2015 Event The Japanese Diet enacts a defense policy allowing the nation's troops to aid allies in conflicts that also threaten Japan; Prime Minister Shinzo Abe supports the law, but it is opposed by many who wish to maintain the country's pacifist constitution 2015 Event Japanese protesters gather outside the nation's parliament building to oppose changes proposed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to allow Japanese combat defense aid to allied nations for cases in which Japan itself is not under attack 2015 Event North Korea reverts its time zone to that used prior to Japanese colonialization in 1910 in order to commemorate 70 years of liberation from the �wicked Japanese imperialists� 2015 Event The Japanese parliament votes to lower the nation's voting age to 18 from 20; the change will make about 2.4 million people eligible to vote 2015 Event Philippine President Benigno Aquino announces that his nation will enter a 'visiting forces' agreement with Japan, which will allow Japanese usage of Philippine military bases for activities such as refueling 2014 Event After two years of hostility between Japan and China over control of certain islands in the East China Sea, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Linping shake hands during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit 2014 Event Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten is seeking to buy U.S. online rebate service Ebates Shopping.com Inc. for $950 million; in recent years, Rakuten has been making acquisitions to expand its interests outside of Japan 2014 Event Japanese banks are promoting women to upper management levels for the first time in history; four women in the nation's top three banks have been promoted in the last year 2014 Event The International Court of Justice at the U.N. agrees that Japanese whaling is conducted for commercial purposes, not scientific research; Japan accepts the order to cease all whaling activities in the Antarctic 2012 Event Japanese automakers announce plans to cut output in China; they announce plans to suspend operations in the country until after National Day 2012 Event Chinese bookstore suspend the sale of books by or about Japan, and all books by Japanese authors 2012 Event The Japanese Coast Guard reports six Chinese Marine Surveillance ships are sighted near the disputed Senkaku Islands; China claims the 'two surveillance ship fleets' are in waters around the islands for purposes of 'patrols and law enforcement' 2012 Event Only two days after being named to his new post, Shinichi Nishimiya, the newly-appointed Japanese ambassador to China is hospitalized after collapsing in Tokyo 2012 Event In crowded Ginowan, Okinawa, tens of thousands of Japanese people protest, demanding closure of the Futenma airbase (MCAS) and halting the deployment of twelve MV-22 Osprey aircraft 2012 Event The Japanese press reveals that Sharp Corporation, an electronics company, will cut 5,000 jobs worldwide 2012 Event In Tokyo, direct trading begins between the Japanese yuan and the Chinese yuan 2012 Event A 6.8 magnitude earthquake causes a small tsunami to hit the coast of Aomori prefecture on the Japanese island of Hokkaido 2011 Event The exchange rate of the Japanese yen with the U.S. dollar is reduced by the Government of Japan after the yen reached record highs 2011 Event Japan asks South Korea to refute a plan to build a Korean World War II 'comfort women' monument near Seoul's Japanese embassy 2011 Event The Japanese yen hits a postwar hight against the U.S. dollar 2011 Event The Japanese launch the H-II Transfer Vehicle HTV-2 Resupply Craft, in a mission to deliver cargo to the International Space Station 2010 Event A Japanese salmon subspecies, the black kokanee (Oncorhynchus nerka kawamurae) is discovered after being declared extinct in 1940 2010 Event Japan's Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission and the Tokyo Stock Exchange conduct an insider trading investigation of Japanese companies 2010 Event Alphalara itadori, a Japanese insect that combats invasive Japanese knotweed, is the first biocontrol agent approved by the European Union 2005 Death Kenzo Tange, Japanese Architect 1998 Death Kenichi Fukui, Japanese Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1981) dies at 79 1997 Death Toshiro Mifune, Japanese actor (Shogun), dies at 77 1997 Death Juzo Itami, Japanese director, commits suicide at 64 1997 Event Japanese Maglev train builders claim world speed record at 332 MPH 1997 Death Shoichi Yokoi, Japanese WW II fighter (surrendered in 1972), dies at 82 1997 Event 5 sue Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, because his smoking has violated the country's constitution guaranteeing a wholesome life 1996 Death Endo Shusaku, Japanese writer (Sea and Poison/Silence), dies at 73 1995 Death Charles James Dunn, japanese scholar, dies at 80 1995 Event Japanese police arrest cult leader Shoko Asahara and charged him with Nerve-gas attack on Tokyo's subways two months earlier 1995 Event 5 die by poison gas in Japanese subway 1994 Event Japanese space probe Sakigake passes Earth for 3rd time 1994 Event 1st Japanese gay pride parade 1994 Death Taeko Kuwata, Japanese/Belgian pianist, commits suicide 1994 Event Japanese premier Tsutomu Hata resigns 1993 Death Sanzo Nosaka, co-founder of Japanese Communist Party (1922), dies 1993 Death Masugi Ibuse, Japanese author (Kuroi ame (Black rain)), dies at 95 1993 Event Japanese space probe Sakigake passes Earth 1993 Event Japanese crown prince Naruhito weds Masaka Owada 1993 Death Chishu Ryu, Japanese actor (Autumn Afternoon), dies of cancer at 86 1993 Death Ishiro Honda, Japanese director/producer (Godzilla), dies at 81 1993 Death Taikichiro Mori, Japanese real estate developer, dies at 88 1993 Death Kobo Abe, Japanese writer (Wife in the Sand), dies at 68 1992 Event Japanese crown prince Naruhito announces engagement to Masaka Owada 1992 Death Osamu Inaba, Japanese Minister of justice, dies 1992 Event Owners approve sale of Seattle Mariners to a Japanese group 1992 Death Yutaka Ozaki, Japanese rock artist, dies at 26 of pulmonary edema 1992 Event George Bush gets ill and vomits on Japanese prime minister's lap 1991 Death Hitoshi Igarashi, Japanese interpreter (Satanic Verses), murdered 1991 Event Mazda becomes 1st Japanese car to capture Le Mans 24 hour race 1991 Event Mount Unzen erupts in Japan, worst eruption in Japanese history 1991 Death Yasushi Inoue, Japanese historian, dies 1990 Event Calif's Chuck Finley and Seattle's Randy Johnson combine to pitch a no-hitter in exhibition game between U.S. and Japanese all-star teams 1990 Event Japanese MUSES-A (Hiten) launched towards moon 1990 Death Naruhito Higashi-Kuni, Japanese Prime Minister 1945, dies 1989 Event Japanese scientist achieve -271.8 degrees C, coldest temp ever recorded 1989 Death Konosuke Matsushita, Japanese Businessman 1987 Event Japanese bank buys "Lady McGill" stamp for $1,100,000 1986 Event Japanese probe Sakigake flies by Halley's Comet at 6.8 million km 1986 Event Japanese probe Suisei passes Halley's Comet at 109,800 km 1985 Event Japanese Boeing 747SR crashes, 520 die (worst in-flight toll) 1985 Event Japanese space probe Sakigake launched to Halley's comet 1984 Birthday Chiaki Kuriyama, Japanese Actress 1983 Birthday Utada Hikaru, Japanese Musician 1981 Event U.S. submarine George Washington rams Japanese freighter Nisso Maru 1978 Birthday Ayumi Hamasaki, also known as "Ayu" by her fans, Japanese Musician 