2006 Japan elects Shinzo Abe as new Prime Minister of Japan
2005 Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan suffers a 5.8 magnitude earthquake
2005 Magnitude 7 earthquake strikes west of Kyushu Island, Japan
2000 After years of preparation for Y2K, only minor computer-related problems were reported (a problem with Hotmail, with a nuclear power plant in Japan and with apartment heating in Korea)
1998 Japan Golf Classic
1998 18th Winter Olympic games close at Nagano Japan
1998 U.S. hockey team destroys their rooms at Olympic village in Japan
1998 18th Winter Olympic games open at Nagano Japan
1997 Liselotte Neumann wins LPGA Toray Japan Queens Cup
1997 Toray Japan Queens Cup
1997 Toray Japan Queens LPGA Cup
1997 USA beats Japan 23-13 at LPGA Nichirei International
1997 Japan's maglev train breaks world speed record at 280.3 mph
1997 Vancouver Canucks beats Mighty Ducks, 3-2 in Japan
1997 Cartoon Channel premieres in Japan
1997 Rocker Rick Danko gets suspended sentence in Japan for drug smuggling
1997 America On Line, begins service in Japan
1997 NHL announce Might Ducks and Vancouver Canucks to open 1998 in Japan
1996 Mayumi Hirase wins LPGA Toray Japan Queens Cup
1996 Toray Japan Queens Cup
1996 U.S. beats Japan, 21 -14, at Nichirei International Golf Tournament
1996 Nintendo 64 video game system debuts in USA (3 months after Japan)
1996 Nintendo 64 goes on sale in Japan
1996 Shin Kanemaru, VP of Japan (1986-87), dies at 81
1995 Woo-Soon Ko wins LPGA Toray Japan Queens Cup Golf Tournament
1995 U.S. beats Japan, 19-17, at Nichirei International LPGA Golf Tournament
1995 Japan's Shinshinto Party wins local elections
1995 7.2 earthquake destroys Kobe Japan killing 5,372 die
1995 Major earthquake kills 5,092 in Kobe Japan
1994 Woo-Soon Ko wins LPGA Toray Japan Queens Golf Cup
1994 102.4 degrees F (39.1 degrees C) in Tokyo Japan: record
1994 Socialist, Tomiichi Murayama, elected premier of Japan
1994 Taiwan Airbus A-300 crashes at Nagoya Japan, 262 killed
1994 Tsutomu Hata elected premier of Japan
1994 Ice Dance Championship at Chiba Japan won by Gritschuk and Platov (RUS)
1994 Yuka Sato of Japan wins world figure skating championship in Tokyo
1994 Largest omelet (1,383 ft) made with 160,000 eggs in Yokohama Japan
1993 W Edwards Deming, U.S. economist (helped Japan after WW II), dies at 93
1993 Kakuei Tanaka, premier of Japan (1972-74), dies at 75
1993 Kakuei Tanaka, PM of Japan (1972-74), dies
1993 Betsy King wins LPGA Toray Japan Queens Cup Golf Tournament
1993 Japan Hosokawa government begins
1993 Liberal-Democratic Party loses Japan's parliamentary election
1993 7.8 earthquake hits Hokkaido Japan, 160 killed
1993 7.5 earthquake strikes northern Japan, 2 die
1992 Betsy King wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1992 Battleship USS Missouri, on which, Japan surrendered, decommissioned
1992 Stan Hansen beats Jumbo Tsuruta to win All Japan Triple Crown
1991 Liselotte Neumann wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1991 Kiichi Miyazawa elected premier of Japan
1991 Mount Unzen erupts in Japan, worst eruption in Japanese history
1991 Harry Glicken, volcanologist, killed by Mt Unzen Volcano in Japan
1991 42 die in a train collision is Japan
1991 Shintaro Abe, minister of Exterior of Japan (1982-86), dies
1991 Largest wrestling crowd in Japan (64,500) at Tokyo Dome
1991 Jumbo Tsuruta beats Stan Hansen to win All Japan Triple Crown title
1991 Japan ends routine fingerprinting of all adult ethnic Koreans
1990 Nistani Keiji, philosopher, dies in Kyoto Japan
1990 Debbie Massey wins LPGA Mazda Japan 133 Golf Classic
1990 Brigitte D'Ortschy, Zen teacher Sanbo Kyodan line, dies in Japan at 69
1990 CUNY/Lehman College, Bronx, opens a branch campus in Hiroshma Japan
1990 Jushin "Thunder" Liger beats Naoki Sano to become New Japan IWGP champ
1990 Mitsuko Nishiwaki beats Nakano to become Japan Women wrestling champ
1989 Elaine Crosby wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1989 27th Tennis Fed Cup: USA beats Spain in Tokyo Japan (3-0)
1989 Worlds Ladies Figure Skating Champ in Paris won by Midori Ito (Japan)
1989 Akhito becomes emperor of Japan
1989 Hirohito, Japan's emperor (1922-89), dies at 87 after 62-year reign
1988 Japan beats MLB All-Star team 5-4 in Tokyo (Game 6 of 7)
1988 MLB All-Star team beats Japan 3-1 in Tokyo (Game 5 of 7)
1988 MLB All-Star team beat Japan 8-2 in Nishinomya, (Game 4 of 7)
1988 MLB all stars beats Japan 16-8 (Game 3 of 7)
1988 Japan and MLB all stars played to a 6-6 draw (Game 2 of 7)
1988 Patty Sheehan wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1988 Japan beats MLB all stars 2-1 in Tokyo (Game 1 of 7)
1988 "Les Miserables," opens at Chunichi Theatre, Nagoya Japan
1987 Yuko Moriguchi wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1987 Donald Trump takes out a full page New York Times ad lambasting Japan
