series "Kamen Rider Agito". He appears not only in TV dramas but also in movies, commercial messages, variety TV program ...

, actor * March 6 **

Masakazu Fujiwara Masakazu Fujiwara (born 6 March 1981 in Ōkawachi, Hyōgo), in Japanese 藤原正和, is Japanese long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon. He has a personal best of 2:08:12 hours for the event. He was the 2013 Japanese champion in ...

, long-distance runner **

Mizuki Watanabe , better known simply as Miz, is a Japanese pop/rock singer. Though most of her music is released in Japan, she does her work primarily from Gotland in Sweden, mainly doing promotional videos, photo shoots and recording there. She originally debu ...

, J-pop and rock singer * March 18 –

Shohei Tateyama is a former Japanese professional baseball pitcher and currently pitting coach for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He played for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the NPB. Background Tateyama began his pro ...

, former professional baseball pitcher * March 23:

Takeshi Honda is a former Japanese competitive figure skater. He is a two-time World bronze medalist (2002, 2003), two-time Four Continents champion (1999, 2003), and six-time Japanese national champion. Personal life Takeshi Honda was born on 23 March ...

, figure skater * March 31:

Ryōko Shintani is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Kanazawa, Ishikawa.Doi, Hitoshi.Shintani Ryouko. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 30, 2010Archivedby WebCite July 31, 2010.Nakagami, Yoshikattsu; Yoshida, Moichi; Onitsuka, Kanako; Nishimoto, Keiko. "Voice Actr ...

, voice actress and singer * April 7: Kazuki Watanabe, musician (d.

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

) * April 14: Shinjiro Koizumi, politician * April 18:

Mai Hoshimura is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter and pianist. On May 31, 2009, her contract with Sony ended. Biography Mai Hoshimura was born on April 18, 1981, in Matsue, Shimane. Hoshimura began to learn to play the piano at the age of four. Her mother ...

, musician * April 19:

Kazuhiro Maeda Kazuhiro Maeda ( ja, 前田和浩; born 19 April 1981) is a Japanese long-distance runner. Born in Shiroishi, Saga, Maeda made his international debut at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics, where he ran in the heats of the 5000 metr ...

, long-distance runner * April 23:

Megu Hirose (born April 23, 1981 in Hyōgo Prefecture) is a Japanese softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professi ...

, softball player * May 8:

Yasuko Tajima (born 8 May 1981 in Kanagawa) is a former medley swimmer from Japan. She won the silver medal in the 400m Individual Medley at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of A ...

, medley swimmer * May 12:

Naohiro Ishikawa is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. Club career Ishikawa was born in Yokosuka on 12 May 1981. He joined Yokohama F. Marinos from youth team in 2000. Although he was Japan U-20 national team player, he co ...

, footballer * May 13:

Hidenori Kato is a Japanese people, Japanese Association football, football player. Club statistics References External links

* 1981 births Living people Fukuoka University alumni Association football people from Mie Prefecture Japanese footballers ...

, footballer * May 22:

Fumina Hara is a Japanese actress and gravure idol. Biography History She has played the role of Usagi Tsukino in the Sailor Moon musicals, and has gone on to a varied career. She has played the love interest in ''Aishiteruze Baby''. Personal life She wa ...

, actress and idol * May 23:

Ema Tōyama is a female Japanese manga artist and illustrator. She made her debut in September 2003 in the monthly manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' with her story, ''Tenshi no Tamago'' ("Angel's Egg", no relation to the anime movie of the same name). Tokyopop ...

, manga artist * May 24:

Sayaka Ando is a Japanese gravure idol and fashion model. She made her debut in Eternal in 2004. She is a graduate of Miyagi Gakuin Women's University is a private university in Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. History The Miyagi Girls' School was foun ...

, gravure idol * June 6: Daisuke Miyazaki, handball player * June 8:

Ai Nonaka is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She works for Aoni Production and was formerly a member of the voice actor unit Drops, which included fellow voice actor Akemi Kanda, Tomoko Kaneda, Mariko Kōda, and Ryōko Shiraishi. In high school in Fu ...

, voice actress * June 18: Yurin, actress, voice actress and singer * July 27:

Mari Hoshino is a Japanese actress and singer. Background She graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University. Most well known for her lead role as Otome Sakamoto in T.B.S. drama, ''Kinpachi-sensei'', Hoshino has starred in several dramas in recent years. Her main r ...