1977 Birthday Namie Amuro, Japanese Musician 1976 Event Takeo Fukuda becomes Japanese premier 1976 Event Japanese beat Russian for Olympic gold in woman's volleyball 1976 Event Japanese ex-premier Tanaka arrested, Lockheed Affair 1976 Death Akio Yashiro, Japanese composer, studied under Kunihiko Hashimoto, Leonid Kreutzer, String Quartet composition won the Eighth Mainichi Music prize in 1957, dies at 46 1975 Event Japanese Junko Tabei became 1st woman to reach Mount Everest's summit 1974 Event Clarence Jones of Kintetsu Buffaloes hits his 38th home run, 1st American to win a Japanese home run title 1974 Event 3 Japanese kidnap French ambassador in Hague 1974 Death Yoshida Isoya, Japanese architect (modern sukiya style), dies at 79 1974 Event Last Japanese soldier, a guerrilla operating in Philippines, surrenders, 29 years after World War II ended 1972 Event 3 Japanese PFL terrorists kills 24, wound 72 at Tel Aviv's Lod International airport 1972 Death Yasunari Kawabata, Japanese author (Nobel 1968), dies at 72 1971 Event Japanese Boeing 727 collides with an F-86 fighter killing 162 1970 Death Yukio Mishima, Japanese author/nationalist (Harakiri), dies at 45 1969 Event North Korea shoots at U.S. airplane above Japanese sea 1968 Event Japanese Trade and Cultural Center (Japan Center) dedicated in San Francisco 1968 Birthday Akira Nogami, born in Narashino, Chiba, professional Japanese wrestler, actor, wrestled for the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, NJPW, in 1991, reigned as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, in 2000, appeared in television show, Kamen Rider Kuuga, competed part-time after 2004, regularly wrestling with Keiji Mutoh's All Japan Pro Wrestling 1968 Death Tsugouharu T Foujita, Japanese/French painter, dies at 81 1968 Death Kokichi Tsuburaya, Japanese marathoner (Olympic-bronze-1964), commits suicide 1966 Death Sadao Araki, Japanese general/minister of War (1931-34), dies at 89 1966 Birthday Takayuki Iizuka, born in Muroran, Hokkaido, Japanese professional wrestler, trained by New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo 1966 Birthday Joichi Ito, Japanese Businessman 1965 Event Japanese community of San Francisco holds Masanori Murakami Day at Candlestick Park to honor 1st Japanese player to play in major leagues 1965 Birthday Akitoshi Saito, born in Sendai, Miyagi, Japanese professional wrestler, trained by Masashi Aoyagi and Yoshiaki Fujiwara, works for Pro Wrestling Noah 1965 Death Junichiro Tanizaki, Japanese writer (Key), dies at 79 1965 Birthday Jim Bowie, Japanese/US baseball infielder, Oakland Athletics 1964 Event Japanese beat Russian for 1st Olympic Gold in woman's volleyball 1964 Event Masanori Murakami is 1st Japanese player in majors (New York Mets) 1963 Birthday Princess Masako, Japanese Royalty 1961 Birthday Hiro Hase, born in Oyabe, Japan, professional wrestler, worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling, transitioned to position of chairman for the PWF, in the Japanese parliament 1960 Death Inejiro Asanuma, leader Japanese Socialist Party, murdered at 61 1960 Death Toyohiko Kagawa, Japanese Christian-social reformer/writer, dies at 71 1960 Event Pope John raises the 1st Japanese, 1st African and 1st Filipino cardinal 1959 Birthday Koichi Tanaka, Japanese Scientist 1959 Death Hitoshi Ashida, Japanese politician, dies at 71 1959 Birthday Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese Composer 1957 Event 1st Japanese ambassador to Israel 1956 Birthday Toshihiko Seko, Japanese runner, world record 25/30 km 1955 Birthday Shoko Asahara, Chizuo Matsumoto, Japanese sect leader 1954 Event Japanese government of Joshida, resigns 1954 Birthday Kazuo Ishiguro, Japanese Author 1954 Birthday Godzilla, Japanese