1987 Nobusuke Kishi, premier of Japan (1957-60), dies at 90
1987 Japan's premier Nakasone visits the U.S.
1987 91st Boston Marathon won by Toshihiko Seko of Japan in 2:11:50
1987 Japan 1st exceeds military spending cap of 1% of GNP ($23 billion)
1986 Ai-Yu Tu wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1986 Premier Nakasones Liberal Democr Party wins Japan's election
1985 Jane Blalock wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1985 Japan launches its 2nd probe of Halley's Comet, Suisei
1985 Japan launches Planet A, a probe to Halley's comet
1985 23rd Tennis Fed Cup: Czech beats USA in Nagoya Japan (2-1)
1985 Japan launches Sakigake space probe to Halley's Comet
1984 Nayoko Yoshikawa wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1984 Japan beats U.S. for olympic gold medal in baseball
1984 Soviet sub crashes into USS aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk off Japan
1983 Pat Bradley wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1983 President Reagan became 1st U.S. President to address Japan's legislature
1983 Japan launches Tenma satellite to study x-rays (450/570 km)
1982 Yasuhiro Nakasone elected PM of Japan succeeding Zenko Suzuki
1982 Yasuhiro Nakasone succeeds Zenko Suzuki as premier of Japan
1982 Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1981 Patty Sheehan wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1981 85th Boston Marathon won by Toshihiko Seko of Japan in 2:09:26
1981 Japan launches Hinotori satellite to study solar flares (580/640 k)
1980 Tatsuko Ohsako wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
1980 Zenko Suzuki becomes premier of Japan
1980 Kasumi Takahashi, Tokyo, Japan, Australian rhythmic gymnast 1996 Olympics
1980 Soviet sub catches fire off Japan, 9 die
1979 Amy Alcott wins LPGA Mizuno Japan Golf Classic
1979 Japan launches Hakucho x-ray satellite and Corsa-B (550/580 km)
1979 22.2-km Oshimizu railroad tunnel holed through, central Honshu, Japan
1978 China and Japan formally ends 4 decades of dissension
1978 China and Japan sign peace treaty
1978 Kyoko Iwosoki, born in Japan, 100m breaststroke swimmer, Oly-gold-92, 96
1977 Japan's Sadaharu Oh hits 756th HR to surpass Hank Aaron's total
1976 Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA/Japan Mizuno Golf
1976 Russian pilot Belenko defects to Japan in a Mig 25 jet
1975 Shelley Hamlin wins LPGA Japan Golf Classic
1975 Emperor Hirohito of Japan visits San Francisco
1975 Tsutsumi Otomo, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1975 Ai Sugiyama, born in Tokyo, Japan, tennis star
1975 Eisaku Sato, premier of Japan (1964-71 Nobel 1974), dies at 74
1975 Christopher Yule, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1974 Chako Higuchi wins Japan LPGA Golf Classic
1974 Shin Yahata, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1974 Kyoko Nagatsuka, Shizuoka Prefecture Japan, tennis star, 1996 Hobart
1973 Hiroyuki Miura, hockey defenseman, Team Japan 1998
1973 Bill Clay, Yokosuka Japan, U.S. sprint cyclist 1996 Olympics
1973 Fire at Taiyo department store, kills 101 and injures 84 (Kumamoto Japan)
1973 1st heavyweight championship fight in Japan (Foreman beats Roman)
1973 Yutaka Kawaguchi, hockey defenseman, Team Japan 1998
1973 Japan allows its citizens to own gold
1973 Naoko Sawamatsu, born in Nishinomiya, Japan, tennis star, 1994 Singapore
1973 Tatsuki Katayama, hockey defenseman, Team Japan 1998
1972 Kyoko Ina, Tokyo, Japan, figure skater, 1993 North Atlantic Sr champ
1972 Japan and People's Republic of China begin diplomatic relations
1972 Japan and Communist China agree to re-establish diplomatic relations
1972 Ryan Fujita, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1972 Ryukyu Is and Daito Is returned to Japan after 27 years of U.S. control
