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These are the selected anniversaries for March that appear on the Japan portal. The "edit" links edit the portal subpages that are displayed as sections here.
March 1
Events
- 1201 - Japan's top female poet, Shokushinai Shinnō, dies. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-fifth Day of the First Month, 1201)
- 1891 - The Tokyo Clearing House is established for the exchange of bank drafts.
- 1911 - The Imperial Theater is completed, but is later lost to fire during the Great Kanto earthquake.
- 1919 - The March First Movement is held -- a display of Korean protest against Japanese occupation.
- 1932 - Japan announces the establishment of the Manchukuo puppet state in Manchuria.
- 1938 - Taxis in Kyoto introduce the fare meter, which spreads to the rest of the country beginning in November of the same year.
- 1939 – Japanese Imperial Army ammunition dump exploded at Hirakata, Osaka, killing 94.
- 1941 - The National School Proclamation is issued. Beginning on April 1, 1941, all former elementary schools become national schools, and the period of compulsory education is extended to include 6 years of elementary school and 2 years of high school.
- 1954 - Tuna fishing boat No. 5 Fukuryūmaru is exposed to heavy doses of radiation and "ashes of death" from the experimental detonation of a hydrogen bomb by Americans on the Bikini Atoll.
- 1962 - Takashimaya department store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo opens the first vertical parking garage.
- 1988 - Guilty verdicts are handed down against the president and other executives of Chisso Corporation in connection with the severe mercury poisoning (known as Minamata disease, after the region where most victims are from).
Births
- 1889 - Tetsuro Watsuji (d. 1960), historian and philosopher
- 1892 - Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (d. 1927), author
- 1895 - Ogura Yuki (d. 2000), painter
- 1943 - Cha Katō, comedian and actor
- 1943 - Akinori Nakayama, gymnast and coach
- 1958 - Chosei Komatsu, Japanese-American conductor
- 1963 - Mayo Kawasaki, actor and singer
- 1970 - Miho Nakayama, singer, actress, and model
- 1978 - Sakura Nogawa, voice actress
- 1986 - Ayumu Goromaru, rugby union player
- 1993 - Syuusuke Saito, actor and singer
Edit March 1 anniversaries ‧ March 1 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 1 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 2
Events
- 1657 - The Great Fire of Meireki claims the lives of nearly 100,000 people in Edo
- 1886 - The Imperial University proclamation is issued establishing the Imperial University (the predecessor to Tokyo University)
- 1943 - World War II: Due to wartime policy, all baseball terms that were previously borrowed from English are officially replaced with Japanese words
- 1943 - World War II: Battle of the Bismarck Sea – United States and Australian forces sink Japanese convoy ships
- 1976 - A time bomb goes off in the Hokkaidō civic center, killing two people
- 1981 - Official repatriation of war orphans left behind in China after World War II begins
Births
- 1955 - Shoko Asahara, cult leader, founded Aum Shinrikyo
- 1962 - Morioka Hiroyuki, author
- 1971 - Manami Toyota, wrestler
- 1980 - Maomi Yuki, entertainer
Holidays, observances, and anniversaries
- 2006 - Nintendo DS Lite is released
Edit March 2 anniversaries ‧ March 2 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 2 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 3
Events
- 1105 – Fujiwara no Kiyohira has the Chūsonji Temple built. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fifteenth Day of the Second Month, 1105)
- 1873 – As a symbol of the new age of cultural enlightenment, the empress abolishes the practice of blackening her teeth and drawing artificial eyebrows.
- 1933 – A tsunami caused by the Sanrikuoki Earthquake strokes the Eastern coast of northern Honshū, killing 3,535 people.
- 1942 – World War II: Ten Japanese warplanes raid the town of Broome, Western Australia killing more than 100 people.
- 1958 – Fuji Heavy Industries introduces the four-seater light automobile, the Subaru 360. The car went on sale in May at a cost of 425,000 yen.
Births
- 1825 - Shiranui Kōemon (d. 1879), sumo wrestler
- 1880 - Yōsuke Matsuoka (d. 1946), politician, Minister for Foreign Affairs for Japan
- 1924 - Tomiichi Murayama, soldier and politician, 52nd Prime Minister of Japan
- 1951 - Heizō Takenaka, economist and politician
- 1991 - Anri Sakaguchi, entertainer
- 1994 - Umika Kawashima, singer and actress
Holidays, observances, and anniversaries
- Hinamatsuri (Girl's Day) - celebration day for girls, also known as the Doll Festival.
Edit March 3 anniversaries ‧ March 3 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 3 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 4
Events
- 1845 - Japan's first match factory begins operation
- 1899 - As part of its effort to modernize, Japan passes its first copyright law
- 1904 - Russo-Japanese War: Russian troops in Korea retreat toward Manchuria followed by 100,000 Japanese troops
- 1951 - Japan participates in the First Asian Games, held in New Delhi
- 1952 - A strong earthquake from Southern Hokkaidō to Northeast Honshū (the Tokachi Earthquake) kills 307 people and destroys 3,353 homes
- 1966 - A Canadian Pacific Airlines DC-8 crashes at Haneda Airport, killing 64
- 1967 - Hawaiian sumō wrestler Takamiyama becomes the first non-Japanese wrestler to be elevated to the rank of sekitori
- 1974 - The ban on aluminum bats in high school baseball is lifted
- 1979 - Tsuneo Hasegawa conquers the northern face of Grandes Jorasses, on the border between France and Italy, during a winter solo climb
Births
- 1602 - Kanō Tan'yū (d. 1674), painter
- 1878 - Takeo Arishima (d. 1923), author and critic
- 1944 - Anthony Ichiro Sanda, Japanese-American physicist and academic
- 1951 - Linda Yamamoto, singer and actress
- 1961 - Atsuko Asano, actress
- 1961 - Mahito Ōba, voice actor
- 1971 - Satoshi Motoyama, race car driver
- 1972 - Kataoka Ainosuke VI, actor
- 1984 - Ai Iwamura, actress
- 1988 - Mikuru Uchino, model and actress
- 1991 - Aoi Nakamura, actor
Deaths
- 2002 - Ryō Hanmura (b. 1933), author
Edit March 4 anniversaries ‧ March 4 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 4 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 5
Events
- 1869 - The regional Daimyō return their land holdings to the control of the emperor. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-third Day of the First Month, 1869)
- 1908 - Japan holds its first beauty contest when Jiji Shinpō Co., at the request of the Herald Tribune in the United States, solicits photographs from all over the country and chooses a winner, Suehiro Hiroko, from among the applicants. The publication of the photograph in the United States led to the first worldwide beauty contest held the next year.