monster, Godzilla 1954 Event Japanese ferry boat Toya Maru sinks in Strait of Tsugaru, 1172 die 1952 Birthday Shigeru Miyamoto, Japanese Designer 1952 Event Liberal Party wins Japanese elections 1952 Birthday Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese, rocker, Academy Award 1988, Yellow Magic Orchestra 1951 Event President Truman addresses opening of Japanese Peace Treaty Conference 1949 Birthday Haruki Murakami, Japanese Writer 1948 Death Seishiro Itagaki, Japanese General/Minister of War, hanged 1948 Event Japanese premier Hideki Tojo sentenced to death by war crimes tribunal 1947 Event General MacArthur approves Japanese constitution 1946 Event Emperor Hirohito proclaims new Japanese constitution 1946 Death Count Hisaichi Terauchi, Japanese Field Marshal, dies 1946 Event International Military Tribunal opens in Tokyo against 28 Japanese war criminals 1946 Event 28 former Japanese leaders indicted in Tokyo as war criminals 1946 Event 1st election for Japanese Diet 1945 Death Fumimaro Konu, Japanese prince/Prime Minister 1937 - 1939, 1940 - 1941, commits harakiri 1945 Event Japanese surrender Taiwan to General Chiang Kai-shek 1945 Event Japanese in S Korea, Taiwan, China, Indochina surrender to Allies 1945 Event Hideki Tojo, Japanese Prime Minister during most of WW II, attempts suicide rather than face war crimes tribunal attempt fails, later he is hanged 1945 Event Japanese at Rioekioe-islands surrender 1945 Event Japanese forces in Philippines surrender to Allies 1945 Event U.S. troops land in Japan after Japanese surrender 1945 Event Japanese diplomats board Missouri to receive instructions on Japan's surrender at the end of WW II 1945 Death Takijiro Ohnishi, led Japanese kamikaze pilots (harakiri), dies 1945 Event South Korea liberated from Japanese rule 1945 Event Japanese city Toyama destroyed by B-29's 1945 Event After delivering the Atomic Bomb across the Pacific, the cruiser USS Indianapolis is torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine 1945 Event Japanese premier Suzuki disregards U.S. ultimatum to surrender 1945 Event Declaration of Potsdam: US/Brit/China demands Japanese surrender 1945 Event Japanese government disregards U.S. ultimatum 1945 Event Last organized Japanese defiance broken, Tarakan 1945 Death Lieutenant General Ushijima, Japanese commander, commits suicide at Okinawa 1945 Death Isamu Tsjo, Japanese chief-staff 32nd Army, commits harakiri 1945 Death Mitsuri Ushijima, Japanese Lieutenant-General/commandant 32nd Army, commits harakiri 1945 Event U.S. defeat Japanese forces on Okinawa during WW II 1945 Event Allies capture Rangoon from the Japanese 1945 Event Japanese army evacuates Rangoon 1945 Event U.S. aircraft carrier Franklin heavy damaged in Japanese air raid 1945 Event U.S. planes intercept Japanese fleet heading for Okinawa on a suicide superbattleship Yamato and four destroyers were sunk 1945 Event Japanese giant battleship Yamato heads to Okinawa 1945 Event Iwo Jima occupied, after 22,000 Japanese and 6,000 U.S. killed 1945 Event Japanese resistance ends on Iwo Jima 1945 Event 1st Japanese flying bombs (ochas) attack Okinawa 1945 Event Japanese proclaim "independence" of Indo-China 1945 Event Manila freed from Japanese 1945 Event 900 Japanese soldiers reportedly killed by crocodiles in 2 days 1945 Event Japanese occupiers of Batavia arrest Indo-European youths 1945 Event U.S. Task Force 38 destroys 41 Japanese ships in Battle of South China Sea 1944 Event Japanese army evacuates harbor city Akyab 1944 Event Japanese kamikaze crashes into U.S. cruiser Nashville, kills 138 1944 Death Sekio Nishina, Japanese inventor (kaiten-suicide submarine), dies 1944 Event Battle at Cape Engano: 4 Japanese ships sink 1944 Event Battle in Straits of