, actress and singer * August 4:

Ayumi Tanimoto born August 4, 1981, in Anjo, Aichi, is a Japanese judoka. She was coached by Toshihiko Koga, who is a gold medalist at the Barcelona Olympics and a silver medalist at the Atlanta Olympics Men's Judo. Tanimoto won the Women's -63 kg cate ...

, judoka * August 5:

Kou Shibasaki is a Japanese actress and singer who has performed in television shows, movies, and commercials. She is managed by Stardust Promotion. Biography Acting career Shibasaki debuted in 2000, when she portrayed Mitsuko Souma in '' Battle Royale.'' ...

, singer and actress * August 10:

Natsumi Abe is a Japanese singer and actress, a former member of Morning Musume, and currently a member of Dream Morning Musume. Biography Career She was born in Muroran, Hokkaidō, Japan. On August 13, 2003, she released her first single, "22 Sai no Wat ...

, singer and actress * August 15:

Yoshiko Fujinaga is a female long-distance runner from Japan, who won the 2009 edition of the annual Nagoya Marathon on March 1, 2009, clocking a total time of 2:28:13. She is a one-time national champion in the women's 5,000 metres. Achievements References ...

, long-distance runner * August 28:

Aira Yuhki ''Aira'' is a genus of Old World plants in the grass family, native to western and southern Europe, central and southwest Asia, plus Africa. The common name, shared with the similar related genera ''Deschampsia'' and ''Koeleria'', is hair-gr ...

, J-pop singer * September 19:

Rika Fujiwara is a retired Japanese tennis player. On 22 August 2005, Fujiwara reached her best singles ranking of world No. 84. On 11 November 2002, she peaked at No. 13 in the WTA doubles rankings. At the 2002 Australian Open, Fujiwara partnered with S ...

, tennis player * September 22:

Hiromitsu Miura is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division. He is also a former boxer who competed in the light heavyweight division. Mixed martial arts career Miura earned a WEC title fight against WEC Welterweight Champion C ...

, Boxer and former mixed martial artist * September 23:

Hiroka Yaginuma Hiroka Yaginuma (born September 23, 1981) is a Japanese born professional wrestler. She is best known for her work in the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Yaginuma has worked under the ring names Hir ...

, wrestler * September 26 **

Asuka Asuka may refer to: People * Asuka (name), a list of people * Asuka (wrestler), professional wrestler * Asuka (wrestler, born 1998), professional wrestler also known as Veny outside of Japan Places In Japan * , an area in Yamato Province (now ...

, wrestler **

Marica Hase , also known as is a Japanese gravure model, adult actress, and ''Penthouse'' Pet. Starting out her career as an erotic model in 2007, Hase transitioned into being an AV idol in 2009 before basing herself the United States in 2012. She appeare ...

, gravure model and pornographic actress * October 6:

Chiharu Icho is a Japanese sport wrestling, wrestler who competed in the 48 kg Wrestling weight classes, weight class at the Wrestling at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's freestyle 48 kg, 2004 and Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's fr ...

, wrestler * October 8:

Ryuji Sainei , born on October 8, 1981, in Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan) is a Japanese actor, best known for his role as Banban "Ban" Akaza/Deka Red in the 2004 Super Sentai series ''Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger''. He is currently a freelance actor but ...

, actor * October 17:

Tsubasa Imai is a Japanese singer, actor and dancer formerly in the Japanese agency Johnny & Associates. He joined Johnny & Associates in 1995 and officially debuted in 2002 in the duo Tackey & Tsubasa with Hideaki Takizawa. They are signed to the record labe ...

, singer, actor, and dancer * October 25:

Hiroshi Aoyama is a Japanese retired Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, and current team principal of Honda Team Asia. Aoyama is best known for winning the 2009 250cc World Championship title. He is the older brother of former 250cc and World Superbike rider, ...

, motorcycle road racer * October 30 **

Ayaka Kimura , born October 30, 1981 and known professionally as , is a Japanese actress and former singer. From 1998 to 2008, Nagate was part of Hello! Project as a member of the Japan-based girl group Coconuts Musume. History Nagate joined Hello! Pr ...

, actress and J-pop singer **

Eri Sendai is a Japanese actress and voice-actress from Japan. Her major roles in anime include Mimino Kurumi/Milky Rose in ''Yes! Precure 5'', Saotome Rei in ''Yu-Gi-Oh! GX'', Sa Kōrin in ''The Story of Saiunkoku'', Morita Yukari in ''Rocket Girls'', Shi ...

