Events in the year 1988 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 ...

. It corresponds to Shōwa 63 (昭和63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), ...

: 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 ...

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

( L–Shimane) *

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 ...

: Keizo Obuchi (L–Gunma) * 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 ...

Kōichi Yaguchi Kōichi, Koichi, Kouichi or Kohichi is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Kōichi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *晃一, "clear, one" *幸一, "happiness, one" *光一, "light, one" *孝一, "filial ...

* 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 ...

: Kenzaburō Hara (L–Hyōgo) * 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, ...

Masaaki Fujita was a Japanese politician. Fujita was born and brought up in Hiroshima City. He graduated from Waseda University in 1944. During his 30-year political career, he served in some important posts such as the Director General of Okinawa Development A ...

(L–Hiroshima) until September 30,

Yoshihiko Tsuchiya Yoshihiko is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yoshihiko can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *義彦, "justice, elegant boy" *義比古, "justice, young man (archaic)" *吉� ...

(L–Saitama) *

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: 112th (regular session opened in December 1987, until May 25), 113th (extraordinary, July 19 to December 28), 114th (regular, December 30 to 1989, June 22)

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 ...

Reiji Suzuki 鈴木礼治さん死去　元愛知県知事、９３歳
was a Japanese ...

*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:

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 ...

*Ehime Prefecture:

Sadayuki Iga Sadayuki (written: or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese sumo wrestler *, Japanese businessman See also * 48624 Sadayuki, a main-belt asteroid {{given name Japanese masculine given names

*Fukui Prefecture:

Yukio Kurita Yukio is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yukio can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *幸夫, "happiness, man" *幸生, "happiness, live" *幸男, "happiness, man" *幸雄, ...

*Fukuoka Prefecture: Hachiji Okuda *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 ...

(until 18 September);

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

(starting 19 September) *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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Takahiro Yokomichi is a Japanese politician who belongs to the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and was a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Sapporo, Hokkaidō and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was electe ...

*Hyogo Prefecture:

Toshitami Kaihara Toshitami Kaihara (August 24, 1933 - November 13, 2014) became a Vice Governor in 1970 and Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as g ...

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: Jōichi Hirai *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 ...

Morihiro Hosokawa is a Japanese politician and Nobility, noble who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1993 to 1994, leading a coalition government which was the first non-Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) government of Japan since 1955 ...

* Kyoto Prefecture:

Teiichi Aramaki Teiichi (written: 貞一) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese sprinter *, Japanese composer *, Japanese general *, Japanese general Fictional characters

*, protagonist o ...

*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: Isamu Takada *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 ...

Minoru Inaba is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor from Shizuoka Prefecture. He is affiliated with Ken Production. Inaba is best known for his roles in The Walt Disney Company, Disney productions (as Chip 'n Dale, Dale), ''Buzz Lightyear of Star C ...

*Shiname Prefecture:

Nobuyoshi Sumita Nobuyoshi (written: 信吉, 信芳, 信義, 信喜, 信由, 経惟) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese photographer and artist *, Japanese chief executive *, Japanese sumo wrestler *, Japanese com ...

*Shizuoka Prefecture: Shigeyoshi Saitō *Tochigi Prefecture:

Fumio Watanabe (October 31, 1929 – August 4, 2004) was a Japanese actor most known for his work with Japanese New Wave director Nagisa Oshima. He was born in Tokyo and graduated from the University of Tokyo before joining the Shōchiku studio in 1956. Sele ...

*Tokushima Prefecture:

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 ...

