Portal:Japan/Anniversaries/April
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These are the selected anniversaries for April that appear on the Japan portal. The "edit" links edit the portal subpages that are displayed as sections here.
April 1
Events
- 1867 - Japan participates in its first world expo, the Paris World Expo. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-seventh Day of the Second Month, 1867)
- 1880 - The Mitsubishi Foreign Exchange, the precursor to the Bank of Mitsubishi, is established.
- Fukuoka Cityis established. The population at the time was a mere 50,847 people. The following year a proposal to change the name to Hakata City failed to pass by only one vote.
- 1914 - The Takarazuka Revue perform for the first time.
- 1929 - The Kotobukiya company, the predecessor to Suntory, begins selling the first whisky distilled in Japan.
- 1930 - Japan's first underground shopping center is opened in Ueno.
- 1940 - Income tax withholding begins.
- 1947 - The 6-3 system of education (6 years of compulsory grade school followed by 3 years of compulsory junior high school) is implemented. The goal of the new system was to achieve equality of education for all. A high school system was implemented the following year and a university system was implemented in 1949.
- 1957 - A law against prostitution is implemented.
- 1964 - Restrictions on overseas tourism are lifted.
- 1982 - The government begins minting 500 yen coins.
- 1985 - NTT and Japan Tobacco are established.
- 1987 - Japanese National Railways is split up and privatized.
- 1989 - Japan's first consumption tax is implemented. The tax started at 3% and was raised to 5% in 1997.
- 1989 - city designated by government ordinance.
- 1991 - Participation in the national pension scheme becomes compulsory for everyone between the ages of 20 and 60.
- 2001 - An electronic consumer goods recycling law is implemented.
Births
- 1220 - Emperor Go-Saga (d. 1272)
- 1920 - Toshiro Mifune (d. 1997), Chinese-Japanese actor and producer
- 1944 - Isao Kuraishi, actor
- 1971 - Shinji Nakano, race car driver
- Yuka Yoshida, tennis player
- Yūko Takeuchi, actress
- 1986 - Shunichi Miyamoto, voice actor and singer
- 1989 - Yumi Sugimoto, model, actress, and singer
- 1993 - Keito Okamoto, singer
Film and television
- 1980 - Shadow Warriors begins airing on Fuji Television and Kansai Telecasting Corporation, starring Sonny Chiba
- 2013 - Amachan begins airing on NHK, starring Rena Nōnen
- 2015 - April Fools, a comedy drama suspense film starring Erika Toda and Tori Matsuzaka
Edit April 1 anniversaries ‧ April 1 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 1 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 2
Events
- Oki Island. (Traditional Japanese Date: Seventh Day of the Third Month, 1332)
- Shiga Kiyoshiform a Cancer Research Society.
- 1922 - Newspapers venture into the weekly magazine business with the launch of the Weekly Asahi and the Sunday Mainichi.
- 1932 - Construction of Ueno Station is completed.
- Yoshikawa Eiji begins publishing his revision of The Tale of the Heikein the Weekly Asahi.
- 1951 - Five-hundred-yen paper bills make their first appearance featuring Iwakura Tomomi.
- 1954 - Famed Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan comes to Japan.
- Fukuoka Dome, Japan's first stadium with an open and close roof, opens. It was built at a cost of 76 billion yen and was the home of the Daiei Hawks (now the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) professional baseball team.
Births
- 1942 - Hiroyuki Sakai, chef
- 1951 - Ayako Okamoto, golfer
- 1951 - Moriteru Ueshiba, martial artist
- 1954 - Susumu Hirasawa, singer-songwriter
- 1971 - Zeebra, rapper
- 1976 - Daisuke Namikawa, voice actor
Film and television
- Yuichi Nakamura
- 2007 - Keisuke Kato, Gaku Shindo, and Shugo Nagashima
- 2010 - Daimajin Kanon begins airing on TV Tokyo, starring Yuka Rikuna
Edit April 2 anniversaries ‧ April 2 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 2 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 3
Events
- Buddhist monk Dōshō becomes the first person in Japanese history to be cremated. (Traditional Japanese Date: Tenth Day of the Third Month, 700)
- 1582 - Oda Nobunaga defeats Takeda Katsunori, eliminating the Takeda hereditary line. (Traditional Japanese Date: Eleventh Day of the Third Month, 1582)
- Edo Shogunate establishes a registration system for pet dogs. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-first Day of the Second Month, 1687)
- 1825 - A law is passed mandating that foreign ships be driven away and not allowed to land. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fifteenth Day of the Second Month, 1825)
- 1895 - Japan's first tree planting ceremony is held.
