Events from the year 1925 in Japan. It corresponds to Taishō 14 (大正14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), ...

: Taishō *

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

: Hirohito *

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

: Katō Takaaki

Governors

* Aichi Prefecture: Haruki Yamawaki *Akita Prefecture: Miki Nagano *Aomori Prefecture: Matsubara Kenshiro (until 16 October); Ryusaku Endo (starting 16 October) *Ehime Prefecture:

Yoshifumi Satake Yoshifumi is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yoshifumi can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *義文, "justice, literature" *義郁, "justice, aroma/to move" *義史, "ju ...

(until 16 September); Masayasu Kosaka (starting 16 October) *Fukui Prefecture: Katsuzo Toyota *Fukushima Prefecture: Kosaka Masayasu (until 16 September);

Hiroshi Kawabuchi Hiroshi Kawabuchi (August 15, 1883 – October 1, 1946) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from July 1929 to May 1931. He was governor of Fukushima Prefecture (1925-1927) and Fukuoka Prefecture (1931). He was m ...

(starting 16 September) *Gifu Prefecture:

Takekai Shirane Takekai Shirane (May 25, 1883 – March 5, 1957) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 ...

*Gunma Prefecture: Ushidzuka Torataro * Hiroshima Prefecture:

Jiro Yamagata Jiro Yamagata (January 6, 1881 – January 9, 1936) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from October 1923 to September 1925. He was governor of Ishikawa Prefecture (1922-1923), Hyōgo Prefecture (1925-1927) and ...

(until 16 September);

Konosuke Hamada was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from September 1925 to September 1926. He was governor of Toyama Prefecture (1910-1915), Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Ho ...

(starting 16 September) *

Ibaraki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefecture ...

: Tsugino Daisaburo (until 16 September);

Kaiichiro Suematsu Kaiichiro Suematsu (June 18, 1875 – June 26, 1947) was a Japanese politician who served as governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from September 1926 to November 1927. He was governor of Tokushima Prefecture (1915-1917), Shiga Prefecture (1923-1925) a ...

(starting 16 September) *Iwate Prefecture:

Akira Gotoyu Akira may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Akira'' (franchise), a Japanese cyberpunk franchise ** ''Akira'' (manga), a 1980s cyberpunk manga by Katsuhiro Otomo ** ''Akira'' (1988 film), an anime film adaptation of the manga ** ''Akira'' (vide ...

(until 16 September); Kakichi Tokuno (starting 16 September) *Kagawa Prefecture: Asari Saburo *

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...

: Seino Chotarno then

Zenjirō Horikiri was a politician and cabinet minister in early Shōwa period Japan. His brother, Zenbei Horikiri was also a politician and prominent member of the Rikken Seiyūkai political party. Biography Horikiri was born in Fukushima Prefecture. After h ...

*Kochi Prefecture: Fujioka Hyoichi *

Kumamoto Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to the northeast, M ...

Nakagawa Kenzō Nakagawa Kenzō (中川健藏, 16 July 1875 – 26 June 1944) was a Japanese bureaucrat and political figure. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University in 1902, he passed the civil service examination and was posted to the Hokkaido regiona ...

(until 16 September);

(starting 16 September) * Kyoto Prefecture: Hiroshi Ikeda *Mie Prefecture: Kunitoshi Yamaoka * Miyagi Prefecture: Manbei Ueda *Miyazaki Prefecture: Saito Munenori (until 16 September); Nagaura (starting 16 September) * Nagano Prefecture: Toshio Honma (until 24 June); Umetani Mitsusada (starting 24 June) *

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

: Ohara Sanarata (until 18 October); Takeo Mimatsu (starting 18 October) * Okayama Prefecture:

Masao Kishimoto Masao Kishimoto ( ja, 岸本正雄) (October 1881 – May 20, 1963) was Director of the Karafuto Agency (December 17, 1931 – July 5, 1932). He was Governor of Akita Prefecture (1922–1924), Yamagata Prefecture (1924), Okayama Prefecture (1927� ...

* Okinawa Prefecture:

Mitsumasa Kamei Mitsumasa (written: 光政, 光正 or 光雅) is a masculine Japanese given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as we ...

*Saga Prefecture: Saito * Saitama Prefecture: Saito Morikuni *

Shiga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the north ...