- 1926 - The Labor Agriculture Party is formed.
- 1942 - The first air raid warnings are sounded in Tokyo.
- 1953 - The Tokyo Stock Exchange falls sharply, led by munitions company stocks.
- 1966 - A British Boeing 707 crashes near Mount Fuji, killing 124 people.
- 1967 - The First Ōme Marathon is held.
Births
- 1898 - Misao Okawa (d. 2015), super-centenarian
- 1910 - Momofuku Ando (d. 2007), Taiwanese-Japanese businessman, founded Nissin Foods
- 1918 - Tadahiko Hayashi (d. 1990), photographer
- 1929 - Takao Saito (d. 2014), cinematographer
- 1959 - Tsukasa Hojo, illustrator
- 1969 - Rio Natsuki, voice actress
- 1970 - Yuu Watase, illustrator
- 1980 - Mariya Yamada, actress
- 1981 - Shugo Oshinari, actor
- 1985 - Kenichi Matsuyama, actor
- 1995 - Jun Shison, actor
Edit March 5 anniversaries ‧ March 5 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 5 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 6
Events
- 1936 - Minister of the Army, Terauchi Hisaichi, denounces freedom.
- 1946 - Nikkan Sports publishes its first issue.
- 1969 - Hachiman Ironworks and Fuji Ironworks merge their operations, Japan's largest merger to date.
- 1980 - It is discovered that the questions for the Waseda University entrance examination have been leaked.
- 1990 - Sharp introduces the world's first color facsimile.
- 1991 - The House of Councillors approves the contribution of $9 billion to the Gulf War effort.
- 1994 - The Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum opens in Yokohama.
- 1999 - The Hakata Riverain, a large collection of shops, hotels and theaters, opens in Fukuoka, Japan.
Births
- 1903 - Empress Kōjun (d. 2000)
- 1938 - Keishu Tanaka, politician, 17th Minister of Justice
- 1947 - Killer Khan, wrestler and actor
- 1950 - Hirotaka Suzuoki (d. 2006), voice actor
- 1984 - Becky, Japanese-English singer and actress
- 1992 - Momoko Tsugunaga, actress and singer
- 1993 - Misaki Momose, actress and entertainer
Film and television
Edit March 6 anniversaries ‧ March 6 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 6 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 7
Events
- 1788 - Fires in Kyoto claim 183,000 households. (Traditional Japanese Date: Thirtieth Day of the First Month, 1788)
- 1873 - The mythical date of the founding of Japan by Emperor Jimmu (February 11, 660 B.C.) is established as a holiday.
- 1900 - Smoking by minors is prohibited.
- 1908 - A ferry connecting Aomori and Hakodate, the Hiraomaru, begins operation once a day.
- 1925 - The Peace Preservation Law, designed to protect the royal family from the left wing, is passed. It forbade conspiracy and revolt, and it criminalized socialism and communism.
- 1948 - A law establishing a fire department is passed.
- 1957 - Japan takes top honors in five events at the Twenty Fourth World Ping Pong Championship.
- 1958 - A driving license testing center is opened in Fuchu, Tokyo.
- 1971 - National Rail unifies the Tokyo Line and the Yamate Line and changes its name to the Yamanote Line.
- 1991 - The International Orchid Show opens in Nagoya.
Births
- 1949 - Genyo Takeda, Japanese video game developer
- 1966 - Atsushi Sakurai, singer-songwriter
- 1967 - Ai Yazawa, author and illustrator
- 1969 - Hideki Noda, race car driver
- 1977 - Hiroki Hasegawa, actor
- 1982 - Erika Yamakawa, model and actress
- 1997 - Honoka Miki, actress, model, and voice actress
Film and television
- 2015 - The End of the World and the Cat's Disappearance, an apocalyptic science fiction film starring Izukoneko, Jun Aonami, and Daisuke Nishijima
Edit March 7 anniversaries ‧ March 7 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 7 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 8
Events
- 1891 - The opening ceremony is held for the Tokyo Resurrection Cathedral in Kanda, Tokyo.
- 1923 - The first International Women's Day is held in Japan.
- 1935 - Hachikō, the faithful dog who went to Shibuya Station at the same time every day to greet his returning owner, Tokyo Imperial University proressor Ueno Hidesaburō, and continued to do so for eleven years after Ueno's death, dies at the age of 13. A statue in Hachikō's honor was erected in front of Shibuya station the previous year and to this day marks one of the most well-known meeting spots in Tokyo.
Births
- 1514 - Amago Haruhisa (d. 1562), samurai and warlord
- 1922 - Shigeru Mizuki (d. 2015), author and illustrator
- 1982 - Yuko Mizuno, entertainer, actress, and sportscaster
- 1985 - Mio Takeuchi, actress
- 1992 - Uki Satake, singer, actress, and radio host
- 1997 - Jurina Matsui, singer and actress
Edit March 8 anniversaries ‧ March 8 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 8 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 9
Events
- 712 - Ō no Yasumaro presents the Kojiki to Empress Gemmei. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-eighth Day of the First Month, 712)
- 1894 - Japan issues its first commemorative postage stamp, honoring the 25th anniversary of Emperor Meiji's wedding.