- 1911 - The modern day Nihonbashi is opened. The famed Tokyo bridge is rebuilt as a stone arch designed to evoke the European renaissance style.
- Shiga Naoya's A Dark Night's Passing (暗夜行路, Anya Kōro) and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's Kappa (河童) were both born in the literary section of Kaizō.
- Tenrikyōare suppressed when the religion is found to be in violation of the law against irreverence against the emperor.
- 1930 - The first automatic train ticket dispensers appear in Tokyo and Ueno stations.
- Kōrakuen Stadium.
Births
- 1883 - Ikki Kita (d. 1937), philosopher and author
- 1887 - Ōtori Tanigorō (d. 1956), sumo wrestler, the 24th Yokozuna
- 1887 - Nishizō Tsukahara (d. 1966), admiral
- 1920 - Yoshibayama Junnosuke (d. 1977), sumo wrestler, the 43rd Yokozuna
- 1953 - Wakanohana Kanji II, sumo wrestler, the 56th Yokozuna
- 1963 - Tsuyoshi Sekito, guitarist and songwriter
- 1966 - Miina Tominaga, voice actress and entertainer
- 1968 - Tomoaki Kanemoto, baseball player
- 1969 - Seiichi Tanabe, actor
- 1973 - Yo Oizumi, television personality and actor
- 1975 - Yoshinobu Takahashi, baseball player
- 1975 - Koji Uehara, baseball player
- 1982 - Kasumi Nakane, model and actress
- 1992 - Mina Ōba, singer and actress
- 1992 - Gaku Sano, actor
- 1992 - Nana Yamada, singer and actress
- 1996 - Mayo Hibi, tennis player
Deaths
Film and television
- 1971 - Kamen Rider begins airing on TV Asahi, starring Hiroshi Fujioka, Takeshi Sasaki, Akiji Kobayashi, and Jirō Chiba
Holidays, observances, and anniversaries
- 1888 - The magazine Nihonjin is first published.
Edit April 3 anniversaries ‧ April 3 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 3 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 4
Events
- Okinawais born.
- Koizumi Yakumoafter gaining Japanese citizenship, first arrives in Japan.
- 1899 - The Tokyo University of Foreign Studies is founded.
- 1905 - The Waseda Baseball Club travels abroad for the first time.
- Kōrakuen Stadium.
Births
- 1884 - Isoroku Yamamoto (d. 1943), admiral
- 1946 - Katsuaki Satō, martial artist and coach
- 1957 - Nobuyoshi Kuwano, singer and trumpet player
- 1974 - Shōei, actor
- 1990 - Yūki Mihara, model
- 1991 - Yui Koike, model and actress
- 1994 - Shunsuke Nishikawa, actor
- 1994 - Risako Sugaya, singer and actress
- 1999 - Miki Nishino, singer, dancer, and actress
Film and television
- 1983 - Oshin begins airing on NHK, starring Ayako Kobayashi, Yūko Tanaka, Nobuko Otowa, Pinko Izumi, Shiro Itō, Masatoshi Nakamura, and Tsunehiko Watase
Edit April 4 anniversaries ‧ April 4 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 4 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 5
Events
- Saigo Takamori and Katsu Kaishū meet in Edo to discuss the surrender of Edo Castle to the emperor's forces. (Traditional Japanese Date: Thirteenth Day of the Third Month, 1868)
- 1872 - Construction is begun on a railway between Shinagawa and Yokohama. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-eighth Day of the Second Month, 1872)
- 1939 - The motion picture law is passed.
- 1941 - The Japan Cancer Society is formed.
- 1947 - The first unified local elections are held.
- itai itai disease as cadmiumpoisoning. It is designated as the first public health illness.
- 1968 - Japan and the United States sign a treaty returning the Ogasawara islands to Japanese control.
- 1975 - The twin sister signing group The Peanuts retire from show business.
- 1982 - The Asakusa International Theater closes after 45 years of performances.
- Honshū with Awaji Island. The total length of the bridge is 3911 meters and the suspension towers reach a height of 300 meters -- nearly as tall as Tokyo Tower.