1972 115 die in nightclub atop 7-story Sennichi department store (Osaka Japan)
1972 Kunihiko Sakurai, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1972 Naoko Kijimuta, born in Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, tennis star, 1996 Jakarta
1972 Ryan Kuwabara, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1972 19 mountain climbers killed on Japan's Mount Fuji during an avalanche
1972 11th Winter Olympic games close at Sapporo, Japan
1972 11th Winter Olympic games opens in Sapporo, Japan (1st in Asia)
1971 Rika Hiraki, Beirut Lebanon, tennis star, 1992 Japan doubles
1971 Yone Kamio, Yokohama Japan, tennis star, 1995 semi-finalist Hobart
1971 Man-made earthslide at Kawasaki Japan, kills 15
1971 Makoto Kawahira, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1971 U.S. and Japan sign accord to return Okinawa to Japan
1971 Jiro Nihei, hockey goaltender, Team Japan 1998
1971 Mana Endo, Hiroshima Japan, tennis star, 1996 3rd round Aust Open
1971 Takeshi Yamanaka, hockey defenseman, Team Japan 1998
1971 John Lennon meets Yoko Ono's parents in Japan
1970 Kimiko Date, Kyoto Japan, tennis star, 1996 Japan Open
1970 Dusty Imoo, hockey goaltender, Team Japan 1998
1970 Yuchiro Miura of Japan skies down Mt. Everest
1970 Expo '70 opens in Osaka, Japan
1970 Japan becomes 4th nation to put a satellite, Osumi, in orbit
1969 Takako Inque, Toride Japan, wrestler, Japan
1969 Mayumi Hirase, Kumamoto Japan, LPGA golfer, Japan Jr-1985, 86, 87
1969 Cuty [Yumi] Suzuki, Kawaguchi Japan, wrestler, Japan
1969 Midori Ito, born in Tokyo, Japan, ice skater, Oly-silver-92
1969 73rd Boston Marathon won by Yoshiaki Unetani of Japan in 2:13:49
1969 Takayuki Kobori, hockey defenseman, Team Japan 1998
1968 Hideo Nomo, born in Osaka, Japan, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers
1968 Shinichi Iwasaki, hockey goaltender, Team Japan 1998
1968 Iwo Jima and Bonin Islands returned to Japan by US
1968 Earthquake kills 47 in Japan
1968 Hiroshi Matsuura, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1968 Japanese Trade and Cultural Center (Japan Center) dedicated in San Francisco
1968 Spy ship USS Pueblo and 83-man crew seized in Sea of Japan by N Korea
1967 Shuzo Matsuoka, Tokyo, Japan, tennis star, 1995 USTA/Binghampton
1967 Akihito Sugisawa, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1967 Takayuki Miura, hockey defenseman, Team Japan 1998
1966 Dodgers complete an 18-game tour of Japan with a 9-8-1 record
1966 D T Suzuki, Zen Buddhism scholar, dies in Tokyo, Japan at 96
1966 70th Boston Marathon won by Kenji Kimihara of Japan in 2:17:11
1966 All-Nippon Airways 727 crashes off Haneda Airport (Japan); kills 133
1965 Brent Franklin, Barrie Ont, Canadian Tour golfer, 1992 Japan Open-2nd
1965 Matt Kabayama, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1965 Yugi Iga, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1965 coal mine explosion in Fukuoka Japan kills 236
1965 69th Boston Marathon won by Morio Shigematsu of Japan in 2:16:33
1965 Soichi Noguchi, born in Yokohama, Japan, astronaut
1965 U.S. - Japan baseball relations suspended over Masanori Murakami dispute
1965 Atsuo Kudo, hockey defenseman, Team Japan 1998
1964 Eisaku Sato becomes premier of Japan
1964 Reginald Horace Blyth, Zen teacher/scholar, dies in Japan at 66
1964 18th Olympic games close at Tokyo, Japan
1964 Etsuko Inoue, Japan, tennis star
1964 R Kikuchi, Japan cosmonaut
1964 Ryoko Kikuchi, Japan cosmonaut
1964 Toshiyuki Sakai, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1964 Netherlands last whaling ship Willem Barents Sea sold to Japan
1964 Quake strikes Niigata Japan
1964 Japan joins OECO
1963 Train crash in Japan, kills 164
1963 450 die in a coal-dust explosion and 160 die in train crash (Japan)