- 1951 - Mount Mihara on the Izu Peninsula erupts.
- 1958 - The Kanmon Tunnel is completed connecting Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture on Honshū Island, with Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū on Kyūshū Island.
- 1968 - A lawsuit is brought by the victims of itai-itai disease (cadmium poisoning).
- 1991 - The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is completed at a cost to taxpayers of 157 billion yen.
Births
- 1285 - Emperor Go-Nijō (d. 1318)
- 1959 - Takaaki Kajita, physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1989 - Yudai Chiba, actor
- 1990 - Tatsuki Machida, figure skater
- 1995 - Hikaru Ohsawa, actress
Edit March 9 anniversaries ‧ March 9 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 9 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 10
Births
- 1333 - Emperor Godaigo escapes from Oki Island.
- 1905 - The Japanese army wins the Battle of Fèngtiān (modern day Shěngyáng) in the First Sino-Japanese War.
- 1917 - The Industry Club of Japan is formed.
- 1922 - The Tokyo Expo opens in Ueno Park. The expo was held in the spirit of world peace following World War I, but if failed to attract much attention and ended up losing money.
- 1928 - Takayanagi Kenjirõ successfully transmits human images using a "braun tube" (a CRT) in Hamamatsu, Japan.
- 1945 - An intense bombing campaign of Tokyo begins. Kōtō Ward is set ablaze and over 93,000 people lost their lives.
- 1965 - The weather radar atop Mount Fuji begins operation.
- 1975 - The Sanyō Shinkansen (bullet train) line between Okayama and Hakata, Kyūshū is completed, allowing people to make the 1,176 km trip from Tokyo to Hakata in about 7 hours.
- 1980 - The six main city banks open electronic communications with each other.
- 1981 - Sumō grandmaster (Yokozuna) Wajima retires.
- 1985 - The two segments of what was at the time the world's longest tunnel between Aomori and Hakodate are joined up in the middle.
Births
- 1889 - Toshitsugu Takamatsu (d. 1972), martial artist and educator
- 1922 - Kiyoshi Yamashita (d. 1971), painter
- 1941 - Kazuo Tokumitsu, television host and announcer
- 1946 - Hiroshi Fushida, race car driver
- 1955 - Toshio Suzuki, race car driver
- 1958 - Hiroshi Yanaka, voice actor
- 1962 - Seiko Matsuda, singer-songwriter and actress
- 1972 - Takashi Fujii, comedian and singer
- 1976 - Kisaki, bass player, songwriter, and producer
- 1979 - Masato, kick-boxer
- 1981 - Taiyo Sugiura, actor
- 1982 - Mitsuomi Takahashi, actor
- 1983 - Sonim, singer and actress
- 1995 - Yui Sakuma, model and actress
Edit March 10 anniversaries ‧ March 10 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 10 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 11
Events
- 1862 - Shōgun Iemochi marries the emperor's sister Kazunomiya in an effort to unite the court and the Shōgunate. (Traditional Japanese Date: Eleventh Day of the Second Month, 1862)
- 1922 - Pilot Gotō Yūkichi and three passengers participate in Japan's first passenger flight.
- 1946 - The six major Tokyo universities (University of Tokyo, Waseda University, Keiō University, Hōsei University, Meiji University and Rikkyō University) form the six universities baseball league.
- 1970 - A Pan American Boeing 747 becomes the first jumbo jet to land in Japan. The plane carried 172 passengers, and after a 3 hour stop over it returned to Honolulu. Over 10,000 people went to Haneda Airport to see it.
- 1984 - Animator Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind opens in Tōkyō.
- 1992 - The price of can drinks in vending machines is increased from 100 to 110 yen.
- 2011 - An earthquake measuring 9.0 in magnitude strikes 130 km (81 mi) east of Sendai, Japan, triggering a tsunami killing thousands of people. This event also triggered the second largest nuclear accident in history, and one of only two events to be classified as a Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
Births
- 1878 - Umegatani Tōtarō II (d. 1927), sumo wrestler
- 1958 - Tetsurō Oda, singer-songwriter and producer
- 1960 - Junichi Sato, animator and director
- 1968 - Takao Osawa, actor
- 1972 - Ua, singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1973 - Wataru Sakata, wrestler and mixed martial artist
- 1984 - Anna Tsuchiya, model, actress, and singer
- 1986 - Mariko Shinoda, singer and actress
- 1986 - Ayumi Tanaka, pianist
- 1988 - Katsuhiko Nakajima, wrestler
- 1990 - Ayumi Morita, tennis player
- 1991 - Linlin, Chinese-Japanese singer
- 1991 - Nao Tōyama, voice actress and singer
Edit March 11 anniversaries ‧ March 11 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 11 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 12
Events
- 1874 - Japan holds its first athletic meet at a naval school in Tsukiji.
- 1876 - The "one-six system," a work day system everyone had the 1st, 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, and 26th of every month off, is reformed to a 7-day work week with a half-day working day on Saturday, and Sundays off. The new system is implemented among government workers in April, and it quickly spreads through the rest of the country. The half-day working day on Saturday was colloquially referred to as the "han-don." Han means half in Japanese and "don" referred to the thunder of the imperial palace cannon that was fired every day at noon beginning in September 1871 and which came to symbolize quitting time on Saturdays.
- 1912 - The precursor to JTB, the Japan Travel Bureau, is established.
- 1969 - Thirty centimeters of snow fall in Tokyo, bringing traffic to a halt.