Surigao: Japanese fleet destroyed 1944 Event U.S. air raid on Japanese battleships/cruisers in Sibuya Sea: Musashi sinks 1944 Event U.S. Captain David Mccampbell shoots down 9-11 Japanese planes in Gulf of Leyte 1944 Event Last Japanese troops driven out of India 1944 Event U.S. recaptures Guam from Japanese 1944 Event U.S. regains possession of Guam from Japanese 1944 Event Japanese suicide attack on U.S. lines in Guam 1944 Event U.S. forces land on Guam to get rid of Japanese invaders 1944 Event Japanese aircraft carrier Hijo sinks by U.S. air attack 1944 Event Japanese aircraft carriers Taiho/Shokaku sinks in Marianas 1944 Event Japanese kamakize attacks on U.S. lines at Saipan 1944 Event Heavy Japanese counter offensive on Saipan 1944 Event 1st Japanese kamikaze attack, U.S. fleet near Iwo Jima 1944 Event U.S. attacks Japanese fleet in Philippines Sea 1944 Event Battle of Philippines Sea, 300 Japanese aircraft shot down 1944 Event Japanese troops conquer Changsha China 1944 Event 15 U.S. aircraft carriers attack Japanese bases on Marianas 1944 Event Japanese advance in Hangkhou, China 1944 Event 1st B-29 attacked by Japanese fighters, one fighter shot down 1944 Event Japanese troops conquer Jessami, East-India 1944 Death Mineichi Koga, Admiral of Japanese fleet, dies 1944 Event Allied troops 1st set foot on Japanese territory 1943 Event U.S. forces take control of Tarawa, Gilbert Island and Makin from Japanese 1943 Event Operations begin at PETA Java, defending (Japanese) fatherland 1943 Event Japanese premier Hideki Tojo visits Java 1943 Death I Yamamoto, Admiral of Japanese fleet, dies 1943 Event Japanese troops conquer Indin 1943 Event Sukarno asks for cooperation with Japanese occupiers 1943 Event Japanese evacuate Guadalcanal, ends epic battle 1943 Event New Zealand's Kiwi cruiser collides with Japanese sub I-1 at Guadalcanal 1943 Event Japanese Mount Austen on Guadalcanal captured 1943 Event Japanese government in Java limits sale and use of motorcars 1942 Event 1st Japanese women camp (Ambarawa) goes into use 1942 Event 1st Japanese bombing of Calcutta 1942 Event Lieutenant-General Kumakashi Harada becomes Japanese commander on Java 1942 Event Japanese battleship strikes Henderson Field, Guadalcanal 1942 Event U.S. Navy defeats Japanese in WW II Battle of Cape Esperance 1942 Event Japanese attack on Port Moresby repelled 1942 Event Battle of Edson's Ridge (Japanese assault) at Guadalcanal 1942 Event Battle of Edson's Ridge (2nd Japanese assault) at Guadalcanal 1942 Event Japanese planes drop incendiary bombs on Oregon 1942 Death Kiyoano Ichiki, Japanese colonel (WW II), dies 1942 Event Carlson's Raiders land on Makin, Gilbert islands, kill 350 Japanese 1942 Event Japanese submarine in mouth of Columbia River, Oregon 1942 Event Japanese troops lands on Attu, Aleutian Islands 1942 Event Japanese forces retreat, ending Battle of Midway 1942 Event Japanese troop land on Kiska, Aleutians 1942 Event Japanese troops conquer Kalewa 1942 Event Aircraft carrier Lexington sunk by Japanese air attack at Coral Sea 1942 Event Battle of Coral Sea ends stopping Japanese expansion 1942 Event Corregidor and Philippines surrender to Japanese Armies 1942 Event Japanese troop attack Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo, Solomon Islands 1942 Event Japanese troops occupy Mandalay Burma 1942 Event Japanese troop march into Lashio, cuts off Burma Road 1942 Event James H. Doolittle bombs Tokyo and other Japanese cities 1942 Event Japanese occupying army on Java installs film censorship 1942 Event Battle of Bataan, U.S. and Filipino forces overwhelmed by Japanese at Bataan 1942 Event Japanese forces occupy Andaman Islands in Indian Ocean 1942 Event U.S. move native-born of Japanese ancestry into