Births
- 1288 - Emperor Go-Fushimi (d. 1336)
- 1943 - Fighting Harada, boxer
- 1946 - Takuro Yoshida, singer-songwriter
- 1955 - Akira Toriyama, illustrator
- 1960 - Hiromi Taniguchi, runner
- 1963 - Kouichi Oohori, actor
- 1970 - Miho Hatori, singer-songwriter
- 1971 - Ayako Nishikawa, television personality, entertainer, comedian, and surgeon
- 1972 - Yasuhiro Takemoto, animator and director
- 1979 - Mitsuo Ogasawara, footballer
- 1984 - Kisho Yano, footballer
- 1988 - Asumi Nakada, voice actress and model
- 1990 - Haruma Miura, actor and singer
- 1998 - Kaito Nakamura, actor and model
- 1999 - Mio Yūki, actress, model, and entertainer
Edit April 5 anniversaries ‧ April 5 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 5 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 6
Events
- Five Charter Oath is signed by Emperor Meiji. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fourteenth Day of the Third Month, 1868)
- 1868 - Saigo Takamori and Katsu Kaishū. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fourteenth Day of the Third Month, 1868)
- 1882 - Itagaki Taisuke proclaims "Itagaki may perish, but liberty will survive" upon being shot (non-fatally) by a right-wing militant.
- Tōkaimura in Ibaraki Prefectureas the site of an atomic energy research facility.
- 1968 - Actress Mariko Miyagi opens a school for disabled children called Nemu no Ki in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Births
- 1973 - Rie Miyazawa, model and actress
- 1976 - Hirotada Ototake, author and educator
- 1983 - Mitsuru Nagata, footballer
- Goeido Gotaro, sumo wrestler
- 1986 - Ryota Moriwaki, footballer
- Ryutaro Morimoto, actor and singer
- Rina Katsuta, singer
Film and television
- Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Tetsurō Tamba
- 2010 - General Rouge no Gaisen begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Atsushi Itō and Tōru Nakamura
Edit April 6 anniversaries ‧ April 6 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 6 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 7
Events
- 1884 - Yakuza boss Shimizu Jirochō is sentenced to seven years in prison for gambling.
- 1890 - The Lake Biwa Canal,from Ōtsu to Kamo River, is completed.
- Okinawa.
- 1947 - The Labor Standards Law is passed. It is implemented on September 1.
- 1991 - The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) holds its annual meeting in Nagoya, its first annual meeting to be held in Asia.
Births
- 1972 - Shingo Katsurayama, actor
- 1980 - Tetsuji Tamayama, actor
- 1981 - Hitoe Arakaki, singer
- 1984 - Hiroko Shimabukuro, singer
Edit April 7 anniversaries ‧ April 7 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 7 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 8
Events
- 1900 - The first sleeper cars appear on the former Sanyō Line between Kyoto and Mitajiri
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology establishes 2,000 regular use kanji(常用漢字, jōyō kanji)
- 1940 - The National Fitness Law is passed, requiring regular checkups for males between the ages of 17 and 19
Births
- 1934 - Kisho Kurokawa (d. 2007), architect, designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower and Singapore Flyer
- 1986 - Erika Sawajiri, actress and singer
- 1989 - Hitomi Takahashi, singer
- 1991 - Minami Takahashi, singer and actress
- 1993 - Gaku Matsumoto, actor
- 1993 - Kanae Yoshii, idol, singer, and actress
Deaths
- 1986 - Yukiko Okada (b. 1967), signer and actress
Film and television
- Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Nanako Matsushima and Hideaki Takizawa
Edit April 8 anniversaries ‧ April 8 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 8 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 9
Events
- 702 - Japan's first legal system of measurement is implemented. (Traditional Japanese Date: Eighth Day of the Third Month, 702)
- 1890 - A ceremony is held for the opening of the first Lake Biwa Canal.
- Minobe Tatsukichi's publications setting forth his theory that the emperor is merely a legal figure who exercises power on behalf of the people in whom sovereignty resides (the imperial institution theory) are outlawed. Minobe eventually quits the House of Peers.
- Akita to Ueno.
- 1952 - A Japan Airlines passenger plane crashes into Mt. Mihara on the Izu Peninsula, killing 37 people, including entertainer Ōtsuji Shirō.
- 1981 - An American nuclear submarine collides with a Japanese cargo ship, the Nisshōmaru.
- Fujiyama Ichirōbecomes the ninth person to be awarded the National Honor Award (国民栄誉賞, Kokumin Eiyō-shō).
Births
- 1972 - Bernard Ackah, German-Japanese martial artist and kick-boxer
- 1978 - Kousei Amano, actor
- 1985 - Tomohisa Yamashita, actor and singer
Film and television
- 2002 - Artificial Beauty begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Ryoko Yonekura
Edit April 9 anniversaries ‧ April 9 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 9 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 10
Events
- 823 - Nemoto Hall on Mount Hiei is renamed Enryaku-ji. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-sixth Day of the Second Month, 823)
- Dainihonshi). It wasn't completed until 1906. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-seventh Day of the Second Month, 1657)
- 1928 - The Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nihon Shōkō Kaigisho) is formed.
