Events in the year 1991 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

Heisei The is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Emeritus Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, ...

3 (平成3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), ...

Akihito is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 7 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, ''Heisei'' being an expression of achieving peace worldwide. Bo ...

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 ...

Toshiki Kaifu was a Japanese politician who served as the 77th Prime Minister of Japan from 1989 to 1991. Early life and education Kaifu was born on 2 January 1931, in Nagoya City, the eldest of six brothers. His family's business Nakamura Photo Studio wa ...

( L–Aichi) until November 5, Kiichi Miyazawa *

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 ...

: Misoji Sakamoto (L–Ishikawa) until November 5, Kōichi Katō (L–Yamagata) * 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 ...

: Ryōhachi Kusaba * 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 ...

Yoshio Sakurauchi was a Japanese politician and a significant member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He was speaker of the House of Representatives of which he was a member for 53 years. Early life and education Sakurauchi was born in Tokyo on 8 May 1912 ...

(L–Shimane) * 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, ...

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) until October 4,

Yūji Osada Yūji, Yuji or Yuuji is a common masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yūji can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Some examples: *勇二, "courage, 2" *勇次, "courage, next" *裕二, "abundant, 2" *祐二 ...

(L–proportional) *

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: 120th (regular session opened in December 1990, to May 8), 121st (extraordinary, August 5 to October 4), 122nd (extraordinary, November 5 to December 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 ...

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:

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 ...

*Gifu Prefecture:

Taku Kajiwara Taku may refer to: Places North America * the Taku River, in Alaska and British Columbia ** Fort Taku, also known as Fort Durham and as Taku, a former fort of the Hudson's Bay Company near the mouth of the Taku River ** the Taku Glacier, in Ala ...

*Gunma Prefecture: Ichiro Shimizu (until 12 June);

Hiroyuki Kodera is a common masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Hiroki can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: extensive, good fortune, spacious. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . It is written in hir ...

(starting 28 July) *

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: (until 29 April);

Iwao Kudō Iwao (written: 巖, 巌, 岩夫, 岩尾, 岩生, 岩男 or 岩雄) is both a masculine Japanese given name and a Japanese surname. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Emma Haruka Iwao, Japanese computer scientist and cloud developer advo ...

(starting 29 April) *Kagawa Prefecture: Jōichi Hirai *Kagoshima Prefecture:

Yoshiteru Tsuchiya Yoshiteru is a masculine Japanese name, Japanese given name. Possible writings Yoshiteru can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *義輝, "justice, sparkle" *義照, "justice, illuminate" *義央, ...

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 (until 6 December); Daijiro Hashimoto (starting 7 December) *

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 ...

(until 10 February); Joji Fukushima (starting 11 February) * 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 ...

: Shuntarō Honma *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 (until 27 November);

Yoshiya Kakimoto Yoshiya (written: 佳也, 栄哉 or 代志也) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * (born 1987), Japanese footballer * (born 1973), Japanese footballer Yoshiya (written: 吉屋) is also a Japanese surname. N ...

(starting 28 November) *

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 ...

: Kiyoshi Kaneko *Oita Prefecture: Morihiko Hiramatsu *

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 ...

Masahide Ōta was a Japanese academic and politician who served as the governor of Okinawa Prefecture from 1990 until 1998. After starting his career as a professor at the University of the Ryūkyūs, he wrote books in English and Japanese, mostly about the Ba ...

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 (until 22 April);

Kazuo Nakagawa Kazuo (カズオ, かずお) is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible spellings It has several written forms, and the meaning depends on the characters used (usually kanji, but sometimes hiragana). Common forms include: * 一雄: first son, ...

(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 ...

: Kumao Katsuki (until 22 April); Isamu Imoto (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 ...

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 (until 16 February); Ken Amano (starting 17 February)

Events

* January 1: Telephone numbers in

are expanded from 7 digits to 8 digits * March 14: A under constructing to Hiroshima Astram Line bridge girder falling accident, kills 14, injures 9. * April 1:

Metropolitan Government moved its offices from

Marunouchi Marunouchi () is a commercial district of Tokyo located in Chiyoda between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace. The name, meaning "inside the circle", derives from its location within the palace's outer moat. It is also Tokyo's financial di ...

to the

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building The , also referred to as the for short, is the seat of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which governs the special wards, cities, towns, and villages that constitute the Tokyo Metropolis. Located in Shinjuku ward, the building was designed b ...