detention centers 1942 Event Japanese troop land on North-Sumatra 1942 Event Japanese forces captures Rangoon Burma 1942 Event KNIL, Dutch colonial army on Java, surrenders to Japanese armies 1942 Event Japanese troop march into Batavia 1942 Event Japanese troops occupy Kalidjati airport in Java 1942 Event Japanese land in Java, last Allied bastion in Dutch East Indies 1942 Event Battle of Java Sea began 13 U.S. warships sunk - 2 Japanese 1942 Event Japanese sub fires on oil refinery in Ellwood, California 1942 Event Lt. E. H. O'Hare single-handedly shoots down 5 Japanese heavy bombers 1942 Event About 150 Japanese warplanes attacked the Australian city of Darwin 1942 Event Japanese troops land on Timor 1942 Event Japanese troop land on Bali 1942 Event Japanese troops march into Palembang, South Sumatra 1942 Event Singapore surrenders to Japanese 1942 Event Japanese parachutists land near oil center Palembang Sumatra 1942 Event Japanese troops land near Makassar, South Celebes 1942 Event Congress advises Franklin D. Roosevelt that, Americans of Japanese descent should be locked up en masse so they wouldn't oppose the U.S. war effort 1942 Event 1st Japanese air raid on Java 1942 Event Japanese troops land on Ambon 1942 Event Japanese troops occupy Rabaul New Britain 1942 Event Japanese air raid on Rabaul, New Britain 1942 Event Japanese air raid on Rabaul New Britain 1942 Event Japanese air raid on Rabaul New Britain 1942 Event Japanese invade Burma 1942 Event Japanese forces invade Burma 1942 Event Japanese troops land at oil center Balikpapan in Borneo 1942 Birthday Junichiro Koizumi, Japanese Statesman 1942 Event Japanese troops occupy Manila Philippines 1942 Event Rose Bowl played in North Carolina due to Japanese threat, Oregon - 20, Duke - 16 1941 Event Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi/Kagu back in Kure, Japan 1941 Event American forces on Wake Island surrender to Japanese 1941 Event Japanese troops lands on Mindanao 1941 Event Sarawak occupied by Japanese 1941 Event USS Swordfish becomes 1st U.S. submarine to sink a Japanese ship 1941 Event Japanese attack Wake Island (only failed WW II-landing) 1941 Event Japanese occupy Guam 1941 Event Japanese troops landed on northern Luzon in the Philippines 1941 Event Japanese troops overrun Guam 1941 Event Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, a date that will live in infamy 1941 Event 1st Japanese submarine sunk by a U.S. ship (USS Ward) 1941 Death Iida, Japanese pilot/lt, dies in battle at 28 1941 Event Dutch and British pilots see Japanese invasion fleet at Singapore 1941 Event Naval Intelligence ceases bugging Japanese consul 1941 Event Japanese emperor Hirohito signs declaration of war 1941 Event Japanese Emperor Hirohito consults with admirals Shimada and Nagano 1941 Event Passenger ship Lurline sends radio signal of sighting Japanese war fleet 1941 Event Japanese carrier force left its base and moves east toward Pearl Harbor 1941 Event Admiral Nomura and Kurusu hands over Japanese last diplomatic note 1941 Event Japanese fleet readies assault on Pearl Harbor 1941 Event Japanese marine staff officiers Suzuki/Maejima leave Pearl Harbor 1941 Event Japanese marine staff officiers Suzuki/Maejima arrive in Pearl Harbor 1941 Birthday Tadao Ando, born in Osaka, Japan, Japanese architect, employs critical regionalism style of architecture, 1969, established firm Tadao Ando Architects & Associates, winner, Pritzker Architecture Prize 1995 1941 Event Japanese forces land in Indo-China 1941 Event Franklin D. Roosevelt demands Japanese troops out of Indo-China 1941 Birthday Naomi Uemura, mountain climber, 1st Japanese to scale Everest 1941 Event Japanese armored barges cross Strait of Johore to attack Singapore 1941 Event