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: Yuji Nishio *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

*March 13:

Seikan Tunnel The Seikan Tunnel ( ja, 青函トンネル, or , ), is a dual-gauge railway tunnel in Japan, with a portion under the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Aomori Prefecture on the main Japanese island of Honshu from the northern isla ...

opens, connecting

and

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

by rail for the first time. *March 17:

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...

completed. *April 4 and 5:

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Boøwy Boøwy ( ; stylized as BOØWY) was a Japanese rock band formed in Takasaki, Gunma in 1981. The classic lineup of vocalist Kyosuke Himuro, guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei, bassist Tsunematsu Matsui, and drummer Makoto Takahashi reached legendary status ...

hold their last concert in

and break up. *April 10:

Great Seto Bridge The is a series of double deck bridges connecting Okayama and Kagawa prefectures in Japan across a series of five small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Built over the period 1978–88, it is one of the three routes of the Honshū–Shikoku Bri ...

opens. *April 16:

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ha ...

films ''

My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten. The film—which stars the voice actors Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, and Hitoshi Takagi—tells the story of a ...

'' and ''

Grave of the Fireflies is a 1988 Japanese animated war tragedy film based on a 1967 short story by Akiyuki Nosaka. It was written and directed by Isao Takahata, and animated by Studio Ghibli for Shinchosha Publishing. The film stars , , and . Set in the city o ...

'' are released simultaneously. *June 18: ''

Asahi Shimbun is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition and ...

'' breaks the

Recruit scandal The was an insider trading and corruption scandal that forced many prominent Japanese politicians to resign in 1988. Recruit is a human resources and classifieds company based in Tokyo. Its chairman, , offered a number of shares in a Recruit s ...

. *July 16: The

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

film '' Akira'' is released. *July 21: A heavy

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

with

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

in Kake, Hiroshima Prefecture and

Hamada A hamada ( ar, حمادة, ) is a type of desert landscape consisting of high, largely barren, hard rocky plateaus, where most of the sand has been removed by deflation. The majority of the Sahara is in fact hamada. Other examples are Negev dese ...

Shimane Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...

, According to Fire and Disaster Management Agency of Japan official confirmed report, 27 persons lost their lives, 45 were wounded. *July 23: A sports fishing boat, ''Fuji Maru No. 1'', collides with a submarine, ''Nadashio'', in

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

, resulting in the former sinking and 30 deaths as well as 17 injuries. *September 14:

Daiei , based in Kobe, is one of the largest supermarket chains in Japan. In 1957, Isao Nakauchi founded the chain in Osaka near Sembayashi Station on the Keihan train line. Daiei is now under a restructuring process supported by Marubeni Corporation ...

purchases the

Nankai Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

baseball team: they become the

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

. *October 3: ''

Anpanman is a Japanese children's superhero picture book series written by Takashi Yanase, running from 1973 until the author’s death in 2013. The series has been adapted into an anime entitled , which is one of the most popular anime series among ...

'' premieres on

Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...

. *October 19:

Orix , styled as ORIX, is a Japanese diversified financial services group headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan. ORIX offers leasing, lending, rentals, life insurance, real estate financing and development, venture capital, investment an ...

purchases the Hankyu Braves baseball team: they become the

Orix Braves The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team formed as a result of the 2004 Nippon Professional Baseball realignment by the merger of the Orix BlueWave of Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes of Osaka, Osaka Prefect ...

. *October 23:

Super Mario Bros. 3 ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released for home consoles in Japan on October 23, 1988, in North America on February 12, 1990 and in Europe on ...

is released for the

Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

, a slightly modified version is released for the NES in February 1990. *December 9: Finance Minister

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 ...

resigns amid the Recruit scandal. *December 27: Takeshita announces a realigned cabinet. *December 30: According to a Japan National Police Agency official confirmed report, an armored car with 222.5 million yen in cash and 170 million yen in checks was robbed in

Suma-ku, Kobe is one of 9 wards of Kobe, Japan. As of February 1, 2012, it has an area of 30.0 km², and a population of 166,324, with 71,745 households. There is a white sandy beach in this ward, which attracts tourists to the Kansai region for sun ba ...

, Hyogo Prefecture. The suspect is escape continue, and still not detained, according to JNPA official.

Births

January

*January 1:

Saori Hara is a former Japanese AV idol, model and actress who has also used the name and most recently . Early life Saori Hara was born in Hiroshima Prefecture to a Japanese mother and a father of mixed German-Japanese parentage. Mai Nanami Hara star ...