1963 Thomas Ansberry, Okinawa Japan, U.S. 10K runner
1963 Koichi Wakata, Omiya Saitama Japan, astronaut, STS 72, sk: 92
1963 Hiromi Kobayashi, Fukushima Japan, LPGA golfer, 1993 JAL Big Apple
1962 Larry Doby, retires from Cleveland Indians to play in Japan
1962 Express train crashed into wreckage of a commuter train and a freight, killing 163, injuring 400 (Tokyo, Japan)
1962 Steve Tsujiura, hockey forward, Team Japan 1998
1961 Mine cave-in in Japan, kills 72
1960 Premier Kishi of Japan, resigns
1960 Japan signs security treaty with the U.S.
1960 Naruhito, crown prince of Japan
1960 US and Japan sign joint defense treaty
1959 Japan hit by typhoon Vera; about 5,000 die
1959 Typhoon kills 2,000 in Japan and Korea
1959 Shunryu Suzuki completes his historical Japan to San Francisco voyage
1959 Japan's Crown Prince Akihito marries commoner Michiko Shoda
1958 Yoshinori Mizumaki, Tokyo, Japan, PGA golfer, 1994 Byron Nelson-2nd
1958 Elaine Crosby, born in Birmingham, Michigan, LPGA golfer, 1989 Mazda Japan Classic
1956 Japan admitted to UN
1956 Yoshiko Sakakibara, Chiba Japan, actress, Sailor Moon, Vampire Hunter
1956 Joe [Naomichi] Ozaki, Tekushima, Japan, golfer, 1995 Phoenix Open-8th
1955 Yanks begin 16-game exhibition in Japan
1955 59th Boston Marathon won by Hideo Hamamura of Japan in 2:18:22
1955 I Hatojama recognized as premier of Japan
1954 U.S. spy plane shot down North of Japan
1954 Typhoon hits Japan - 5 ferryboats sink killing about 1,600
1954 Takao Doi, Tokyo, Japan, astronaut, STS 87
1953 Earthquake/tsnunami strike Honshu Japan
1953 Giants end their tour of Japan (players got $331 of $3,000 promised)
1953 Typhoon destroys 1/3 of Nagoya Japan
1953 Braves Phil Paine is 1st former major leaguer to play in Japan
1953 Robyn Douglass, Sendai Japan, actress, Lonely Guy, Romantic Comedy
1953 Yoko Shimada, Kumamota Japan, author, Kir Royal, /actress, Shogun
1953 57th Boston Marathon won by Keizo Yamada of Japan in 2:18:51
1952 U.S.S.R. declares peace treaty with Japan invalid
1952 Chiaki Naito-Mukai, Tatebayashi Japan, astronaut, STS 65, sk:95
1952 St. Louis Browns lend 2 black minor leaguers to Hankyu Braves of Japan
1952 Final ratification of peace treaty restoring sovereignty to Japan
1952 U.S. senate ratifies peace treaty with Japan
1951 Lefty O'Doul's all-stars, including Joe DiMaggio and Billy Martin, lose 3-1 to Pacific League all-star team (Japan)
1951 Japan signs peace treaty with 48 countries (SF)
1951 55th Boston Marathon won by Shigeki Tanaka of Japan in 2:27:45
1951 Ayako Okamoto, born in Hiroshima, Japan, LPGA golfer, 1990 Sara Lee
1950 Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Japan, actor, Lt A J Shimamura-Nash Bridges
1950 Heavy typhoon strikes Japan, kills about 250
1950 International Olympic Committee votes admission to West Germany and Japan in '52
1950 West Germany and Japan readmitted to International Amateur Athletic Federation
1950 ILTF re-admit Germany and Japan in Davis Cup, Poland and Hungary withdraws
1950 Pamela Franklin, Tokyo, Japan, actress, Satan's School for Girls
1948 Hideki Tojo, Japan PM (1941-44) and 6 Japs, hanged for war crimes at 64
1948 Hiroshi "Can" Kikuchi, Japan (stage)writer (Tjitj kaeru), dies at 59
1948 Mamoru Mohri, Yoichi-machi Hokkaido Japan, astronaut, STS 47
1948 Takeshi Kitano, Tokyo, Japan, actor, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
1947 Japan forms a constitutional democracy