, voice actress * November 3: Ayako Shoda, wrestler * November 7 **

Nana Katase Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname * Nana (c ...

, actress **

Rina Uchiyama is a Japanese actress and idol. Career Uchiyama was first discovered in her hometown in Kanagawa Prefecture by the talent agency Sweet Power at the age of 15. She was signed up by the agency, and in 1998, moved to Tokyo to launch her career in ...

, actress and idol * December 8:

Naoyuki Kotani Naoyuki Kotani (born December 8, 1981) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, he has formerly competed in PRIDE, Pancrase, UFC, Vale Tudo Japan, and RINGS. Mixe ...

, mixed martial artist * December 19: Eriko Sato, actress and model * December 29:

Shizuka Arakawa is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2006 Olympic champion and the 2004 World champion. Arakawa is the first Japanese skater to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating and the second Japanese skater to win any Olympic medal in fi ...

, figure skater

Deaths

* January 8:

Shigeru Egami was a pioneering Japanese Grandmaster (martial arts), master of Shotokan karate who founded the Shōtōkai style. He was a student of Gichin Funakoshi, who is widely recognized as the founder of modern karate. Early life Egami was born on Decem ...

, master of Shotokan karate * February 11:

Fusae Ichikawa was a Japanese feminist, politician and a leader of the women's suffrage movement. Ichikawa was a key supporter of women's suffrage in Japan, and her activism was partially responsible for the extension of the franchise to women in 1945. Early ...

, feminist, politician and women's suffrage leader * February 25:

Gunichi Mikawa was a vice-admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Mikawa was the commander of a heavy cruiser force that won a spectacular IJN victory over the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy at the Battle of Savo Island in Ir ...

, Vice-Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy * April 9:

Ichiro Nakayama was a Japanese economist. He graduated from The Tokyo University of Commerce (now Hitotsubashi University) in 1926, and then studied under Joseph Schumpeter in Germany. He was a pioneer of mathematical economics in Japan. After serving as assist ...

, economist * April 12:

Prince Asaka Yasuhiko General was the founder of a collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Japanese invasion of China and the Second World War. Son-in-law of Emperor Meiji and uncle by marriage of Em ...

, founder of a collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family * April 27:

Koji Sone was a Japanese people, Japanese judoka and world champion. He was born in the city Chichibu, Saitama and started judo in his childhood. His father was a 6th Dan in judo and his uncle a 9th Dan. Sone is a university-trained judoka from Mei ...

, judoka * May 7:

Hiromichi Yahara was the senior staff officer in charge of operations of the 32nd Japanese Army at Okinawa during the American invasion of that island during World War II. Defense of Okinawa Yahara, who had taught strategy at the Army War College, was assigne ...

, senior staff officer * July 4:

Isao Kimura , also known as Kō Kimura, was a Japanese actor. He entered the Haiyūza theatre troupe in 1946. He appeared in several films directed by Akira Kurosawa, including '' Stray Dog'' (1949) as Yusa the criminal, and ''Seven Samurai'' (1954) as Kat ...

, actor * July 19: Daisuke Itō, film director and screenwriter * July 23:

Kazuo Taoka was one of the most prominent yakuza godfathers.History and Cultur ...

, one of the

yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ...

Godfathers * August 22:

Kuniko Mukōda was a Japanese TV screenwriter. Most of her scripts focus on day-to-day family life and relationships. She won the 83rd Naoki Prize (1980上) for her short stories "Hanano Namae", "Kawauso" and "Inugoya." Life Mukōda was born in Tokyo, and move ...

, screen writer (b.

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

) * September 8:

Hideki Yukawa was a Japanese theoretical physicist and the first Japanese Nobel laureate for his prediction of the pi meson, or pion. Biography He was born as Hideki Ogawa in Tokyo and grew up in Kyoto with two older brothers, two older sisters, and two yo ...

, physicist * September 14: Yasuji Kiyose, composer * September 16:

Akira Iwasaki (18 November 1903 – 16 September 1981) was a prominent left-wing Japanese film critic, historian, and producer. Born in Tokyo, he became interested in film from his student days at Tokyo University. Early on, he helped introduce German experimen ...

, film critic, historian, and producer * December 28:

Seishi Yokomizo was a Japanese mystery novelist, known for creating the fictional detective Kosuke Kindaichi. Early life Yokomizo was born in the city of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. He read detective stories as a boy and in 1921, while employed by the Daiichi Bank ...

, author

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1981 In Japan

Years of the 20th century in Japan