, AV idol, model, and actress *January 2: Yusuke Suzuki, race walker *January 8: Ryuichi Dogaki, football player *January 28:

Seiya Sanada , better known by his ring name Sanada (stylized as SANADA), is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a member of the stable ''Los Ingobernables de Japón''. As part of NJPW, Sanada is mostly ...

, wrestler

February

*February 7:

Ai Kago is a Japanese actress and former singer. In 2000, Kago debuted as a 4th generation member of the idol girl group Morning Musume. During her time in the group, she was also part of Mini-Moni and other Hello! Project sub-groups. In 2004, Kago depa ...

, performer *February 8: Nozomi Sasaki, glamour model *February 12:

Nana Eikura is a Japanese actress, model, and occasional radio show host affiliated with Ken-On Group. Biography She was born in Izumi, Kagoshima, and raised in Sagamihara, Kanagawa.

, model, actress, and occasional radio show host *February 15:

Hironori Kusano is a Japanese singer and former member of the J-pop group NEWS, as part of Johnny's Entertainment, Inc., which he joined in February 2001. Biography As a Johnny's Jr., Kusano had also been in other Jr. subgroups including J2000, J-support, a ...

, singer and actor *February 19:

Miyu Irino is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He voiced Haku in ''Spirited Away'', Shoya Ishida in '' A Silent Voice'', Sena Kobayakawa in ''Eyeshield 21'', Jinta "Jintan" Yadomi in '' Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day'', Syaoran in '' Tsubasa: Rese ...

, voice actor *February 26: Hitomi Niiya, long-distance runner

March

*March 11:

Katsuhiko Nakajima is a Japanese professional wrestler, signed to Pro Wrestling Noah. He started his career in Riki Choshu's Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling (WJ) promotion before heading to Kensuke Sasaki's Kensuke Office/Diamond Ring dojo and promotion. He ...

, professional wrestler *March 22:

Noriko Kijima is a Japanese gravure idol and actress. Life and career Kijima was born in Nagano Prefecture, Japan on March 22, 1988. She was one of the winners at the 2005 Seikore competition, short for Zenkoku Joshikousei Seifuku Collection, a Japanese natio ...

, gravure idol and actress *March 27:

Atsuto Uchida is a Japanese former professional footballer turned coach who played as a right-back. Uchida started his career with Kashima Antlers, making his debut in 2006 at the age of 17. After four years and three J1 League Titles, Uchida moved to Germa ...

, footballer

April

*April 5:

Asumi Nakata is a Japanese voice actress and child model from Tokyo, Japan. She is represented by Oscar Promotion. Her major roles in anime are Lucia Nanami in '' Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch'' and Yasura in '' Himawari''. Biography When she was th ...

, child model and voice actress *April 13:

Tsubasa Aizawa is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He was selected . International career Yamada represented the Japan national baseball team in the 2010 Intercontinental Cup, 2015 exhibition games against Europe, 2018 ...

, professional baseball player *April 16: Shogo Akiyama, professional baseball player *April 19:

Haruna Kojima is a Japanese actress, model, and former singer. From 2005 to 2017, she was a member of idol group AKB48 under Team A. Career Kojima was born in Urawa-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, and started her career as a member of Angel Eyes, an ido ...

, singer, actress and idol

May

*May 1: Takeshi Suzuki, alpine skier *May 18: **

Hirooki Arai is a male Japanese racewalker. He competed in the 50 kilometres walk event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China. He finished third in the 50-kilometre race walk event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but was subsequently d ...

, Japanese racewalker **

Tatsuma Ito , fullname = Tatsuma Ito , country = , residence = , birth_date = , birth_place = Inabe, Japan , height = , turnedpro = December 2006 , plays = Right-handed (two-handed backhand) , coach = Alexander Waske , careerprizemoney = $1,735,524. , si ...

