Events
- 708 - The first silver coins are minted in Japan.
- 1946 - The first recorded street interview is broadcast on NHK radio.
- 1951 - The first filmed baseball games are shown at Mitsukoshi department store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.
- 1953 - The first widescreen movie is shown in Japan.
- 1983 - The first proportional representation election is held in Japan.
- 1991 - A pyroclastic flow of molten lava from Mount Unzen in Nagasaki kills 43.
Births
- 1930 - Ben Wada (d. 2011), director and producer
- 1963 - Toshiaki Karasawa, actor
- 1969 - Takako Minekawa, singer-songwriter
- 1971 - Ryo Narushima, actress
- 1987 - Masami Nagasawa, actress and singer
- 1988 - Shohei Miura, actor and model
- 1989 - Megumi Han, voice actress and singer
Film and television
- 2000 - Aibō begins airing on TV Asahi, starring Yutaka Mizutani