- 1946 - Japan's first post-war elections are held, and 39 women are elected.
- Palme d'orgrand prize.
- Crown Prince Akihito (the current emperor) marries Shōda Michiko.
- Honshū with the island of Shikoku.
Births
- 1933 - Rokusuke Ei, composer and author
- 1950 - Akiko Wada, singer and actress
- 1971 - Nana Smith, American-Japanese tennis player
- 1976 - Yoshino Kimura, actress and singer
- 1979 - Tsuyoshi Domoto, singer-songwriter and actor
Film and television
- Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Hayato Ichihara
- 2008 - Last Friends begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Masami Nagasawa, Juri Ueno, Eita, Asami Mizukawa, and Ryo Nishikido
Edit April 10 anniversaries ‧ April 10 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 10 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 11
Events
- 800 - Mount Fuji erupts. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fourteenth Day of the Third Month, 800)
- General Douglas MacArthur completes his duties and is dismissed as the Supreme Allied Commander.
Births
- 1908 - Masaru Ibuka (d. 1997), businessman, co-founded Sony
- 1931 - Koichi Sugiyama, composer and conductor
- 1969 - Chisato Moritaka, singer-songwriter and actress
- 1980 - Keiji Tamada, footballer
- 1991 - Erina Mano, singer and actress
- 1993 - Yuji Takahashi, footballer
Film and television
- Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Kaoru Kobayashi, Yoko Shimada, Michitaka Tsutsui, Riona Hazuki, and Atsuko Takahata
- Ryoko Shinohara, Haruma Miura, and Naohito Fujiki
- 2015 - Do S Deka begins airing on Nippon TV, starring Mikako Tabe and Tadayoshi Okura
Edit April 11 anniversaries ‧ April 11 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 11 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 12
Events
- 1638 - The Shimabara Rebellion is put down. Christian farmers holed up in Shimabara Castle fall to an attack by Shogunate forces. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-eighth Day of the Second Month, 1638)
- Fukuoka. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-third Day of the Second Month, 1784)
- 1872 - Japan holds its first world expo at Yushima Hall. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fifth Day of the Third Month, 1872)
- Tokyo Universityis founded.
- 1948 - The Japan Business Federation, or the Nikkeiren, is founded. The word "salaryman" was started by the Nikkeiren's long time Senior Director Maeda Hajime.
- 1968 - Japan's first modern high-rise, the 36 story 147 meter Kasumigaseki Building, is completed in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo.
Births
- 1868 - Akiyama Saneyuki (d. 1918), admiral
- 1913 - Keiko Fukuda (d. 2013), Japanese-American martial artist
- 1962 - Nobuhiko Takada, mixed martial artist and wrestler, founded Hustle
- 1985 - Hitomi Yoshizawa, singer
- 1994 - Airi Suzuki, actress and singer
Edit April 12 anniversaries ‧ April 12 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 12 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 13
Events
- fumie at the newly opened ports. (Traditional Japanese Date: Ninth Day of the Third Month, 1856)
- 1888 - Japan's first coffee shop, the Kahi (coffee) Sakan, opens in Ueno.
- 1903 - The system of nationally approved primary school textbooks is implemented.
- 1922 - The Boy Scouts of Japan is formed.
- 1930 - The Japan Gymnastics Association is formed.
- 1941 - A Neutrality pact between Japan and the Soviet Union is signed in Moscow.
- 1986 - Hiroaki Nagae and family return to Japan four years and nine months after setting of an around-the-world yachting expedition.
Births
- 1955 - Hideki Saijo, singer
- 1984 - Hiro Mizushima, actor
Film and television
- 1994 - Furuhata Ninzaburō begins airing in Fuji Television, starring Masakazu Tamura and Masahiko Nishimura
- 2013 - The Great Passage, a film starring Ryuhei Matsuda
Edit April 13 anniversaries ‧ April 13 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 13 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 14
Events
- 1603 - Nihonbashi is completed and quickly becomes the center of Japanese commerce. (Traditional Japanese Date: Third Day of the Third Month, 1603)
- 1670 - The Hakone reservoir is completed. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-fifth Day of the Second Month, 1670)
- 1879 - A Japanese pilots a steam train for the first time.
- 1947 - Japan's antimonopoly law is passed.