, tennis player *May 26: Akito Watabe, Nordic combined skier *May 28:

Meisa Kuroki Satsuki Shimabukuro (Japanese: 島袋さつき, ''Shimabukuro Satsuki'', b. 28 May 1988 in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan), better known by her stage name Meisa Kuroki (Japanese: 黒木メイサ, ''Kuroki Meisa''), is a Japanese actress, model an ...

, actress, model, and singer

June

*June 1:

Nami Tamaki Nami ( ar, نامي, ja, 波 ('wave'), ('regular'), etc.) may refer to: Given name * Nami (, , , , ), Japanese feminine given name * Nami Akimoto (born 1968), Japanese manga artist * , Japanese film director, screenwriter and editor *, Japanes ...

, singer *June 11 **

Yui Aragaki is a Ryukyuan Japanese actress, model, singer and occasional radio show host. She has been selected several times as the most desired girlfriend and the most desired female celebrity face in Oricon's yearly survey. Early life She was born on J ...

, model, actress and singer **

Ayako Kimura is a Japanese hurdler. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 A ...

, sprinter *June 22:

Miliyah Kato (born June 22, 1988), better known by her stage name of is a Japanese pop and urban singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and author. In 2003, Kato started her career as a singer when she provided vocal to Reggae Disco Rockers' song "Cherry Oh! ...

, pop and urban singer-songwriter *June 27:

Chisato Fukushima is a track and field sprint athlete who competes internationally for Japan. She is the Japanese record holder in the women's 100 metres and 200 metres. Career She began her career with appearances in the sprints at the 2005 World Youth Champi ...

, track and field sprint athlete *June 28 **

Gaku Hamada is a Japanese film and television actor. He was a regular cast member of Fuji TV's '' Operation Love'', appearing in all 11 episodes broadcast in 2007 and the 2008 special, and receiving an award for his role. He has made numerous other TV appe ...

, film and television actor **

Kanon Wakeshima is a Japanese musician and singer. Originally produced by musician and fashion designer Mana, Wakeshima debuted under the DefStar Records label on May 28, 2008 with the single " Still Doll", the ending theme for the anime adaptation of the manga ...

, singer and cellist

July

*July 15:

Maiko Kano Maiko Kano ( ''Kano Maiko'', born July 15, 1988) is a former Japanese volleyball player. She was part of the Japanese team that won bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Kumi Nakada (the coach of Hisamitu Springs) converted her to setter in 2012- ...

, volleyball player *July 26:

Sayaka Akimoto is a Filipino-Japanese actress and singer. She was a member of Japanese idol girl group AKB48 and its spin-off unit Diva (Japanese band), Diva. As an actress, Akimoto has appeared in both Japanese and American productions, and made her Hollywoo ...

, singer, actress and idol

August

*August 17:

Erika Toda is a Japanese actress. Career Toda has starred in many Japanese television dramas, including ''Liar Game'', ''Code Blue'', '' Ryusei no Kizuna'', and ''Keizoku 2: SPEC''. She has also had supporting roles in many other popular TV dramas, such a ...

, actress

September

*September 2:

Keisuke Kato Keisuke (written: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese general *, Japanese mixed martial artist *, Japanese footballer * ...

, actor and entertainer *September 7: Daiki Sato, footballer (d.

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

) *September 8:

Rie Kaneto is a Japanese competitive swimmer who specializes in breaststroke events. She won the gold medal in the 200 meter breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Career She represented her nation Japan, as a 19-year-old junior, at the 2008 Summer Oly ...

, Olympic swimmer *September 13:

Nobuyuki Tsujii (also known as Nobu Tsujii) is a Japanese pianist and composer. He was born blind due to microphthalmia. Tsujii performs extensively, with a large number of conductors and orchestras, and has received critical acclaims as well as notices for h ...

, pianist and composer *September 18:

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

, tennis player *September 20 **

Arisa Sato Rosalba Pippa (born 20 August 1982), better known by her stage name Arisa, is an Italian singer and actress. Early life Arisa was born in Genoa, Italy. A week after her birth, her family moved back to their original hometown, Pignola, a villag ...