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

. * April 26: Self-Defense Forces dispatched to assist in the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. * May 14:

Shigaraki train disaster The was a railway accident that occurred in Shigaraki (now Koka), Shiga Prefecture, Japan on May 14, 1991. A Shigaraki Kōgen Railway (SKR) train and a West Japan Railway Company (JR West) train collided head-on, killing 42 people and injuring ...

– 42 fatalities, 614 injures in

. * June 3:

Mount Unzen is an active volcanic group of several overlapping stratovolcanoes, near the city of Shimabara, Nagasaki on the island of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island. In 1792, the collapse of one of its several lava domes triggered a megatsunam ...

Nagasaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 Square kilometre, km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders ...

saw a

pyroclastic flow A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current or a pyroclastic cloud) is a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that flows along the ground away from a volcano at average speeds of bu ...

, resulting in 43 deaths. * June 15: The

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

awards the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

. * June 20: Tohoku Shinkansen line is extended from

Ueno Station is a major railway station in Tokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park—which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo University of the Arts and other fam ...

Tokyo Station Tokyo Station ( ja, 東京駅, ) is a railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is ...

. * July 13: 1991 Itoman special breach of trust case, six arrested by Japanese authorities. * July 31: Lotte Orions baseball team announces it will move to

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

and become the

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...

. * August 5: Aerospatiale SA365N helicopter crash in Muraoka, Mikata District, Hyōgo Prefecture, 8 fatalities. * August 14 – NTT Docomo was founded. * September 11: is based at

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

, becoming the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

's only forward-deployed

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

. * September 27:

Typhoon Mireille Typhoon Mireille, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Rosing, was the costliest typhoon on record, until it was surpassed by Typhoon Hagibis in 2019 (when not adjusted for inflation). Striking Japan in September 1991, it became the 20th named sto ...

kills 45 people in Japan. * October 3: Kaifu resigns as prime minister. * November 5: Miyazawa announces his first cabinet.

Births

January

* January 8:

Asuka Hinoi is a Japanese singer and actress. Biography Asuka's musical career began in 2002, when she was chosen with two other girls, Hikaru Koyama and Miho Hiroshige, to form the group LOVE & PEACE. Their song "Drifter" became the theme for the movie ...

, singer * January 14:

Kana Ichikawa is a Japanese sprinter. She competed for the Japanese team in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics; the team placed 15th with a time of 44.25 in Round 1 and did not qualify for the final. International competitions 1Did not ...

, sprinter * January 19:

Yu Takahashi is a Japanese singer-songwriter. He debuted on a major label in 2010, with his singles "Subarashiki Nichijō" and "Honto no Kimochi". Biography Takahashi grew up in Yokote, Akita, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. He started to learn the electri ...

, model and actress

February

* February 4:

Aya Ōmasa is a Japanese model and actress. Career Omasa co-starred with Shōta Sometani in Natsuki Seta's 2010 film ''A Liar and a Broken Girl''. She appeared in the 2011 film ''Paradise Kiss''. Filmography Films TV dramas * '' Tokyo Girl'' Episode 6 ...

, fashion model and actress

March

* March 4:

Aoi Nakamura is a Japanese photomodel and actor. He belongs to the talent agency LesPros Entertainment. History Nakamura Aoi entered the entertainment industry when he won the Grand Prix at the final round of the 18th '' Junon'' Superboy Contest held in No ...

, actor * March 10:

Kenshi Yonezu is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and illustrator who began releasing Vocaloid music under the stage name in 2009. In 2012, he debuted under his real name, releasing music with his own voice. He has sold at least 4.2 mi ...