- 2011 - A reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant melts and explodes and releases radioactivity into the atmosphere a day after Japan's earthquake.
Births
- 1910 - Masayoshi Ōhira (d. 1980), politician, 68th Prime Minister of Japan
- 1925 - Leo Esaki, physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1960 - Minoru Niihara, singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1960 - Maki Nomiya, singer
- 1962 - Diamond Yukai, singer and actor
- 1966 - Akemi Okamura, voice actress
- 1974 - Hekiru Shiina, voice actress and singer
- 1978 - Arina Tanemura, author and illustrator
- 1981 - Kenta Kobayashi, wrestler and kick-boxer
- 1981 - Mayumi Ono, actress, entertainer, model, and singer
- 1981 - Chiwa Saitō, voice actress
- 1986 - Chihiro Otsuka, actress
- 1987 - Hiroomi Tosaka, singer and actor
- 1995 - Kanon Fukuda, singer and voice actress
- 1999 - Sakura Oda, singer
Edit March 12 anniversaries ‧ March 12 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 12 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 13
Events
- 1933 - Japan's first ambulance is installed in the Yokohama Fire Department
- 1983 - Japan's first in vitro fertilization is successfully implanted
- 1988 - The Aomori-Hakodate Tunnel, connecting Honshū and Hokkaidō, begins operation. At the same time, the 80 year history of the Aomori-Hakodate ferry comes to a close
Births
- 1815 - James Curtis Hepburn (d. 1911), American physician, linguist, and missionary, best known for creating the Hepburn romanization system
- 1903 - Yasutaro Koide (d. 2016), super-centenarian
- 1938 - Tochinoumi Teruyoshi, sumo wrestler, the 49th Yokozuna
- 1968 - Akira Nogami, wrestler and actor
- 1974 - Naho Toda, actress
- 1984 - Yūka Nanri, voice actress and singer
- 1986 - Shunsuke Daito, actor
- 1991 - Suzu Natsume, actress
Edit March 13 anniversaries ‧ March 13 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 13 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 14
Events
- 1871 - Postal service is established among Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-fourth Day of the First Month, 1871)
- 1873 - Marriage between Japanese and non-Japanese is permitted for the first time.
- 1970 - World Expo '70 opens in Osaka with 77 countries participating. Among the exhibits were moon rocks from the United States and the Soviet Union.
- 1985 - The Tōhoku and Jōetsu Shinkansen (bullet train) begins service as the first train leaves Ueno Station.
- 1991 - A girder falls at the construction site of an overhead tram line, killing 14 people.
- 1992 - The Nozomi (a bullet train) makes its debut on the Tōkaidō line. The increased speed of the new train shaves 30 minutes off of the trip from Tokyo to Osaka, shortening it to 2 1/2 hours.
Births
- 1911 - Akira Yoshizawa (d. 2005), origamist
- 1961 - Hiro Matsushita, race car driver
- 1962 - Narumi Tsunoda, voice actress
- 1977 - Aki Hoshino, model and author
- 1977 - Naoki Matsuda (d. 2011), footballer
- 1979 - Yoko Shibui, runner
- 1990 - Leena, model
- 1990 - Haru Kuroki, actress
Film and television
- 2015 - Kaze ni Tatsu Lion, a drama film starring Takao Osawa, Satomi Ishihara, Yōko Maki, and Masato Hagiwara
Holidays, observances, and anniversaries
Edit March 14 anniversaries ‧ March 14 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 14 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 15
Events
- 1928 - Mount Fuji erupts.
- 1930 - In the Story of the Forty-seven Samurai, on this day the leader of the Akō clan, Asano Naganori injures Kira Yoshinaka at Edo castle. Asano was forced to commit ritual suicide the next day, after which 47 of his retainers become famous for defending his honor, despite being ordered not to do so.
- 1948 - The Liberal Democratic Party (Minshu Jiyū-tō) is formed.
- 1953 - The "Kamome" express train begins service between Kyoto and Hakata.
- 1972 - Shinkansen (bullet train) service is opened between Osaka and Okayama.
Births
- 1967 - Naoko Takeuchi, illustrator
- 1968 - Kahimi Karie, singer
- 1969 - Yutaka Take, jockey
- 1973 - Masayuki Naruse, wrestler and mixed martial artist
- 1977 - Brian Tee, Japanese-American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1978 - Takeru Kobayashi, competitive eater
- 1982 - Tonikaku Akarui Yasumura, comedian
- 1983 - Jouji Shibue, model and actor
- 1985 - Maiko, Japanese-American actress
- 1991 - Kie Kitano, singer, actress and model
- 1995 - Momoka Ariyasu, singer
- 1997 - Yuina Kuroshima, model and actress
Edit March 15 anniversaries ‧ March 15 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 15 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 16
Events
- 1875 - The first ad for domestically brewed beer appears in the Tokyo Hibi Shinbun.
- 1910 - Suzuki Umetarō succeeds in extracting vitamin B1.
- 1934 - The Minister of the Internal Affairs and Communications designates Japan's first national parks in Setonaikai, Unzen and Kirishima. In December, Akan, Daisetsuzan, The Chūbu Mountains and Nikko are added.
- 1952 - The Nichigeki Music Hall opens.