1946 Earthquake in South Japan, kills 1,086
1946 Sawao Kato, Japan, gymnist, Olympics gold 1968, 72, 76
1946 Emperor Hirohito of Japan announces he is not a god
1945 U.S. regains possession of Wake Island from Japan
1945 V-J Day; formal surrender of Japan aboard USS Missouri (WW II ends)
1945 Japan surrenders ending WW II (US date, 9/2 in Japan)
1945 General MacArthur lands in Japan
1945 Hong Kong liberated from Japan
1945 British liberate Hong Kong from Japan
1945 General MacArthur named Supreme Commander of Allied Powers in Japan
1945 U.S. troops land in Japan after Japanese surrender
1945 Japanese diplomats board Missouri to receive instructions on Japan's surrender at the end of WW II
1945 V-J Day; Japan surrenders unconditionally to end WW II
1945 Allies refuse Japan's surrender offer to retain Emperor Hirohito
1945 Japan announces willingness to surrender to Allies provided status of Emperor Hirohito remained unchanged
1945 US drops 2nd atomic bomb "Fat Man" on Japan destroys part of Nagasaki
1945 U.S.S.R. declares war against Japan in WW II
1945 Atom Bomb dropped on Hiroshima (Aug 6th in Japan)
1945 Battleship USS South Dakota is 1st U.S. ship to bombard Japan
1945 Kuniaki Koiso resigns as PM of Japan; replaced by Kantaro Suzuki
1945 800 killed as Kamikaze attacked USS Franklin off Japan
1945 Japan declares Vietnam Independence
1945 Victoria Principal, Fukuoka Japan, actress, Earthquake, Pamela-Dallas
1944 Sub Swordfish departs Pearl Harbor for Japan
1944 General Koiso becomes premier of Japan
1944 In World War II, U.S. troops secure Saipan as Japan fell
1944 U.S. bombs Kyushu Japan
1944 1st B-29 raid against mainland Japan
1944 Isao Okano, Japan, middleweight judo 1964 Olympic gold
1943 FDR, Churchill and Chiang Kai-shek meet to discuss ways to defeat Japan
1943 Japan declares Philippine Independence (premier/president Jose Laurel)
1943 Japan leaves Aleutian Islands
1943 Yukio Kasaya, Japan, 70m ski jumper, Olympics gold 1972
1943 Japan declares Burma Independence under U Ba Maw
1943 Trident conference in Washington D.C. (operation plan '43 against Japan)
1943 Churchill pledges England's full support to U.S. against Japan
1943 U.S. defeats Japan and wins Battle of Bismark Sea
1943 Chile breaks contact with Germany and Japan
1942 Isao Aoki, Abiko Chiba Japan, PGA golfer, 1983 Hawaiian Open
1942 Cuba declares war on Germany, Japan and Italy
1942 Brazil declares war on Germany, Japan and Italy
1942 Toyohiro Akiyama, born in Japan, cosmonaut, Soyuz TM-11
1942 Battle of Midway ends: Adm Nimitz wins 1st WW II naval defeat of Japan
1942 Battle of Midway begins; Japan's 1st major defeat in WW II
1942 Mexico declares war on nazi-Germany and Japan
1942 Japan kills about 400 Filipino officers in Bataan
1942 Japan forces Java to use "Tokyo time" 1 hour forward
1942 Japan conquers Kuala Lumpur, Malaya
1942 Japan invades North-Celebes, Netherlands Indies
1941 Japan bombs Manila even though it was declared an "open city"
1941 Japan announces surrender of British-Canadian garrison at Hong Kong
1941 Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi/Kagu back in Kure, Japan
1941 1st ships of Admiral Nagumo's Pearl Harbor fleet return to Japan
1941 Japan begins assault on Rangoon Burma
1941 China declares war on Japan, Germany and Italy
1941 London: Dutch government declares Japan the war
1941 US and Britain declare war on Japan, U.S. enters WW II