- 1989 - Nintendo announces its first Game Boy.
Births
- 1741 - Emperor Momozono (d. 1762)
- 1954 - Katsuhiro Otomo, director, screenwriter, and illustrator
- Shizuka Kudō, singer and actress
- 1980 - Ayumi Ito, actress
- 1986 - Anne Watanabe, model, actress, and singer
Films and television
- Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Tomoya Nagase and Ken Watanabe
- 2007 - Liar Game begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Erika Toda and Shota Matsuda
- 2009 - Atashinchi no Danshi begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Maki Horikita
Edit April 14 anniversaries ‧ April 14 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 14 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 15
Events
- 1870 - Japan's first shoe factory opens (Traditional Japanese Date: Fifteenth Day of the Third Month, 1870)
- 1929 - Japan's first train terminal shopping center, the Hankyu Department Store, opens at Umeda Station in Osaka.
- 1935 - Japan's begins radio broadcasts for schools.
- 1937 - Helen Keller visits Japan.
- 1967 - Ryokichi Minobe is elected as Tokyo's first reform governor.
- 1983 - Tokyo Disneyland opens.
Births
- 1933 - Kōji Yada (d. 2014), voice actor
- 1988 - Manami Numakura, voice actress
- 1991 - Daiki Arioka, actor and singer
Film and television
- 1996 - Long Vacation begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Takuya Kimura and Tomoko Yamaguchi
- 2011 - Inu o Kau to Iu Koto begins airing on TV Asahi, starring Ryo Nishikido, Asami Mizukawa, Kokoro Kuge, and Ryutaro Yamasaki
- Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Masahiro Nakai
- 2012 - Kazoku no Uta begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Joe Odagiri
- 2014 - Bitter Blood begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Takeru Satoh and Atsuro Watabe
Edit April 15 anniversaries ‧ April 15 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 15 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 16
Events
- New Collection of Ancient and Modern Waka is completed. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-sixth Day of the Third Month, 1205)
- Shimbashi to Kobe. The trip took thirteen hours and 40 minutes.
- 1949 - Japan's first off-track betting facility opens in Kōrakuen, Tokyo.
- Sasebo, Nagasakicollapses, killing 68.
- 1978 - Japan holds its first women's marathon at Lake Tama Field. Forty-nine women participated and 100,000 spectators turned out to watch.
- 1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev makes his first visit to Japan as the leader of the Soviet Union.
Births
- February 26 Incident
- 1948 - Kazuyuki Sogabe (d. 2006), voice actor and guitarist
- 1971 - Seigo Yamamoto, race car driver
- 1973 - Hirofumi Nojima, voice actor
- 1973 - Bonnie Pink, singer-songwriter
- 1986 - Shinji Okazaki, footballer
- 1988 - Alisa Durbrow, model, actress, and singer
- 1991 - Yurie Midori, actress and model
Deaths
- 1972 - Yasunari Kawabata (b. 1899), Nobel Prize winning short story writer and novelist
Film and television
- 1997 - Gift begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Takuya Kimura and Shigeru Muroi
- 2007 - Operation Love begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Tomohisa Yamashita and Masami Nagasawa
Holidays, observances, and anniversaries
- 1882 - Ōkuma Shigenobu forms the Progressive Party
Edit April 16 anniversaries ‧ April 16 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 16 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 17
Events
- 667 - Prince Naka no Ōe moves the capital from Asuka to the Ōtsu Palace. (Traditional Japanese Date: Nineteenth Day of the Third Month, 667)
- 1870 - A licensing system for rickshaw's is implemented. (Traditional Japanese Date: Seventeenth Day of the Third Month, 1870)
- 1895 - The Treaty of Shimonoseki is signed, whereby China recognized Korea's independence and renounced all claims to it, ceded some territory, including Taiwan, to Japan, and agreed to pay reparations
- 1898 - Western-style artist Yuzo Saeki is born. Saeki travelled to France in 1923 and was heavily influenced by Maurice Utrillo. He is best known for his paintings of Paris. He died at the age of 31.
- 1947 - A public employment assistance office is opened.
- 1947 - The regional and local administrative law is passed, establishing the organization and operation of regional administrative regions and their relationship with the national government.
- 1968 - Tokyo governor Minobe officially recognizes the Korea University in Kodaira, Tokyo.