, singer-songwriter * March 14: Michiko Kashiwabara, cross country skier * March 14: Miu Nakamura, tarento and gravure idol * March 15:

Kii Kitano is a Japanese actress, singer and gravure idol. Career Kitano was born in Kanagawa Prefecture, and is a former member of the celebrity girls futsal team ''Miss Magazine''. In 2005, Kitano won a Miss Magazine Award, becoming the youngest (age 1 ...

, gravure idol and actress * March 28:

Rin Asuka is a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. Her debut role was in the film '' Tenshi ga Kureta Mono'', and she was later cast in the film adaptations of ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni'' as Mion Sonozaki. She also played Akira Karasaki for severa ...

, actress

April

* April 8:

Minami Takahashi is a Japanese idol, singer, tarento and a former member of the Japanese girl idol group AKB48. She is in Team A of AKB48. She became the first of AKB48 and its sister groups. In an interview with Nippon Television in June 2010, AKB48 produce ...

, singer * April 11:

Erina Mano is a Japanese idol singer and actress formerly associated with Hello! Project. She joined in 2006 as a member of Hello Pro Egg, as a trainee. In 2007, she became a member of the Hello! Project futsal team Gatas Brilhantes H.P. and its musical ...

, J-pop singer * April 11:

Kenta Matsudaira is a Japanese table tennis player. Winner of the 2006 World Junior Championships in singles, he was the world number one junior player in 2008. He is world-renowned for his tomahawk serve, which he has popularized throughout his career. The se ...

, table tennis player * April 12:

Daisuke Kikuchi is a Japanese footballer who plays for FC Gifu in the J3 League. Career statistics ''Updated to end of 2018 season''.Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社"2016J1&J2&J3選手名鑑" 10 February 2016, Japan, (p ...

, footballer * April 15:

Daiki Arioka is a Japanese singer, actor, tarento, and model as well as member of Hey! Say! JUMP. He is under the management of Johnny & Associates. Career On June 2, 2003, he joined Johnny & Associates as a trainee. As a Johnny's Jr., he was a member of ...

, singer * April 16:

Misato Ugaki is a Japanese freelance announcer, model, actress, and television personality. Previously she was a Tokyo Broadcasting System Television announcer. Biography She was born in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. After graduating from Hyogo Prefectural Nagat ...

, announcer * April 17: Shinsaku Uesugi, FIDE master * April 20:

Yuko Shintake is a Japanese gymnast. She competed for the national team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics in the Gymnastics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic team all-around, Women's artistic team all-around. Refere ...

, artistic gymnast * April 29:

Misaki Doi is a Japanese professional tennis player. Her highest WTA rankings are No. 30 in singles and No. 77 in doubles. Doi reached two junior Grand Slam doubles finals – at Wimbledon in 2007 with Kurumi Nara, and at the Australian Open in 2008, w ...

, tennis player * May 3:

Narita Brian Narita Brian ( ja, ナリタブライアン, Hepburn: ; May 3, 1991 – September 27, 1998) was a Japanese racehorse. Until T M Opera O surpassed him in 2000, Narita Brian was the world's top money earner. Background Narita Brian was a bay ho ...

, racehorse (died

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

)

May

* May 24:

Erika Umeda is a Japanese singer and former model. She was a member of the Japanese idol girl group ZYX and Cute up until departing to pursue a solo career in modeling. In 2013, she returned to her music career with the release of her debut solo single "Cru ...

, singer * May 26: Takumi Abe, football player * May 29:

Saori Hayami Saori (written: 沙織, 早織, 佐織, 砂織, 沙保里, 沙緒里, 紗央里, 紗央莉, 左多里 or さおり in hiragana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: * Saori (television personality) (born 1981) ...

, voice actress and singer

June

* June 15:

Rina Takeda is a Japanese actress, singer and martial artist. hold black belt in Ryukyu Shōrin-ryū Karate. Life and career Takeda was born on June 15, 1991, in Kanagawa Prefecture. She has said that she became interested in karate as a 10-year-old when s ...

, actress and martial artist * June 17:

Yusei Kikuchi is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Seattle Mariners in MLB and for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Amateur career As ...