1941 Chicago Daily Tribune editorialize there will not be war with Japan
1941 Japan Tojo regime forms
1941 U.S. embargo on oil-export to Japan
1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt bans selling benzine/gasoline to Japan
1941 Takehide Nakatani, born in Japan, lightweight 1964 Olympic gold
1940 Japan eliminates U.S. terms (strike, play ball) from baseball
1940 Osamu Watanabe, Japan, featherweight 1964 Olympic gold
1940 Nazi-Germany, Italy and Japan sign 10 year formal alliance (Axis)
1940 Sadaharu, Ohio, of Yomiuri Giants, Japan, hit 868 career HR
1940 Rear Adm Joseph Taussig testifies before U.S. Senate Naval Affairs Committee that war with Japan is inevitable (He was right)
1939 Yoshinobu Miyake, Japan, featherweight, Olympics gold 1964, 68
1939 Junko Tabei, Japan, 1st woman to climb Mount Everest
1938 League of Nations declares Japan the aggressor against China
1938 1940 Olympic site changed from Tokyo Japan to Helsinki Finland
1938 Finland awarded 1940 Olympic games after Japan withdraws
1938 Japan declares war on China
1937 Japanese aircraft shell and sink U.S. gunboat Panay on Yangtze River in China. (Japan apologized and eventually paid U.S. $2.2M in reparations)
1937 Japan recognizes Franco government
1937 China declares war on Japan
1936 Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek declares war on Japan
1936 Germany and Japan sign anti-Komintern pact
1936 Nazi-Germany and Japan sign Anti-Komintern pact
1936 Tokyo, Japan is awarded the 1940 Olympics, later cancelled
1936 1st pro baseball game in Japan is played Nagoya defeats Daitokyo, 8-5
1936 Military coup in Japan
1935 Japan invades Shanghai China
1934 Japan renounces Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and London Treaty of 1930
1934 Yomiuri Giants, Japan's 1st professional baseball team forms
1934 Japan agress to fleet treaty of 1922 and 1930
1934 Eiji Sawamura, 17, gives up 1 hit, Lou Gehrig's HR, Japan beats U.S. 1-0
1934 Babe Ruth tours Tokyo Japan
1934 All-Star team led by Babe Ruth and Connie Mack sails to Hawaii and Japan
1934 Michiko, empress of Japan
1934 Typhoon strikes Honshu Island Japan, kills 4,000
1934 Fire destroys Hakodate Japan (kills 1,500, injures 1,000)
1934 Fire destroys Hakodate Japan, killing about 1,500
1934 Japan sends Henry Pu Yi as regent to emperor of Manchuria
1933 Akihito, emperor of Japan, 1989-
1933 Japan begins persecution of communists
1933 Japan leaves League of Nations
1933 Most powerful earthquake in 180 years hit Japan
1932 Ki Imukai, premier of Japan (1931-32), murdered
1932 Ki Inukai, premier Japan (1931-32), murdered
1932 Japan and China sign a peace treaty
1932 Nagisa Oshima, born in Kyoto, Japan, director, Town of Love and Hope
1932 Japan declares Manchuria Independent
1932 Japan occupies Shanghai
1931 Japan leaves the Golden Standard
1931 Chuhei Numbu of Japan, sets then long jump record at 26' 2"
1931 1st nonstop transpacific flight, Japan to Washington (Herndon and Pangborn)
1931 Peking (200,000 demonstrators demand declaration of war on Japan)
1931 Japan takes Manchuria, renames it Manchukuo
1931 Takashi Ono, Japan, gymnist, Olympics gold 1956, 60
1931 Chiharu Igaya, Japan, slalom 1956 Olympics silver
1931 1st telecast of a sporting event in Japan (baseball)
1931 Ken Takakura, [Goichi Oda], Kita Japan, actor, Story of Antarctic
1931 Toshiki Kaifu, premier of Japan, 1989-91
1930 690 earthquake shocks recorded in 1 day (Ito Japan)