, model and weather-caster **

Chiaki Satō is a Japanese actress and musician. She was the vocalist and guitarist for the band Kinoko Teikoku. She was born in Iwate Prefecture, and attended the private Yakumo Gakuen High School in Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially th ...

, actress **

Ayano Ōmoto , nicknamed , is a Japanese singer and dancer. She is known as one of the members of the Japanese electropop group Perfume. Biography Ōmoto was born and raised in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and attended Actor's School Hiroshima wit ...

, singer and dancer *September 23:

Kairi Sane is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and World Wonder Ring Stardom under the ring name Kairi (stylized in all caps). Housako is also known for her work with WWE as . She is the cur ...

, professional wrestler and actress *September 25:

Mariya Ise Mariya is a variation of the feminine given name Maria. People * Mariya Abakumova (born 1986), Russian Olympic javelin thrower * Mariya Agapova (born 1997), Kazakhstani mixed martial arts fighter * Mariya Alyokhina (born 1988), Russian politica ...

, voice actress *September 26:

Yūdai Ōno Yūdai Ōno (大野雄大, born September 26, 1988 in Kyoto, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Chunichi Dragons of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Early career As a junior, Ōno played for Kyoto Gaidai Nishi Hig ...

, professional baseball player *September 29:

Osama Elsamni Osama Elsamni ( ja, エルサムニー・オサマ, ''Erusamunī Osama''; ar, أسامة السمني; born 29 September 1988) is an Egyptian-Japanese retired association football, footballer who played as a striker. Career Tokyo Verdy Havi ...

, football player

October

*October 2:

Kirara Asuka is a Japanese model and former adult video (AV) actress. Career It is unknown when it started, but before her debut, Kirara Asuka was a female waitress working at a Kyabakura (Hostess club) in Roppongi. One day, a scout from an adult video com ...

, model adult video actress *October 6:

Maki Horikita is a Japanese former actress. During her career from 2003 until 2017, she starred in numerous Japanese television dramas, television and magazine advertisements, and movies, including roles in ''Nobuta wo Produce'', ''Hanazakari no Kimitachi e' ...

, actress and endorser *October 17:

Yuko Oshima is a Japanese actress and former member of Japanese idol girl group AKB48, of which she was the captain of Team K. She was also a member of the AKB48 subunit Not Yet. In addition to the singles that involved the rock-paper-scissors tournaments, ...

, idol, singer and actress *October 20:

Risa Niigaki is a Japanese actress and singer. She was a fifth-generation member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined Morning Musume in 2001 along with 3 others- Ai Takahashi, Asami Konno and Makoto Ogawa. She grew up in Yokohama after movin ...

, J-pop singer

November

*November 1:

Ai Fukuhara is a retired Japanese table tennis player and Olympic medalist, winning silver at the 2012 Summer Olympics and bronze at the 2016 Summer Olympics with the Japanese women's team. She is sponsored by All Nippon Airways. Table tennis career Fuk ...

, table tennis player *November 7: Kim Chae-Hwa, figure skater *November 8:

Honami Tajima is a Japanese actress. Regular roles External links *(ja* Japanese actresses 1988 births Living people {{Japan-actor-stub ...

, actress *November 14:

Takurō Ōno (also spelt Ohno), born November 14, 1988, is a Japanese actor and talent. He has had roles in such films as ''The Incite Mill'' and '' Liar Game: Reborn''. Filmography Film * ''The Incite Mill'' (2010) – Yukito Maki * '' Liar Game: Rebo ...

, actor *November 26:

Yumi Kobayashi is a female fashion model from Tokyo, Japan. She belongs to the show-business production ''Burning Production, K.K.'' ( 株式会社バーニングプロダクション) and used to belong to '' Platica Inc.'' Her show-business name from July 20 ...

, fashion model

December

*December 4: Miki Kanie, archer *December 14:

Hayato Sakamoto is a Japanese professional baseball shortstop with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). In , Sakamoto became the first player in Giants franchise history to start a season opener while under the age of 20 since Hideki Mats ...