, baseball pitcher * June 25:

Kyousuke Hamao is a Japanese former actor, singer, and model. Hamao debuted as an actor in the role of Eiji Kikumaru in '' Musical: The Prince of Tennis'' from 2007 to 2009. He has since then appeared in multiple film and television projects, such as Takumi H ...

, actor and model * June 27:

Haruka Yamazaki is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Arts Vision. Yamazaki has had main roles in several anime shows including as Tomoyo Kanzaki in ''When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace'', Lilith Bristol in ''Absolute Duo'', and Mero ...

, voice actress and singer * June 30: Kaho, actress

July

* July 3:

Tomomi Itano is a Japanese recording artist, songwriter, dancer, model, and actress. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. In 2011 she debuted solo with a single titled " Dear J", which wa ...

, singer, actress and idol * July 10:

Atsuko Maeda is a Japanese actress and singer. She is a former member of the idol girl group AKB48, and was one of the most prominent members in the group at the time, regarded as the group's "absolute ace", "immovable center", and the "Face of AKB." After ...

, singer * July 11:

Kentaro Sakaguchi is a Japanese actor and model. He debuted as a model in Men's Non-no magazine in 2010, and as an actor under Tristone Entertainment in 2014. He has since starred in television series ''Tokyo Tarareba Musume'' (2017) and ''Signal'' (2018), as w ...

, model and actor * July 12:

Tomoki Kameda Tomoki Kameda (born July 12, 1991) is a Japanese professional boxer. He is a former WBO bantamweight champion, having held the title from 2013 to 2014, and former WBC super bantamweight title challenger, having fought for the title in 2019. P ...

, boxer * July 15:

Yuki Kashiwagi is a Japanese idol and singer. She is a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 and a former member of NMB48 and NGT48. She auditioned for AKB48 on December 3, 2006, and is now a member of AKB48's Team B. She was previously the captain of T ...

, singer, actress and idol * July 18:

Mizuki Yamamoto is a Japanese actress and model. Biography Yamamoto was born in Fukuoka Prefecture. She started her career as an exclusive model for the women's fashion magazine CanCam in 2009. Two years later, she made her acting debut in the Fuji TV drama '' ...

, model and actress * July 25:

Miyu Nagaoka is a Japanese volleyball player who plays for Hisamitsu Springs. She is a left-handed Opposite spiker known for her high vertical jump and high spike speed. She has been part of Japan women's national volleyball team since 2013, as a lead score ...

, volleyball player * July 27:

Rena Matsui is a Japanese actress, singer, and novelist. Matsui is a former member of the Japanese idol girl groups SKE48 and Nogizaka46. As a member of the former, she also participated in the main lineup of AKB48's singles. As an actress, she has played r ...

, singer and idol * July 28:

Rina Aizawa is a Japanese actress and gravure idol signed under Box Corporation. She is best known for her role Saki Royama/Go-on Yellow in Super Sentai series '' Engine Sentai Go-Onger. '' History She debuted in 2008 in the TV Asahi's tokusatsu series '' ...

, actress

August

* August 3: Kaori Kawanaka, archer * August 16: Yūki Tokiwa, voice actor

September

* September 17:

Ryo Ishikawa , also known by the nickname , is a Japanese professional golfer. Amateur career On 20 May 2007, Ishikawa became the youngest winner ever of a men's regular tournament on the Japan Golf Tour by winning the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup at the age 15 ...

, golfer

October

* October 15:

Sayaka Nakaya is a Japanese voice actress and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She is from Iwate. While with AKB48 she was a member of the subunit No Name. Her biggest role as a voice actress was as the title character Chitose Sakuraba in ...

, idol * October 16:

Miori Takimoto is a Japanese actress and a former singer. Takimoto debuted in 2003 as a singer of the girl group Sweets (band), Sweets, where she performed under the name Miori. After Sweets disbanded, Takimoto appeared on television as an actress. Biograph ...

, actress * October 23:

Princess Mako , formerly , is a former member of the Japanese imperial family. She is the eldest child of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, niece of Emperor Naruhito, and granddaughter of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko. ...