1930 Toru Takemitsu, Tokyo, Japan, composer, Ki No Kyoko
1930 U.S., Britain and Japan sign London Naval Treaty
1929 Miyoshi Umeki, born in Japan, actress, Mrs Livingston-Courtship of Eddie's Father
1929 Toshiro Mayuzumi, Yokohama Japan, composer, Sphenogramme
1928 Hirohito ascended throne as Emperor of Japan
1928 Dainin Katagiri, Osaka Japan, Zen teacher, associate of Shunryu Suzuki
1927 Japan dedicates 1st subway in Orient (route under 2 miles long)
1927 Hiroshi Yamauchi, Kyoto Japan, owner for the Seattle Mariners
1927 Japan's Wakarsoeki government falls/Baron Tanaka becomes premier
1927 Earthquake measuring 8 on Richter scale strikes Tango, Japan
1926 Prince-regent Hirohito becomes emperor of Japan
1926 Hirohito becomes emperor of Japan 1926-1989
1926 Yoshihito, 123rd Emperor of Japan (1912-26), dies at 47
1925 Leo Esaki, [Esaki Reona], Japan, physicist, Tunnel effect-Nobel 1973
1925 Japan's House of Representatives recognizes male suffrage
1925 U.S.S.R. and Japan sign treaty of Peking, Seychelles back to U.S.S.R.
1925 Yukio Mishima, Japan, novelist, Temple of Golden Pavilion
1924 Kenchoji Rinzai temple in Kamakur Japan, heavily damaged by earthquake
1924 Machiko Kyo, born in Osaka, Japan, actor, Gate of Hell, Rashomon, Ugetsu
1924 Kobo Abe, born in Tokyo, Japan, playwright, Woman, the Dunes
1923 Unsuccessful attempt on prince-regent Hirohito of Japan
1922 U.S., U.K., France, Italy and Japan sign Washington naval arms limitation
1921 U.S., France, Japan and British Empire sign a Pacific Treaty
1921 Takasji Hara, premier of Japan, murdered
1921 16th Davis Cup: USA beats Japan in New York (5-0)
1921 Akio Morita, Kasugaya Japan, CEO, Sony
1920 Japan receives League of Nations mandate over Pacific islands
1919 Kiichi Miyazawa, premier Japan, 1991-93
1919 Masao Takemoto, Japan, gymnist 1960 Olympics gold
1919 Akeo Watanabe, born in Tokyo, Japan, conductor, Nippon Phil Orch 1956-68
1919 Demonstrations for Korean independence from Japan begin
1918 Yasuhiro Nakasone, premier of Japan, 1982-87
1917 Lansing-Ishii Agreement; U.S. recognizes Japan's privileges in China
1917 Joan Fontaine, Tokyo, Japan, actress, Gunga Din, Ivanhoe, Rebecca
1917 Kusuo Kitamura, Japan, 1500m freestyle swimmer 1932 Olympics gold
1917 AP reports Mexico and Japan will allie with Germany if U.S. enters WW I
1916 Olivia de Havilland, born in Tokyo, Japan, actress, Adventures of Robin Hood
1915 Kon Ichikawa, Japan, director, Matatabi, Money Talks
1915 Yul Brynner, born in Sakhalin Island, Japan, actor, King and I, 10 Commandments
1915 Japan claims economic control of China
1914 Taisen Deshimaru, Saga City Japan, found several Zen centers in France
1914 Japan attack German concession on Chinese peninsula of Shanghai
1914 Japan declares war on Germany in World War I
1914 Japan joins side of allies
1912 "Kiche Maru" sinks off Japan, killing 1,000
1912 Mutsuhito, 122nd emperor of Japan (1867-1912), dies at 60
1910 Japan annexes Korea after 5 years as a protectorate
1910 Akira Kurosawa, born in Tokyo, Japan, director, 7 Samurai, Living
1909 Horiboemi Ito, Prince of Japan, assassinated by a Korean
1909 Osamu Dazai, born in Japan, novelist, Tsugaru, No Longer Human
1908 Kinue Hitoma, Japan, 800m runner, Oly-silver-1928
1907 Hediki Yukawa, Japan, physicist, Nobel 1949
1906 Soichiro Honda, Japan, founder/CEO, Honda Motor Co
1905 Mikio Oda, Japan, triple jumper, 1928 Olympics gold
1904 Japan and Russia declares war after Japan's surprise attack on Russian fleet at Port Arthur disabled 7 Russian warships
1904 Japan declares war on Russia
1901 Hirohito, Emperor of Japan, 1926-89
1901 Eisaku Sato, premier of Japan, Nobel 1974
1899 Yasonari Kawabata, Japan, novelist, Thousand Cranes
1897 Japan adopts Gold Standard
1896 Nobusuke Kishi, premier of Japan, 1957-60
1896 Tsunami strikes Shinto festival on beach at Sanriku Japan 27,000 are killed, 9,000 injured, with 13,000 houses destroyed
1895 China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki
1894 Yoshida Isoya, Tokyo, Japan, architect, modern sukiya style