, professional baseball player *December 19:

Mami Matsuyama is a Japanese idol, singer, and actress. She has released a number of DVDs. She is best known for her role as Remi Freedle in ''Chousei Kantai Sazer-X''. Matsuyama cosplayed as Mao Ran, a character in a video game titled ''Fighting Beauty Wul ...

, idol *December 23:

Eri Kamei is a Japanese pop singer and model. She is a former member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined in late 2003 as a sixth generation member along with Miki Fujimoto, Sayumi Michishige, and Reina Tanaka. She graduated on December 1 ...

, J-pop singer *December 26: Kayo Satoh, model and television personality

Deaths

*January 2:

Yukio Kasahara was a leading general in the Imperial Japanese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Biography Kasahara was born into a military family in Sendai, but attended the First Tokyo Middle School as a youth. He graduated from the 22nd class of the Im ...

, general (b.

1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the ...

) *March 1:

Yoshi Katō was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than 175 films between 1949 and 1988. He won the award for Best Actor at the 13th Moscow International Film Festival for his role in ''Hometown''. He married the actress Isuzu Yamada in 1950, but ...

, actor (b.

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...

) *April 10:

Shigeo Sugiura was a Japanese freestyle swimmer. At the 1936 Olympics he won a gold medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay, setting a new world record. References External links * * 1917 births 1988 deaths Olympic swimmers of Japan Olympic go ...

, freestyle swimmer and

Olympic gold medalist This article lists the individuals who have won at least four gold medals at the Olympic Games or at least three gold medals in individual events. List of most Olympic gold medals over career This is a partial list of multiple Olympic gold medalis ...

(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 ...

) *April 23:

Eitaro Ozawa , also credited as Sakae Ozawa (小沢栄), was a Japanese actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1988, directed by notable filmmakers such as Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Kaneto Shindō. Selected fi ...

, actor (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 ...

) *May 23:

Aya Kitō was a Japanese diarist. She wrote about her personal experiences living with spinocerebellar ataxia which was later published in the book '' 1 ...

, writer (b.

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

) *June 14:

Prince Kan'in Haruhito was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and the 7th (and final) head of the Kan'in-no-miya line of ''shinnōke'' cadet branches of the Imperial Family of Japan. Biography Prince Kan'in Haruhito was the only surviv ...

, career officer (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 4:

Toshio Doko Toshiwo Doko (土光敏夫 ''Dokō Toshio''; September 15, 1896 – August 4, 1988) was a Japanese engineer born in Mitsu District, Okayama, Manager, President and Chairman of Ishikawajima Heavy Industry (IHI) and Toshiba. Background Dokō was a ...

, business leader (b.

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

) *November 4:

Takeo Miki was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1974 until 1976. Early life and family Takeo Miki was born on 17 March 1907, in Gosho, Tokushima Prefecture (present-day Awa, Tokushima), the only child of farmer-merchant H ...

, former prime minister (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. ...

) *November 23:

Kenzō Masaoka was an early anime creator. Masaoka was the first to use cel animation and recorded sound in anime.Kōdansha (1993). ''Japan: an illustrated encyclopedia.'' Kōdansha, He worked at a number of companies as an animator and actor, and was one of ...

, anime creator (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 ...

) *December 25:

Shōhei Ōoka was a Japanese novelist, literary critic, and lecturer and translator of French literature who was active during the Shōwa period of Japan. Ōoka belongs to the group of postwar writers whose World War II experiences at home and abroad figure pr ...

, writer (b.

) *December 30:

Takeo Fujisawa was a Japanese businessman who co-founded Honda Motor Co., Ltd. alongside Soichiro Honda. Fujisawa oversaw the financial side of the company while Honda handled the engineering and product development. Together, they took the company from a small ...

, businessman, co-founder of

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

(b.

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

)

Statistics

Yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...

value: US$1 = ¥122 (low) to ¥135 (high)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1988 In Japan Years of the 20th century in Japan