Births
- Matsudaira Tsuneo(d. 1949), diplomat
- 1947 - Tsutomu Wakamatsu, baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1972 - Yuichi Nishimura, footballer and referee
- 1973 - Kaihō Ryōji, sumo wrestler
- ONE OK ROCK
Film and television
- , Chisun, and Jingi Irie
- 2015 - Koisuru Vampire, a vampire film starring Mirei Kiritani
Edit April 17 anniversaries ‧ April 17 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 17 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 18
Events
- 1872 - The first Christian church built by Japanese opens in Yokohama. (Traditional Japanese Date: Eleventh Day of the Third Month, 1872)
- 1934 - The Teijin bribery scandal occurs, which eventually leads to the resignation of Prime Minister Saitō Makoto and his entire cabinet.
- 1942 - The U.S. begins bombing raids over Tokyo, Nagoya, Kobe and other cities in Japan.
- Yamamoto Isoroku is shot down and killed over the Solomon Islands.
Births
- 1918 - Shinobu Hashimoto, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1969 - Sayako Kuroda, daughter of Akihito
- 1976 - Fayray, singer-songwriter and actress
- 1981 - Mai Hoshimura, singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1985 - Sasa Handa, model and actress
- 1992 - Misa Eguchi, tennis player
Film and television
- 2005 - Engine begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Takuya Kimura, Koyuki, Yoshio Harada, and Yuki Matsushita
- 2014 - Shinigami-kun begins airing on TV Asahi, starring Satoshi Ohno and Mirei Kiritani
Edit April 18 anniversaries ‧ April 18 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 18 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 19
Events
- Minamoto Yoritomo is banished to Izu. (Traditional Japanese Date: Eleventh Day of the Third Month, 1160)
- 1951 - Tanaka Shigeki becomes the first Japanese to run and win the Boston Marathon.
- 1961 - Edwin O. Reischauer is appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Japan.
- 1988 - NTT's ISDN service is initiated, linking Tokyo and Nagoya.
Births
- 1897 - Jiroemon Kimura (d. 2013), super-centenarian
- 1966 - El Samurai, wrestler
- 1981 - Ryuta Hara, footballer
- 1988 - Haruna Kojima, singer and actress
- 1988 - Saya Yūki, actress
- 1989 - Daisuke Watabe, footballer
Film and television
- 2004 - Itoshi Kimi e begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Miho Kanno and Naohito Fujiki
- Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Yui Ichikawa and Lee Hong-gi
Edit April 19 anniversaries ‧ April 19 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 19 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 20
Events
- 1284 - Hōjō Tokimune dies. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fourth Day of the Fourth Month, 1284)
- 1868 - The capital is moved from Kyoto to Edo, which is renamed Tokyo. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-eighth Day of the Third Month, 1868)
- 1871 - Postal service begins in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. (Traditional Japanese Date: First Day of the Third Month, 1871)
- 1901 - Japan's Women's University opens.
- 1914 - Serial publication of Natsume Sōseki's novel Kokoro begins.
- Fukuoka.
- 1927 - The Tanaka Giichi Cabinet is formed.
- 1947 - Japan's first House of Councillors election is held.
- 1954 - The Haiyūza Theater opens in Roppongi.
- 1954 - The first annual Tokyo Motor Showis held.
- Tōkaidō Shinkansen
- 1966 - Automatic train stop equipment installation on all national railways is completed.
Births
- 1633 - Emperor Go-Kōmyō (d. 1654)
- 1978 - Mirei Kuroda, model and actress
- 1982 - Sayaka Kamiya, actress and model
Film and television
- Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Rena Tanaka
Edit April 20 anniversaries ‧ April 20 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 20 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 21
Events
- 1591 - Sen no Rikyū commits ritual suicide under orders by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-eighth Day of the Second Month of the Nineteenth Year of Tenshō)
- 1612 - Tokugawa Ieyasu issues a proclamation banning Christianity in the territories under his direct control. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-first Day of the Fifth Month of the Seventeenth Year of Keichō)
- Forty-seven Rōnin. Asano committed ritual suicide the next day under orders by the Shōgun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fourteenth Day of the Third Month of the Fourteenth Year of Genroku)
- 1927 - Fifteen banks close due to the Shōwa financial crisis.
- 1934 - The statue of the faithful dog Hachikō is completed in front of Shibuya Station.
- 1951 - Temporary permits are issued to 16 commercial broadcasters.
- 1978 - The Japan-USSR Fisheries Agreement is signed.