Births
- 1800 - Emperor Ninkō (d. 1846)
- 1840 - Shibusawa Eiichi (d. 1931), businessman
- 1845 - Umegatani Tōtarō I (d. 1928), sumo wrestler, the 15th Yokozuna
- 1915 - Kunihiko Kodaira (d. 1997), mathematician and academic
- 1916 - Tsutomu Yamaguchi (d. 2010), engineer and businessman
- 1928 - Wakanohana Kanji I (d. 2010), sumo wrestler, the 45th Yokozuna
- 1955 - Jiro Watanabe, boxer
- 1961 - Michiru Ōshima, composer and producer
- 1971 - Tae Kimura, actress
- 1975 - Hidekazu Ichinose, voice actor
- 1977 - Hiroki Yasumoto, voice actor
- 1981 - Shin Yazawa, actress and entertainer
- 1986 - Daisuke Takahashi, figure skater
Film and television
- 1970 - Ōoka Echizen begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Gō Katō
Edit March 16 anniversaries ‧ March 16 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 16 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 17
Events
- 1607 - Izumo no Okuni performs Kabuki in Edo. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twentieth Day of the Second Month, 1607)
- 1869 - The Meiji government encourages the construction of primary schools. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fifth Day of the Second Month, 1869)
- 1945 - World War II: Nearly 20,000 Japanese soldiers lose their lives at the Battle of Iwo Jima.
- 1951 - The law on public elections is passed. The law implements the various principles set forth in the constitution, including equality and confidentiality and the ability to campaign freely.
- 1959 - The age of the young comic book arrives when Kōdansha and Shōgakukan simultaneously introduce Weekly Shōnen Magazine and Weekly Shōnen Sunday, respectively. These were followed over the next ten years by such publications as Shōnen Jump, Shōnen King, and Shōnen Champion.
- 1985 - The Tsukuba Science Expo '85 opens. The Expo records 20 million visitors and produces a profit of 8.4 billion yen.
- 1988 - The Tokyo Dome is completed. In a fitting turn of events, the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Dome, Japan's first covered baseball stadium, took place on a day that was cold and rainy outside.
- 1989 - The Asia Pacific Expo opens in Fukuoka. Thirty seven countries participated and the expo welcomed over 8.2 million visitors.
- 1990 - Yokozuna (Grandmaster) Chiyonofuji marks his 1,000th win.
Births
- 1231 - Emperor Shijō (d. 1242)
- 1907 - Takeo Miki (d. 1988), politician, 41st Prime Minister of Japan
- 1942 - Yoko Yamamoto, actress
- 1955 - Jyunichi Haruta, actor
- 1968 - Eri Nitta, singer, actress, and lyricist
- 1989 - Shinji Kagawa, footballer
- 1995 - Akari Hayami, actress, model, and singer
Edit March 17 anniversaries ‧ March 17 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 17 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 18
Events
- 1207 - The Buddhist monk Hōnen is exiled to Tosa and Shinran is exiled to Echigo
- 1860 - A delegation sent to the United States by the Shogunate arrives in San Francisco aboard the Kanrinmaru
- 1904 - Horse drawn trains disappear with the completion of an electric train line between Ueno and Asakusa, completing a line that already extended from Shinagawa to Shinbashi and from Shinbashi to Ueno
- 1931 - Japan's first domestically produced aircraft is completed at the Nakajima Aircraft Factory
- 1946 - Sixty-three women become Japan's first female police officers
- 1964 - The first electronic calculators go on sale in Japan, manufactured by Sharp and Sony and costing ¥500,000 each
- 1984 - The president of Glico is kidnapped and held for ¥1 billion ransom by a man who referred to himself as the "man of 20 faces." The perpetrator was never caught and the statute of limitations expired in 1994.
- 1989 - Midori Itō wins the World Figure Skating Championships in Paris
Births
- 1932 - Frank Nagai (d. 2008), singer
- 1938 - Machiko Soga (d. 2006), actress
- 1943 - Nobuko Imai, viola player and educator
- 1945 - Hiroh Kikai, photographer
- 1950 - Eiji Okuda, actor and director
- 1953 - Takashi Yoshimatsu, composer
- 1954 - Ryosuke Otani, actor and voice actor
- 1962 - Etsushi Toyokawa, actor and director
- 1964 - Mika Kanai, voice actress and singer
- 1965 - Yoriko Douguchi, actress
- 1968 - Shin-ichiro Miki, voice actor
- 1976 - Tomo Ohka, baseball player
- 1978 - Yoshie Takeshita, volleyball player
- 1982 - Rei Yoshii, actress
- 1989 - Kana Nishino, singer-songwriter
- 1993 - Mana Iwabuchi, football player
Holidays, observances, and anniversaries
- 1881 - The Asian Liberal Newspaper is founded, featuring the writings of Nakae Chōmin
- 1932 - The Women's Society for National Defense is formed in Osaka
- 1965 - Meiji Mura opens in Aichi Prefecture
Edit March 18 anniversaries ‧ March 18 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 18 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 19
Events
- 1891 - The Liberal Constitution Party changes its name to the Liberal Party, and Itagaki Taisuke is elected party leader.
- 1914 - Tokyo Station is completed. It was designed by Tatsuno Kingo and was based on Amsterdam Central Station. Its red brick construction made it a symbolic example of western-style construction at the time. Much of the original building was destroyed during the fire bombing of Tokyo during World War II.
- 1949 - The Tokyo Hato Buses begin regular sightseeing excursions from Ueno Station. A half day sightseeing course cost 250 yen.
- 1955 - The Japan Housing Public Corporation is established to deal with growing need for housing in Tokyo that accompanied the accelerating economic boom.
- 1956 - The Hatoyama Administration submits its proposal for a first past the post election system.
- 1990 - Japan successfully achieves separation and a swing-by with its first lunar satellite, the Hagoromo.
- 1998 - Japan passes the non-profit organizations law.