1894 Japan defeats China in Battle of Ping Yang
1894 Treaty of Aoki-Kimberley signed between Japan and England
1893 Commodore Perry arrives in Japan
1893 Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar
1892 Ryunosuke Akutagawa, born in Japan, writer, Rashomon in Kappa
1891 Quake strikes Mino-Owari, Japan kills 7,300
1890 Turkish frigate "Ertogrul" burns off of Japan, kills 540
1890 Sessue Hayakawa, born in Japan, actor, Bridge on River Kwai, Hell to Eternity
1889 Meiji constitution of Japan adopted; 1st Diet convenes in 1890
1888 Bandai volcano (Japan) erupts for 1st time in 1,000 years
1888 Tojohiko Kagawa, Japan, Christian-social reformer, Grain of Wheat
1888 Toyohiko Kagawa, born in Kobe, Japan, Christian social reformer
1886 Teiichi Igarashi, Japan, climed Mt Fuji at age 99
1886 Junichiro Tanizaki, Japan, writer, Snow Dusting
1883 Shiga Naoya, Japan, novelist, Road Through Dark Night
1879 Joshihito, emperor of Japan, 1912-26
1878 Akiko Yosano, Japan, poet, Tangled Hair
1876 Tsunami's after earthquake floods NE coast of Japan, kills 28,000
1870 D T Suzuki, Kanazawa Japan, Zen Buddhist scholar
1869 Baptist minister invents rickshaw in Yokohama, Japan
1869 Ozaki Koyo, Japan, novelist/essayist/haiku poet, The Heart
1868 Meiji Restoration returns authority to Japan's emperors
1867 15th and last Tokugawa Shogun resigns in Japan
1867 Masaoka Shiki, Japan, haiku and tanka poet/diarist, Salt Water Ballads
1867 Prince Mutsuhito, 14, becomes Emperor Meiji of Japan (1867-1912)
1864 British, French and Dutch fleets attacked Japan in Shimonoseki Straits
1858 Netherlands and Japan sign trade agreement
1858 1st commercial treaty between U.S. and Japan signed
1858 U.S. citizens allowed to live anywhere in Japan
1854 Treaty of Kanagawa: Commodore Perry forces Japan to opens ports to U.S.
1854 U.S. Commodore Matthew C. Perry's 2nd trip to Japan
1853 Russian fleet appears at Nagasaki, Japan
1853 Commodore Perry requests trade relations with Japan
1853 Adm Perry and U.S. Navy visit Japan
1853 Commodore Matthew Perry reach Japan
1852 Mutsuhito, 122nd emperor of Japan, 1867-1912
1847 Heihatjiro Tojo, Japan, Admiral, Russian-Japanese war
1846 Japan invents the rickshaw
1828 6.8 earthquake strikes Echigo Japan, 30,000 killed
1804 Townsend Harris, 1st Western consul to reside in Japan
1794 Matthew Calbraith Perry, Commodore, opened Japan
1793 Volcano Unsen on Japan erupts killing about 53,000
1769 Hakuin Ekaku, Zen teacher (reformer of Rinzai school), dies in Japan
1689 Matsuo Basho, zen poet, leaves for 150 days journey on Honshu Japan
1686 Hakuin Ekakuborn, Japan, Zen Buddhist
1637 Toyotomi Hideyoshi, unified Japan
1600 Battle of Sekigahara sets Tokugawa clan as Japan's rulers (shoguns)
1549 Portuguese missionaries Franciscus Xaverius lands in Kagoshima Japan
1506 Sesshu Toyo, Zen monk/painter, dies in Yamaguchi Japan at 86
1506 Francis Xavier, saint and Jesuit missionary to India, Malaya, and Japan
1481 Ikkyu Sojun, Zen head of Daitokuji temple, dies in Kyoto, Japan at 87
1476 Kano Motonobu, Kyoto Japan, co-founder, Kano school of painting
1382 Daigaku, Zen teacher/46th head of Engakuji, dies in Kamakura Japan
1351 Muso Soseki, Zen teacher/Rinzai line/head of Nanzenji, dies in Japan
1337 Daito Kokushi, leader of O-To-Kan Rinzai school in Japan, dies at 54
1327 Bassui Tokusho, Zen founder, Kogakuji monastery in Nakamura Japan
1293 Earthquake strikes Kamakura Japan, 30,000 killed
1281 Kublai Khans invading fleet disappears in typhoon near Japan
1280 Sogen Mugaku, founder of Engakuji temple arrives in Japan from China
1278 Daikaku, Zen teacher Rinzai line/head of Kenchoji, dies in Japan at 65
1262 Shinran, founder of Japan's True Pure Land Buddhist sect, dies
1222 Nichiren, Japan, Buddhist priest and saint
1200 Dogen Kigen, Japan, Zen teacher, 1st patriarch of the Japanese Soto
1185 Antoku Taira, emperor of Japan (1180-85), drowns
1129 Shirakawa, emperor of Japan (1072-86)/budhist monk, dies at 76
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