* October 26:

Riho Iida is a Japanese ex-child model-turned-actress, voice actress and singer. Her nickname is Rippi. Biography History Iida came into the spotlight when she was 11 years old, appearing on the '' Tensai Terebi Kun MAX'' (天才てれびくんMAX) serie ...

, actress and child model * October 27: Sōta Murakami, actor and voice actor

November

* November 12:

Takatoshi Abe is a Japanese track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres hurdles. He is the reigning Asian champion in the event. Born in Okayama Prefecture, Abe initially contested both the 110 metres hurdles and the 400 m hurdles, winning ...

, track and field athlete * November 16:

Tomomi Kasai is a Japanese singer, actress and a former member of the idol group AKB48, belonging to Team A. She had a recurring role on ''Kamen Rider W'' as Elizabeth, alongside group member Tomomi Itano. Together, they make up the sub-unit Queen & Elizab ...

, singer * November 19:

Genki Yamamoto is a Japanese professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . Career Yamamoto won the third stage of the Tour de Hokkaido twice while still a student at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, first in ...

, cyclist * November 22:

Saki Shimizu is a J-pop singer. Her career began in 2002 when she passed the audition for Hello! Project Kids, an all-female teen pop group within Hello! Project. She continued to sing in that group and became a part of two smaller groups composed of H ...

, singer * November 26:

Yoshi Tsutsugo is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates and fo ...

, professional baseball player * November 28:

Mayuko Kawakita is a Japanese-American actress and model, known for her role as Rena on '' Fashion Story: Model'', Nippon Television variety show ''Hirunandesu!'', and ''Sekai no Hatemade Itte Q!''. She is the 2003 winner of the Japan Bishōjo Contest which is ...

, actress and model

December

* December 3:

Masahiro Usui is a Japanese actor and member of the acting troupe D-BOYS, produced by Watanabe Entertainment. Biography Usui joined D-BOYS through the 4th D-BOYS open audition, held on May 28, 2007. Winner of the audition's Grand Prix, Usui was officially add ...

, actor * December 7:

Dori Sakurada , born in December 7, 1991, is a Japanese actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Ryoma Echizen as part of the third generation Seigaku cast in ''The Prince of Tennis'' musicals, Tenimyu. Biography Career Dori Sakurada was born i ...

, actor and singer *December 14:

Mitsuki Takahata is a Japanese actress and singer who is represented by the talent agency Horipro. She attended Hosei University as an undergraduate student Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate ed ...

, actress and singer *December 19:

Sumire Uesaka is a Japanese voice actress and singer associated with Voice Kit. She won the Best Rookie Actress at the 10th Seiyu Awards. She made her singing debut in April 2013 under King Records. Life and career Uesaka became a regular on the web radio ...

, voice actress and singer * December 24:

Shion Kokubun (born December 24, 1991 in Hokkaido, Japan) is a former Japanese figure skater. She won the 2009 Golden Spin of Zagreb. Programs Competitive highlights ''JGP: Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU J ...

, figure skater * December 30:

Kurumi Nara is a Japanese former professional tennis player. She has won one singles title on the WTA Tour, as well as six singles and three doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. On 18 August 2014, she reached a career-high singles ranking of world No ...

, tennis player

Deaths

* January 2:

Hiroshi Noma was a Japanese poet, novelist and essayist. According to literary scholar Doug Slaymaker, Noma is widely credited with having discovered or invented the style of writing called by the term "postwar literature" (''sengo bungaku'') in Japan. Ear ...

, author (b.

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

) * January 29:

Yasushi Inoue was a Japanese writer of novels, short stories, poetry and essays, noted for his historical and autobiographical fiction. His most acclaimed works include '' The Bullfight'' (''Tōgyū'', 1949), ''The Roof Tile of Tempyō'' (''Tenpyō no iraka' ...

, author (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. ...

) * February 24:

Shingo Kanemoto was a Japanese actor and voice actor originally from Fukuoka Prefecture. On February 24, 1991, he died of intra-axial hematoma at the age of 58. After his death, his ongoing roles went to Takeshi Watabe. Filmography *''Space Battleship Yamato III ...

, voice actor (b.

