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
- 1970 - Shizuka Kudō, singer and actress
- 1980 - Ayumi Ito, actress
- 1986 - Anne Watanabe, model, actress, and singer
Films and television
- 2000 - Ikebukuro West Gate Park begins airing on 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