Births
- 1434 - Ashikaga Yoshikatsu (d. 1443), shogun
- 1922 - Hiroo Onoda (d. 2014), lieutenant
- 1949 - Hirofumi Hirano, politician
- 1964 - Yoko Kanno, pianist and composer
- 1972 - Izumi Inamori, actress
- 1980 - Taichi Ishikari, wrestler
- 1980 - Mikuni Shimokawa, singer-songwriter
- 1989 - Yutaka Kobayashi, actor
- 1998 - Sakura Miyawaki, singer
Edit March 19 anniversaries ‧ March 19 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 19 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 20
Events
- 1703 - The 47 masterless samurai who avenged their master's death in the well known Akō vendetta, are ordered to commit ritual suicide (seppuku). (Traditional Japanese Date: Fourth Day of the Second Month, 1703)
- 1712 - A couple of farmers are arrested for climbing Nagoya Castle and attempting to steal the golden dolphin. (Traditional Japanese Date: Fourteenth Day of the Second Month, 1712)
- 1877 - Government forces defeat Saigō Takamori at Tahara Hill, bringing the Satsuma Rebellion.
- 1882 - The Tokyo National Museum and the Ueno Zoo are both opened on the site where the Kan'ei Temple was once located.
- 1926 - An Electric Expo is held in Osaka. Over 35,000 items were on display, and the electric heater was particularly popular.
- 1932 - Tokyo Subway workers go on strike.
- 1939 - Military training becomes compulsory at universities.
- 1956 - A large fire engulfs Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture and destroys 1,482 homes.
- 1960 - Sumō wrestlers Tochinishiki and Wakanohana both reach the final day of the Spring Bout with no losses and face off against each other for the championship. Tochinishiki defeats Wakanohanat to become the first wrestler ever to win every bout in a tournament.
- 1973 - The Kumamoto lower court rules in favor of the plaintiff in the Minamata disease lawsuit against the Chisso Corporation for mercury poisoning.
- 1981 - The Kobe Port Pier Expo (Port Pier '81) opens.
- 1995 - Members of the Aum Shinrikyō release sarin nerve gas at various locations in the Tokyo subway system, killing 12 and injuring 5,500.
Births
- 1941 - Kenji Kimihara, runner
- 1956 - Naoto Takenaka, actor, comedian, singer, and director
- 1965 - Taeko Kawata, voice actress
- 1979 - Shinnosuke Abe, baseball player
- 1984 - Yuka Nomura, actress
- 1987 - Yuya Endo, actor and singer
- 1989 - Masahiro Inoue, actor and martial artist
Edit March 20 anniversaries ‧ March 20 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 20 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 21
Events
- 1907 - The grade school law is revised to provide for six years of mandatory schooling.
- 1934 - A large fire engulfs Hakodate in Hokkaidō, killing 650.
- 1951 - Japan's first color film, Carmen Returns Home (Karumen Furusato ni Kaeru), directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, is shown in Japan.
- 1972 - The Takamatsuzuka Tomb wall paintings are discovered in Asuka-mura, Nara Prefecture.
Births
- 1931 - Toyonobori (d. 1998), sumo wrestler
- 1944 - Hideki Ishima, guitarist
- 1946 - Joseph Mitsuaki Takami, cardinal
- 1951 - Koichi Iwaki, Japanese-Korean actor
- 1959 - Nobuo Uematsu, keyboard player and composer
- 1970 - Shiho Niiyama (d. 2000), voice actress
- 1989 - Takeru Satoh, actor
- 1992 - Erena Mizusawa, model and actress
Film and television
- 2014 - Kamisama no Karute 2, a film starring Sho Sakurai, Aoi Miyazaki, and Tatsuya Fujiwara
Edit March 21 anniversaries ‧ March 21 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 21 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 22
Events
- 1185 - The Battle of Yashima, near the island of Shikoku, takes place between Genji forces and Heike forces.
- 1897 - The Japan Times publishes its first issue.
- 1908 - The bucktooth turtle incident. A woman returning from a public bath is strangled by Ikeda Kametarō (kame means turtle in Japanese.) The crime was committed after Ikeda had been caught peeping in a woman's bathhouse. Ever since the incident, bath peepers have sometimes been referred to as "bucktooth turtles" which was Ikeda's nickname.
- 1925 - NHK radio begins test broadcasting.
- 1953 - Hatoyama Ichirō forms the Liberal Party in opposition to Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru. The Liberal Party is joined with the Reform Party the next year to form the Japan Democratic Party, and Hatoyama goes on to become prime minister in 1956.
- 1985 - The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirms Japan's first AIDS patient.
- 1997 - The Akita Shinkansen (bullet train) is completed, cutting the time it takes to travel from Tokyo to Akita by 48 minutes.
Births
- 1212 - Emperor Go-Horikawa (d. 1235)
- 1929 - Yayoi Kusama, painter and sculptor
- 1934 - Kyosen Ōhashi, television host and writer
- 1976 - Asako Toki, singer-songwriter
- 1979 - Takeshi Yoshioka, actor
- 1988 - Noriko Kijima, model and actress
- 1994 - Atsushi Shiramata, actor
Edit March 22 anniversaries ‧ March 22 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 22 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 23
Events
- 1913 - The Shijō Bridge is completed in Kyoto.
- 1953 - The repatriation of Japanese from China begins as the first ship arrives in Maizuru Port.
- 1966 - Eyewitness testimony by a three year old is ruled admissible in a court of law.
- 1976 - A man angry over the Lockheed scandal flies a light plane into the home of Kodama Yoshio.
- 1977 - The supreme court accepts the first foreign bar applicant for legal training (all bar passers in Japan must complete one year of training at the supreme court before becoming a lawyer.)
- 1987 - Three and a half years after the famikon (video game console) goes on sale, the 10 millionth unit is sold.