Peruvian agent Rivera-Schreiber warns of Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor 1941 Birthday Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese Director 1940 Event Japanese troops attack French Indo-China 1940 Event British government signs Bruma law under Japanese pressure 1939 Event Russian Indigirka capsizes in blizzard off Japanese coast; 750 die 1939 Event Japanese invasion army driven out of Mongolia 1939 Event Isoroku Yamamoto appointed supreme commander of Japanese fleet 1939 Event Russian offensive under General Zjoekov against Japanese invasion in Mongolia 1939 Birthday Kenzo Takada, Japanese director, Dream After Dream 1938 Event Japanese troops occupies Hankou and Wuhan 1938 Event Japanese troops occupies Canton 1938 Birthday Paul Seiko Chihara, born in Seattle Washington, US and Japanese composer 1937 Event Japanese troops conquer/plunder Nanjing 1937 Event 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 Event Japanese fleet blockades Chinese coast 1937 Event Japanese attack Shanghai 1937 Event Japanese troops occupies Peking and Tientsin 1937 Event Japanese attack Marco Polo Bridge, invade China 1937 Event Japanese and Chinese troops clash, (Marco Polo Bridge), becomes WW II 1937 Event Prince Konoye becomes Japanese premier 1935 Birthday Toshihiko Fukui, Japanese Public Servant 1935 Birthday Oe Kenzaburo, Japanese novelist, Catch, Personal Matter 1935 Birthday Kenzaburo Oe, Japanese Writer 1934 Death Heihatjiro Tojo, Japanese Admiral (Russian-Japanese War), dies 1933 Event League of Nations tells Japanese to pull out of Manchuria 1932 Birthday Shintaro Ishihara, Japanese Politician 1932 Death Takuma Dan, Japanese baron/financier/industrial, murdered 1932 Event Japanese troops occupy Tunhua China 1932 Death Junnosuke Inouye, Japanese minister of Finance, murdered 1932 Event Japanese troop occupy Harbin, Manchuria 1932 Birthday Kazuo Inamori, Japanese business executive, Kyocera Ceramics Co 1931 Event Japanese Government of Imukai forms 1931 Event Japanese army attacks Chinese province of Jehol 1931 Event Japanese troops conquer Mukden, South Manchuria 1931 Birthday Sawako Ariyoshi, Japanese writer, Compound Pollution, Doctor's Wife 1929 Death Giitji Tanaka, Japanese baron/general/premier (1927-29), dies at 66 1929 Birthday Akio Yashiro, born in Tokyo, Japanese composer, studied under Kunihiko Hashimoto, Leonid Kreutzer, String Quartet composition won the Eighth Mainichi Music prize in 1957 1928 Event 1st issue of Time magazine, Japanese Emperor Hirohito on cover 1928 Event Japanese troops occupies Sjantung-schiereiland 1928 Birthday Daisaku Ikeda, Japanese Writer 1927 Event Japanese military intervention in Chinese civil war 1924 Birthday Noboru Takeshita, Japanese PM, 1987-89 1922 Birthday Arthur R Hawkins, U.S. pilot/captain, WW II, downed 14 Japanese planes 1922 Event 1st speed test of 1st genuine Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho 1922 Event Japanese crown prince Hirohito appointed prince-regent 1922 Event Japanese cruiser Niitaka leaves in storm at Kamchatka, 300 killed 1922 Birthday Donald L. Keene, born in New York City, Japanese translator/critic 1919 Birthday Kiichi Miyazawa, born in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, politician, 78th Japanese Prime Minister 1919 Birthday Richard Mason, born near Manchester, England, author, learned Japanese in World War II, interrogated prisoners of war, wrote 'The Wind Cannot Read', 'The Fever Tree', 'The World of Suzie Wong' 1918 Event Japanese battleship explodes in Bay of Tokayama, 500 killed 1918 Birthday Kakuei Tanaka, Japanese PM, 1972-74, convicted of bribe-taking 1916 Birthday Masaki Kobayashi, Japanese director, Joi-uchi 1915 Birthday Charles James Dunn, Japanese scholar 