Births
- 1958 - Yoshito Usui (d. 2009), illustrator
- 1974 - Katsuyuki Konishi, voice actor
- 1980 - Hiro Shimono, voice actor
- 1981 - Nao Oikawa, actress and television personality
Edit April 21 anniversaries ‧ April 21 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 21 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 22
Events
- 1870 - The Tokyo government issues a permit to rickshaw inventors Izumi Yosuke, Suzuki Tokujiro and Takayama Kosuke to build and sell them. (Japanese Date: Twenty-second Day of the Third Month, 1870)
- Japanese brailleis first published.
- 1925 - Peace Preservation Law of 1925 is publicly announced.
- comic-strip Sazae-sanis first published in the newspaper Fukunichi Shimbun.
- 1947 - The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department begin testing the polygraph.
- 1950 - Fujiko Yamamoto wins the first The Miss Japan Grand Prix Pageant.
- 1981 - Mother Teresa visits Japan for the first time.
Births
- 1912 - Kaneto Shindo (d. 2012), director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1938 - Issey Miyake, fashion designer
- Jōji Nakata, voice actor
- 1971 - Daisuke Enomoto, businessman
- 1982 - Noriko Shitaya, voice actress
Edit April 22 anniversaries ‧ April 22 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 22 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 23
Events
- Ise Shrinefor the first time as an Emperor. (Japanese Date: Twelfth Day of the Third Month, 1869)
- 1895 - Triple Intervention
- 1895 - Russia, Germany and France ask Japan to give back Liaodong Peninsula to China.
- Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers.
- Sōka Gakkaigains in the third local government elections.
- 1966 - Nissan start selling the new brand Nissan Sunny.
- 1974 - Completion of Akasaka Palace refitting.
Births
- 1899 - Minoru Shirota (d. 1982), physician and microbiologist, invented Yakult
- 1957 - Kenji Kawai, composer and conductor
- 1970 - Sadao Abe, actor and singer
Deaths
- 1966 - George Ohsawa (b. 1893), founder of the Macrobiotic diet
Edit April 23 anniversaries ‧ April 23 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 23 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 24
Events
- 1932 - The First Annual Meeting of the Japanese Derby is held and the horse Wakataka won.
- 1940 - The ticket system is adopted in daily necessities.
- 1951 - 106 die in the Sakuragichō train fire in Yokohama.
- Makoto Oda's Citizen's League for Peace in Vietnamhold their first demonstration.
- 1977 - Nichigeki Dancing Team carry out their last public performance.
Births
- 1968 - Yuji Nagata, wrestler and mixed martial artist
- 1981 - Yuko Nakanishi, swimmer
- 1981 - Azusa Yamamoto, idol and actress
- 1985 - Kaori Nazuka, actress and singer
- 1990 - Kazuki Shimizu, actor
Film and television
- 2011 - Marumo no Okite begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Sadao Abe, Fuku Suzuki, and Mana Ashida
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April 25
Events
- 1185 - 壇ノ浦の合戦で、平家が滅亡。 (Japanese Date: Twenty-fourth Day of the Third Month, 1185)
- 1644 - 大明帝国滅亡 (Japanese Date: Nineteenth Day of the Third Month, 1644)
- 1683 - 八百屋お七が火あぶりの刑となる。歌舞伎などの演目でも知られる八百屋の娘「お七」が放火の罪で鈴ケ森で火あぶりの極刑に処せられる。お七はその時18歳、お七が丙午生まれだったことから、丙午生まれの女子が疎まれるようになった (Japanese Date: Twenty-ninth Day of the Third Month, 1683)
- 1868 - 福沢諭吉が慶応義塾を開校。私塾を芝に移し、年号にちなみ慶應義塾と改称する。 (Japanese Date: Third Day of the Fourth Month, 1868)
- 1888 - 市町村制が公布される。
- 1926 - ドイツ製入場券自動販売機が登場
- 1934 - 吉本興業、東京・新橋演舞場で「特選漫才大会」を開く。
- 1980 - モスクワオリンピック不参加を政府が発表。
- 1980 - 大貫久男さん、東京・銀座で1億円入りの包みを拾う。東京・銀座の道路わきで、トラック運転手がふろしき包みを拾う。中は、1万円札で、1億円。警察に届け、一時は、「犯罪に関する金か!?」と騒がれるが、6ケ月と14日の届け出期間を過ぎても落とし主が現れず11月9日に時効成立。1億円は大貫さんへ。
- 1992 - ロック歌手、尾崎豊急死。泥酔した状態で東京都内の民家で保護されたが、肺水腫で死亡した。「十七歳の地図」で熱狂的な支持を得、若者のカリスマ的存在でもあった。
Births
- 1942 - Mr. Hito (d. 2010), wrestler
- 1980 - Juri Miyazawa, actress and model
- 1980 - Kazuhito Tadano, baseball player
Edit April 25 anniversaries ‧ April 25 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 25 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 26