Births
- 1336 - Emperor Go-Kōgon (d. 1374)
- 1910 - Akira Kurosawa (d. 1998), director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1920 - Tetsuharu Kawakami (d. 2013), baseball player and manager
- 1959 - Kazue Ikura, voice actress
- 1971 - Hiroyoshi Tenzan, wrestler
- 1979 - Nobuo Kyo, actor
- 1989 - Mai Nishida, model, entertainer, and actress
Edit March 23 anniversaries ‧ March 23 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 23 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 24
Events
- 1603 - Tokugawa Ieyasu is proclaimed shōgun. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twelfth Day of the Second Month, 1603)
- 1855 - A treaty of amity and commerce is entered into between Japan and Russia. (Traditional Japanese Date: Seventh Day of the Second Month, 1855)
- 1860 - Ii Naosuke, the Great Elder of the shogunate, was assassinated outside the Sakurada gate to Edo Castle (incident outside Sakurada gate (Sakuradamon-gai no hen). (Traditional Japanese Date: Third Day of the Third Month, 1860)
- 1928 - "Manequin girls" (live girls modeling clothing for sale) make their appearance at the Tokyo and Ueno Takashimaya department stores.
- 1983 - The Chūgoku Freeway, between Osaka and Shimonoseki, at the westernmost tip of Honshū, is opened.
- 1988 - Twenty seven students and teachers on their graduation trip are killed in a train accident in Shanghai, China.
- 1995 - The unmanned submarine explorer Kaikō sets a depth record of 10,911 meters.
Births
- 1657 - Arai Hakuseki (d. 1725), academic and politician
- 1947 - Meiko Kaji, actress and singer
- 1978 - Kaori Mochida, singer-songwriter
- 1985 - Haruka Ayase, actress and singer
- 1985 - Sayaka Hirano, table tennis player
- 1986 - Kohei Hirate, race car driver
- 1987 - Yuma Asami, model and actress
- 1993 - Ryo Ryusei, actor
- 1994 - Stay Gold (d. 2015), race horse
Edit March 24 anniversaries ‧ March 24 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 24 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 25
Events
- 1837 - Ōshio Heihachirō initiates an uprising.
- 1878 - The first arc lamp is used in Japan.
- 1906 - Shimazaki Tōson publishes The Broken Commandment (破戒, Hakai) with his own money.
- 1947 - Japan's holds its first cinema "road show" with the showing of Rhapsody in Blue. A "road show" is a form of pre-release publicity where a movie is shown is one theater per city before its general release. Rhapsody in Blue generated so much interest that it ended up running for ten weeks. Movie tickets at the time were 25 yen each.
- 1948 - Kawashima Yoshiko, known as the Asian Mata Hari, is executed as a Japanese spy. Kawashima Yoshiko was born as the daughter of Shànqí, the 10th hereditary Prince Sù of the Manchu Imperial family. However, she was raised by a Japanese family and convicted of spying for the Japanese after the war.
- 1956 - The first home run by a pinch hitter with bases loaded in Japanese baseball history is hit by the Giants' Higasa Kazuo, allowing the Giants to come from behind for a win against the Chunichi Dragons.
- 1973 - City-sponsored gambling is outlawed completely.
- 1992 - The Huis ten Bosch Palace (a recreation of a Dutch city) is opened in Sasebo, Nagasaki.
Births
- 1924 - Machiko Kyō, actress
- 1951 - Jumbo Tsuruta (d. 2000), wrestler
- 1987 - Nobunari Oda, figure skater
Edit March 25 anniversaries ‧ March 25 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 25 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 26
Events
- 1796 - Japan's first Dutch-Japanese dictionary is published. (Traditional Japanese Date: Eighteenth Day of the Second Month, 1796)
- 1914 - Kachusha, a wartime song about a girl longing for her beloved, who is away on military service, is performed at the Imperial Garden Theater for the first time.
- 1945 - The Battle of Okinawa, where 230,000 lose their lives, begins.
- 1978 - Radical protestors break into the control tower at Narita Airport.
Births
- 1914 - Toru Kumon (d. 1995), mathematician and academic
- 1948 - Ayumi Ishida, singer and actress
- 1954 - Kazuhiko Inoue, voice actor and singer
- 1963 - Natsuhiko Kyogoku, author
- 1974 - Kumiko Goto, singer and actress
- 1979 - Hiromi Uehara, pianist and composer
- 1980 - Ryouhei Abe, actor
- 1981 - Ai Shimizu, voice actress and wrestler
- 1987 - Yui, singer-songwriter and actress
- 1990 - Yuya Takaki, singer and actor
- 1990 - Yūya Yagira, actor
- 1994 - Mayu Watanabe, singer and actress
Edit March 26 anniversaries ‧ March 26 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 26 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 27
Events
- 1933 - Japan decides to leave the League of Nations
- 1982 - A ceremony is held celebrating the completion of the rebuilding of the Katsura Detached Palace
- 1985 - The Supreme Court of Japan rules that the taxation of individual income is constitutional.
Births
- 1901 - Eisaku Satō (d. 1975), politician, 61st Prime Minister of Japan, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1903 - Nobuo Aoyagi (d. 1976), director and producer
- 1923 - Shūsaku Endō (d. 1996), author
- 1961 - Tak Matsumoto, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1966 - Haruto Umezawa, illustrator
- 1967 - Kenta Kobashi, wrestler and rugby player
- 1975 - Katsuaki Fujiwara, motorcycle racer
- 1982 - Kurara Chibana, model and actress, Miss Universe Japan 2006
- 1988 - Atsuto Uchida, footballer
- 1992 - Aoi Yūki, voice actress and singer
Deaths
- 1952 - Kiichiro Toyoda (b. 1894), businessman, founded Toyota
Edit March 27 anniversaries ‧ March 27 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 27 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 28
Events
- 1876 - The wearing of swords is outlawed.
- 1903 - The first beer garden is opened in Azumabashi, Sumida Ward, Tokyo.