(until month unknown); Morio Takahashi (starting month unknown) *Shiname Prefecture: Sotaro Taro *Tochigi Prefecture: Otsuka *

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

: Katsuo Usami (until 16 September); Hiroshi Hiratsuka (starting 16 September) *Toyama Prefecture: Masao Oka *Yamagata Prefecture:

Events

*January 20 –

Soviet–Japanese Basic Convention The was a treaty normalizing relations between the Empire of Japan and the Soviet Union that was signed on 20 January 1925. Ratifications were exchanged in Beijing on February 26, 1925. The agreement was registered in ''League of Nations Treaty ...

is signed between the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

and the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. Ratifications were exchanged in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

on February 26, 1925. The agreement was registered in the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

Treaty Series on May 20, 1925. *March 5 – Nippon Air Brake (Nabco) was founded in Kobe, as predecessor of Nabtesco. *March 7 – The Public Security Preservation Law of 1925 (治安維持法, Chian Iji Hō) is passed in the diet. It forbade conspiracy and revolt, and it criminalized socialism and communism.James L. McClain, ''Japan: A Modern History'' p 390 It was one of the most significant laws of pre-war Japan. *March – A nation's first license radio station, NHK Radio One, an official broadcasting service start in

, following start on June 1 in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

and July 15 in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

. *April Unknown date – Sanki Engineering was founded. *May 1 – Matsuya Department Store of Ginza was open in Tokyo. *May 5 – The

General Election Law The was a law passed in Taishō period Japan, extending suffrage to all males aged 25 and over. It was proposed by the Kenseitō political party and it was passed by the Diet of Japan on 5 May 1925. The law increased the electorate from 3,341,00 ...

(普通選挙法, Futsu Senkyo Hō) was passed, giving all men above age 25 the right to vote. *May 12 – The Public Security Preservation Law is enacted. *May 23 – 1925 Kita Tajima earthquake *November 13 – The

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...

Earthquake Research Institute is founded. *Unknown date – Hokkaido Dairy Sales Association, as predecessor of Snow Brand Megmilk, founded in

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

Births

*January 11 –

Kihachirō Kawamoto was a Japanese puppet designer and maker, Independent film, independent film director, screenwriter and animator and president (corporate title), president of the Japan Animation Association from 1989, succeeding founder Osamu Tezuka, until his ...

, film director, screenwriter and animator (d. 2010) *January 14 –

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered fo ...

, author, poet, and playwright (d.

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

) *January 28 –

Yasuji Mori was an animator who worked with Toei Animation, while it was still known as Toei Doga. He was also a famous illustrator of children's books. Mori was responsible for one of the major animation styles within Toei Animation. In '' The Little Prin ...

, animator (d. 1992) *February 26 – Hitoshi Takagi, voice actor (d. 2004) *February 27 –

Shoichiro Toyoda is a Japanese retired business executive who served as chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation between 1992–1999,Toyota Honorary Chairman as well as chairman of the influential beginning in May 1994 through May 1998. Under Toyoda's supervision, ...

, business executive (d.

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

) *March 12 –

Leo Esaki Reona Esaki (江崎玲於奈 ''Esaki Reona'', born March 12, 1925), also known as Leo Esaki, is a Japanese physicist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1973 with Ivar Giaever and Brian David Josephson for his work in electron tunneling i ...

, physicist, Nobel laureate *May 10 – Norio Kijima, announcer and politician (d.

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

) *July 12 – Yasushi Akutagawa, composer and conductor (d.

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

) *August 13 – Asao Sano, actor (d.

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

) *November 30 – Genshō Imanari, literature academic (d.

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

) *December 6 – Shigeko, Princess Teru, later "Shigeko Higashikuni", eldest child of

Emperor Shōwa 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 ...

(d.

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

)

Deaths

*January 4 – Hirase Sakugorō, botanist and painter (b.

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voya ...

) *January 8 – Uemura Masahisa, Christian pastor and theologian (b.

1858 Events January–March * January – ** Benito Juárez (1806–1872) becomes Liberal President of Mexico. At the same time, conservatives install Félix María Zuloaga (1813–1898) as president. ** William I of Prussia becomes regen ...

) *April 14 – Hirata Tosuke, politician and

Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan The was an administrative post not of Cabinet rank in the government of the Empire of Japan, responsible for keeping the Privy Seal of Japan and State Seal of Japan. The modern office of the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal was identical with the o ...

(b.

1849 Events January–March * January 1 – France begins issue of the Ceres series, the nation's first postage stamps. * January 5 – Hungarian Revolution of 1848: The Austrian army, led by Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz, enters in th ...

) *May 21 –

Hidesaburō Ueno (January 19, 1872 – May 21, 1925) was a Japanese agricultural scientist, famous in Japan as the guardian of Hachikō, a devoted Akita dog. Life and career Ueno was born on January 19, 1872, in Hisai-shi (present-day Tsu), Mie Prefecture. In ...

, agricultural scientist (b.

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

) *May 25 – Yoichirō Hirase, malacologist (b.

1859 Events January–March * January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico. * January 24 ( O. S.) – Wallachia and Moldavia are united under Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romania since 1866, final ...

) *September 25 – Hamao Arata, politician (b.

) *September 30 – Inō Kanori, anthropologist and folklorist (b.

1867 Events January–March * January 1 – The Covington–Cincinnati Suspension Bridge opens between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, becoming the longest single-span bridge in the world. It was renamed a ...

)

References