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

) * May 15:

Shintaro Abe was a Japanese politician from Yamaguchi Prefecture. He was a leading member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He served as foreign minister from 1982 to 1986. He was the father of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Early life and ...

, politician (b.

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...

) * May 26:

Kisaburo Osawa was an influential aikido teacher who taught for many years at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo and was a close advisor to Kisshomaru Ueshiba. Born in Kumagaya, Saitama prefecture, Japan, he started practicing judo at the age of 17 in order to fortify hi ...

, aikido teacher (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 ...

) * June 3:

Takeshi Nagata was a Japanese geophysicist. He studied geomagnetism. He won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society is the highest award given by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). The RAS Counc ...

, earth scientist (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 ...

) * July 5:

Nobuo Nakamura was a Japanese actor, who made notable appearances in the films of Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu in the 1950s and 1960s. Perhaps his most famous roles in the West were those of the callous deputy mayor in Kurosawa's ''Ikiru'' (1952), and the h ...

, actor (b.

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

) * July 11:

Hitoshi Igarashi was a Japanese scholar of Arabic and Persian literature and history and the Japanese translator of Salman Rushdie's novel ''The Satanic Verses''. He was murdered in the wake of fatwas issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran – who, by th ...

, scholar (b.

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

) * August 5:

Soichiro Honda was a Japanese engineer and industrialist. In 1948, he established Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and oversaw its expansion from a wooden shack manufacturing bicycle motors to a multinational automobile and motorcycle manufacturer. Early years Honda w ...

, founder of Honda Motor Company (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, ...

) * August 8:

Mitsuko Yoshikawa was a Japanese actress who played in over 250 films, often under the direction of Yasujirō Ozu and Hiroshi Shimizu. She joined the Shochiku film studios in 1924 and gave her film debut in 1926 in ''Kujaku no hikari''. After the war, she becam ...

, actress (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, ...

) * September 3:

Susumu Ishii Susumu Ishii (石井進 ''Ishii Susumu''; 1924–1991) a.k.a. 石井隆匡 was the second ''kaicho'' (godfather) of the Inagawa-kai yakuza gang in Japan. He was also fifth ''socho'' of the Yokosuka-ikka. Ishii was born in Yokosuka in 1924. In W ...

, second ''kaicho'' (Godfather) of

Inagawa-kai The is the third largest of Japan's yakuza groups, with approximately 3,100 members. It is based in the Kantō region, and was one of the first yakuza organizations to begin operating overseas. History The Inagawa-kai was founded in Atami, Shiz ...

(b.

) * October 22:

Hachiro Kasuga , born Minoru Watabe, was a Japanese enka singer. He has been dubbed "the first enka singer". Having seen Ichiro Fujiyama on stage, he attempted to become a popular singer. After he graduated from the Toyo Music School, he joined the Imperial ...

enka is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than ''ryūkōka'' music, p ...

singer (b.

) * November 12:

Keizō Hayashi was a Japanese civil servant, general officer and the first Chairman of Joint Staff Council (JSC), a post equivalent to Chief of the General Staff in other countries, from 1954 to 1964. He was instrumental in founding the post-war Japan Self-De ...

, civil servant and military general (b.

) * November 14:

Yoshikata Yoda (14 April 1909 – 14 November 1991) was a Japanese screenwriter. He wrote for more than 130 films between 1931 and 1989. He is most famous for his work with Kenji Mizoguchi. He wrote for the film ''Bushido, Samurai Saga'', which won the Go ...

, screenwriter (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 ...

) * November 23:

Ken Uehara was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1990. He starred in ''Entotsu no mieru basho'', which was entered in the 3rd Berlin International Film Festival. His son is the singer and actor Yūzō Kayama. Sel ...

, film actor (b.

) * November 27:

Yō Yoshimura was a Japanese voice actor who was born in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. As a youth, he was a member of a performing arts troupe. Yoshimura was diagnosed with subarachnoid hemorrhage in March 1990, and died on November 27, 1991, at 37 years old, fr ...

, voice actor (b.

)

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 = ¥124.85 (December 31)

References

{{Asia topic, 1991 in 1991 in Asia Years of the 20th century in Japan