- 1913 - A military plane crashes in Tokorozawa, Japan's first deadly plane crash.
- 1920 - Hiratsuka Raichō and Fusae Ichikawa establish the New Women's Association.
- 1968 - Students take over the Yasuda lecture hall in the Tokyo University riots. Graduation ceremonies are cancelled.
Births
- 1942 - Kitanofuji Katsuaki, sumo wrestler, the 52nd Yokozuna
- 1963 - Chieko Honda (d. 2013), voice actress
- 1975 - Uno Kanda, model, actress, entertainer, and fashion designer
- 1993 - Ryuki Takahashi, actor
Edit March 28 anniversaries ‧ March 28 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 28 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 29
Events
- 1911 - Japan passes its first labor law.
- 1933 - A law on foreign currency exchange is passed.
- 1937 - Marui implements Japan's first installment payment plan for purchases.
- 1957 - Japan's first South Pole expedition lands on Antarctica.
Births
- 1969 - Shinichi Mochizuki, mathematician
- 1971 - Hidetoshi Nishijima, actor
- 1972 - Junichi Suwabe, voice actor and singer
- 1979 - Tomoe Shinohara, singer, actress, fashion designer, and producer
- 1982 - Anna Nagata, actress
- 1982 - Hideaki Takizawa, actor and singer
- 1983 - Ryohei Suzuki, actor
- 1984 - Mai Satoda, singer
Film and television
- 2013 - Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Honoka Miki and Yuki Furukawa
Edit March 29 anniversaries ‧ March 29 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 29 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 30
Events
- 1958 - The National Stadium in The Meiji Shrine Outer Garden, which seats 70,000, is completed.
- 1959 - The Tokyo Lower Court rules the presence of U.S. forces in Japan to be unconstitutional in connection with an incident where seven protestors were arrested for illegally entering the U.S. base at Tachikawa (the Sunaga Incident.) The decision was later overturned by the Supreme Court in December.
- 1968 - The TV animation Land of the Giants airs for the first time. Land of the Giants started out as a regular installment in the Weekly Shonen Jump, beginning in May 1966, and caused sales of the comic to triple. The TV series was just as successful with ratings of up to 26%. The series ran until September 1971.
- 1987 - Shirane Zen becomes the first person to cross the Sahara Desert on a 50cc bike.
- 1987 - Japanese insurance magnate Gōtō Yasuo pays a then record 5.3 billion yen for Vincent van Gogh's painting, Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers. In 1990 he paid 12.5 billion yen for van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gachet.
Births
- 1905 - Mikio Oda (d. 1998), triple jumper and academic
- 1967 - Megumi Hayashibara, voice actress and singer
- 1967 - Fuyumi Sakamoto, singer
- 1969 - Kei Takeoka, journalist
- 1972 - Makoto Nagano, martial artist
- 1976 - Ayako Kawasumi, voice actress and singer
- 1986 - Beni, Japanese-American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1990 - Rola, model and television personality
- 1994 - Haruka Shimazaki, singer and actress
Edit March 30 anniversaries ‧ March 30 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ March 30 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia
March 31
Events
- 1854 - The Convention of Kanagawa is signed between Japan and the United States, opening Japan after over 200 years of near seclusion. (Traditional Japanese Date: Third Day of the Third Month, 1854)
- 1876 - Mitsui Bank is established.
- 1906 - The Railway Nationalization Act is passed.
- 1937 - The Alcohol Monopolization Act is passed for the manufacture of alcoholic beverages other than sake.
- 1938 - Rickshaws are banned within Tokyo Station.
- 1947 - The school system is reformed to include six years of grade school, three years of junior high school, three years of high school and four years of university (the 6-3-3-4 system).
- 1947 - The Imperial Diet is abolished after 57 years and is replaced by the new National Diet of Japan under the new constitution.
- 1949 - The Tokyo fire department establishes 119 as the telephone number for emergencies (similar to 911 in the United States.)
- 1966 - The total population of Japan surpasses 100 million.
- 1970 - A plane en route from Haneda Airport to Fukuoka is hijacked by the Japanese Red Army with 138 passengers and crew on board. The hijackers demand that the plane be flown to South Korea. After the plane lands at Gimpo International Airport, The deputy official of the Ministry of Transport trades himself in exchange for the release of all of the passengers. The plane then flies on to Pyongyang.
- 1981 - Popular singing duo Pink Lady breaks up.
- 1987 - Wakaōji, the son of the president of Mitsui Bussan's Philippine branch, is released unharmed after four and a half months in captivity. Mitsui & Co., Ltd. paid 150 million yen to secure his release.
- 2000 - Hokkaido's Mount Usu erupts for the first time in 23 years.
- 2001 - Universal Studios opens a theme park in Osaka.
Births
- 1536 - Ashikaga Yoshiteru (d. 1565), shogun
- 1906 - Sin-Itiro Tomonaga (d. 1979), physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1915 - Shoichi Yokoi (d. 1997), sergeant
- 1932 - Nagisa Oshima (d. 2013), director and screenwriter
- 1936 - Sandayū Dokumamushi, actor
- 1938 - Michiko Nomura, voice actress
- 1950 - Hiroshi Tachi, actor and singer
- 1968 - Naoya Ogawa, wrestler and mixed martial artist
- 1977 - Toshiya, bass player, songwriter, and producer
- 1980 - Maaya Sakamoto, singer-songwriter and actress
Film and television
- 2014 - Hanako to Anne begins airing on NHK, starring Yuriko Yoshitaka, Tsuyoshi Ihara, and Shigeru Muroi
Edit March 31 anniversaries ‧ March 31 anniversaries on English Wikipedia ‧ 月 31 anniversaries on Japanese Wikipedia