1913 Birthday Kenzo Tange, Japanese Architect 1913 Event Webb Alien Land-Holding Bill passes, forbidding Japanese from owning land 1912 Event SS Kichemaru disappears in storm off Japanese coast, 1,000 die 1912 Event 1st Japanese cherry blossom trees planted in Washington D.C. 1910 Birthday David McCampbell, U.S. pilot/captain, WW II-Pacific-downed 34 Japanese planes 1909 Birthday Seicho Matsumoto, Dutch Japanese detective/playwright, 10 to Sen 1909 Birthday Masami Akita, Japanese Musician 1905 Event Japanese battleship Mikasa explodes 1905 Event Japanese fleet destroys Russian East Sea fleet in Straits of Tushima 1905 Event Japanese Army captures Mukden (Shenyang) 1905 Event Japanese troops capture Port Arthur 1904 Event General Nogi's assault on Port Arthur: 16,000 Japanese casualties 1904 Event Field battle at Liao-Yang-200,000 Japanese against 150,000 Russian 1904 Event Japanese fleet defeat Russians off Port Arthur 1904 Birthday Shunryu Suzuki, Japanese Leader 1901 Birthday Sato Eisaku, Lib, Japanese PM, 1964-72, Nobel 1974 1898 Birthday Ibuse Masuji, Japanese writer, Yohai Taicho, Kuroi Ame 1897 Birthday Francis "Lefty" O'Doul, baseball player and organized Japanese baseball 1894 Birthday Konosuke Matsushita, Japanese Businessman 1894 Event Korea declares independence from China, asks for Japanese aid 1889 Birthday Arthur Waley, sinologist, translator from Chinese and Japanese 1888 Birthday Hiroshi "Can" Kikuchi, Japanese stagewriter, Tjitj Kaeru 1887 Birthday Hitoshi Asida, Japanese politician 1885 Event 1st Japanese arrive in Hawaii 1884 Birthday Tojo Hideki, Japanese Prime Minister during WW II 1884 Birthday Isoroku Yamamoto, admiral and supreme commander of Japanese fleet 1881 Death Japanese giant salamander, dies in Dutch zoo at 55; oldest amphibian 1878 Birthday Shigeru Yoshida, Japanese PM, most of 1946-54 1877 Birthday Sadao Araki, Japanese general/minister of War, 1931-34 1873 Event Origin of Japanese Era 1867 Birthday Natsume Soseki [Natsume Kinnosuke], Japanese author, Kokoro 1863 Event Japanese battle cruiser shoots at Dutch warship Medusa, kills 4 1862 Birthday Mori Ogai [Mori Rintaro], Japanese author, Maihime/Gan 1860 Event Japanese embassy arrives aboard Candinmarruh 1860 Event 1st Japanese ambassador arrives in San Francisco en route to Washington 1858 Death Ando Hiroshige, Japanese painter, dies at 61 1849 Death Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese painter, dies at 89 1836 Birthday Yamaoka Tesshu, Japanese swordsman/master of kendo 1829 Birthday Kanagaki Robun [Bunzo Nozaki], Japanese humorist/gesaku-author 1801 Death Norinaga Moto'ori, Japanese scientist, dies 1730 Birthday Norinaga Moto'ori, Japanese scientist 1725 Death Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Japanese playwright (Yotsugi Soga), dies at about 71 1703 Death Kiva Yoshinaka, Japanese monarch, murdered 1694 Death Matsuo Basho, Japanese Poet 1694 Death Matsuo Basho, greatest Japanese haiku poet, dies 1674 Death Kano Tanjoe, Japanese painter (palaces, portraits), dies at 72 1616 Death Ieyasu Tokugawa, Japanese Statesman 1610 Birthday Hasegawa Tohaku, Japanese painter 1602 Birthday Kano Tanju, Japanese painter, palaces, portraits 1598 Death Hidejoshi, Hijoshi, Japanese general strategist/kampaku, dies 1543 Birthday Ieyasu Tokugawa, Japanese Statesman 1476 Birthday Motonoboe, Japanese painter, Kano-school 1253 Death Dogen Kigen, 1st Zen patriarch of Japanese Soto line, dies at 53 1253 Death Dogen Zenji, Japanese Philosopher 1200 Birthday Dogen Kigen, Japan, Zen teacher, 1st patriarch of the Japanese Soto 1200 Birthday Dogen Zenji, Japanese Philosopher 1181 Event Supernova observed by Chinese and Japanese astronomers 794 Event Japanese emperor Kammu deallocates residence of Nara to Kioto