Events
- 1880 - The Seismological Society of Japan is founded
- 1887 - Emperor Meiji is the first emperor to watch a kabuki play
- 1924 - The first title matches in professional boxing in Japan was held in the concert hall of Hibiya Park, Tokyo
- 1994 - China Airlines Flight 140 makes a failed landing and crashes at Nagoya Airport, killing 264 people
Births
- 1910 - Tomoyuki Tanaka (d. 1997), screenwriter and producer
- 1977 - Kosuke Fukudome, baseball player
- 1989 - Ayame Misaki, actress
- 1993 - Ryoma Takeuchi, actor and model
Deaths
- 1192 - Emperor Go-Shirakawa (b. 1127)
Film and television
- Aibou: The Movie III, a mystery suspense crime film starring Yutaka Mizutani, Hiroki Narimiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Yumiko Shaku, and Toru Kazama
- Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Takeru Satoh
Edit April 26 anniversaries ‧ April 26 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 26 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 27
Births
- 1966 - Yoshihiro Togashi, illustrator
Deaths
- 1927 - Asada Nobuoki (b. 1851), general in the Imperial Japanese Army
Edit April 27 anniversaries ‧ April 27 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 27 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 28
Events
- 1661 - 伊達堀(神田川)完成 (Japanese Date: Twenty-ninth Day of the Third Month, 1661)
- 1883 - 日本銀行開業。日本で唯一の銀行券を発行できる銀行=日本銀行がこの日開業。
- 1908 - ブラジル移民が出発。日本人最初のブラジル移民780人が、神戸港からブラジルに向け出発した。1960年代の高度成長期に衰退するが、戦前・戦後を通じ、約25万人が移住した。
- 1937 - 初の文化勲章の授与式が行われる(横山大観、幸田露伴ら)。
- 1948 - 夏時刻法が公布される(サマータイム・実施は5月2日から)。5月第1土曜日から、9月第2土曜日まで時計の針を1時間進める「夏時刻法」が公布されたが、睡眠不足になったなどクレームが相次ぎ1952年に廃止。
- 1952 - The San Francisco Peace Treaty between Japan and part of the Allied Powers comes into force.
- 1964 - Japan formally joins the OECD.
- 1964 - The male-oriented magazine Heibon Punch publishes its first issue.
Births
- Kaneto Shindō(d. 2012), director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1961 - Futoshi Matsunaga, serial killer
- 1964 - Noriyuki Iwadare, composer
- 1968 - Akiko Ikuina, entertainer
- 1980 - Noriko Eguchi, actress
Edit April 28 anniversaries ‧ April 28 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 28 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 29
Events
- Usuki Bay, Bungo Province (Traditional Japanese Date: Sixteenth Day of the Third Month, 1600)
- 1891 - Chūhachi Ninomiya succeeds in getting a model plane driven by a rubber band to fly.
- Emperor Showa is born as prince Michi-no-miya Hirohito. He was the first son of Emperor Taishōwho was crown prince at the time.
- 1912 - 276 die in a gas explosion in the Yūbari coal mine, Hokkaido.
- 1927 - 嵐勘寿郎主演の「鞍馬天狗シリーズ」の第1作となる「角兵衛獅子」が封切られる。
- 1949 - 日本五輪復帰をIOC承認
- 1977 - Yasuhiro Yamashita, aged 19, becomes the youngest ever to win the open category of the All-Japan Judo Championships.
- 1986 - 昭和天皇在位60年式典が行われる。法隆寺が全焼する。
Births
- 1901 - Hirohito (d. 1989), emperor
- 1961 - Fumihiko Tachiki, voice actor
- 1983 - Yuriko Shiratori, model and actress
- 1991 - Mariya Suzuki, singer and actress
Edit April 29 anniversaries ‧ April 29 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 29 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
April 30
Events
- Trappist convent is established in Yunokawa, Hakodate. It is Japan's first women's convent.
- 1918 - Tokyo Woman's Christian University is established.
- 1960 - The world's first all-transistor television is released by Sony.
- 1960 - Rebuilding of the Kaminarimon gate of Sensō-ji in Tokyo is completed. The gate had burnt down at the end of the Edo period.
- 1978 - Naomi Uemura, going by dog sled, is the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
Births
- 1972 - Takako Tokiwa, actress
- 1980 - Atsushi, singer-songwriter and producer
Edit April 30 anniversaries ‧ April 30 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ April 30 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia