Events in the year 1993 in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It corresponds to

Heisei The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when hi ...

5 (平成5年)) in the

Japanese calendar Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the Japanese era name, year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written f ...

Incumbents

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Akihito Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Kiichi Miyazawa was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1991 to 1993. Born in Tokyo, Miyazawa graduated from Tokyo Imperial University with a law degree, and in 1942 joined the Ministry of Finance. He was first elected to the Nati ...

( L–Hiroshima) until August 9, Hosokawa Morihiro ( JNP–Kumamoto) * Chief Cabinet Secretary:

Yōhei Kōno is a Japanese politician and a former President of the Liberal Democratic Party. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from November 2003 until August 2009, when the LDP lost its majority in the 2009 election. Kōno served as sp ...

(L–Kanagawa) until August 9,

Masayoshi Takemura was a Japanese politician. Elected as a representative of the Liberal Democratic Party, in 1993 he broke away to form New Party Sakigake, before joining the newly formed Democratic Party of Japan in 1997. He served as Chief Cabinet Secretary ...

( NPH–Shiga) * Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

: Ryōhachi Kusaba * President of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

: Yoshio Sakurauchi (L–Shimane) until June 18, Takako Doi ( S–Hyōgo) from August 6 * President of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. If the t ...

: Bunbē Hara (L–Tokyo) *

Diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

sessions: 126th (regular, January 22 to June 18), 127th (special, August 5 to August 28), 128th (extraordinary, September 17 to 1994, January 29)

Governors

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

Reiji Suzuki 鈴木礼治さん死去元愛知県知事、93歳
was a Japanese politician. ...

*Akita Prefecture: Kikuji Sasaki *

Aomori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori (city), Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is border ...

: Masaya Kitamura *Chiba Prefecture:

Takeshi Numata Takeshi ( in hiragana or in katakana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Written forms Forms in kanji can include: *武, "warrior" *毅, "strong" *猛, "fierce" *健, "healthy" *剛, "sturdy" *彪, "spotted" *威, "intimidate" *壮, "robust" * ...

*Ehime Prefecture:

Sadayuki Iga Sadayuki (written: or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese sumo wrestler *, Japanese businessman *, Japanese samurai *, Japanese samurai *, Japanese daimyo See also * 48624 Sadayuki, a main-belt ...

*Fukui Prefecture:

Yukio Kurita Yukio Kurita ( ''Kurita Yukio''; 6 April 1930 – 17 May 2024) was a Japanese politician. An independent, he served as governor of Fukui Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui P ...

*Fukuoka Prefecture: Hachiji Okuda *Fukushima Prefecture:

Eisaku Satō was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1964 to 1972. He is the third longest-serving Japanese prime minister, and is ranked second by longest uninterrupted service. Satō is best remembered for securing the return ...

*Gifu Prefecture:

Taku Kajiwara Taku may refer to: Places North America * the Taku River, in Alaska and British Columbia ** Fort Taku, also known as Fort Durham and as Taku, a former fort of the Hudson's Bay Company near the mouth of the Taku River ** the Taku Glacier, in A ...

*Gunma Prefecture:

Hiroyuki Kodera is a common masculine Japanese given name. Written forms Hiroyuki can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: extensive, good fortune, spacious. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . It is written in hir ...

* Hiroshima Prefecture: Toranosuke Takeshita (until 28 November); Yūzan Fujita (starting 29 November) *

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

: Takahiro Yokomichi *Hyogo Prefecture: Toshitami Kaihara *

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

: Fujio Takeuchi (until 11 August); Masaru Hashimoto (starting 26 September) *

Ishikawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...

: Yōichi Nakanishi *Iwate Prefecture: Iwao Kudō *Kagawa Prefecture: Jōichi Hirai *Kagoshima Prefecture: Yoshiteru Tsuchiya *

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

: Kazuji Nagasu *Kochi Prefecture: Daijiro Hashimoto *

Kumamoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture t ...

: Joji Fukushima *

Kyoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a population of 2,561,358 () and has a geographic area of . Kyoto Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the northeast, Shiga Prefecture ...

: Teiichi Aramaki *Mie Prefecture: Ryōzō Tagawa *

Miyagi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,265,724 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akit ...

: Shuntarō Honma (until 4 October); Shirō Asano (starting 24 November) *Miyazaki Prefecture: Suketaka Matsukata *

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

: Gorō Yoshimura *Nagasaki Prefecture: Isamu Takada *Nara Prefecture: Yoshiya Kakimoto *

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

Ikuo Hirayama was a Japanese Nihonga painter and educator. Born in Setoda, Hiroshima, Setoda-chō, Hiroshima Prefecture, he was famous in Japan for Silk Road paintings of dreamy desert landscapes in Iran, Iraq, and China. Biography In 1952, he graduated fro ...

*Oita Prefecture: Morihiko Hiramatsu *

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture ...

: Shiro Nagano *

Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west an ...

: Masahide Ōta *

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

: Kazuo Nakagawa *

Saga Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of roughly 780,000 and has a geographic area of . Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasaki Prefect ...

: Isamu Imoto *

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

: Yoshihiko Tsuchiya *

Shiga Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,398,972 as of 1 February 2025 and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to th ...

Minoru Inaba is a Japanese voice actor from Shizuoka Prefecture. He is affiliated with Ken Production. Inaba is best known for his roles in Disney productions (as Dale), ''Buzz Lightyear of Star Command'' (as Buzz Lightyear), and '' The Transformers'' (as ...

*Shiname Prefecture: Nobuyoshi Sumita *Shizuoka Prefecture: Shigeyoshi Saitō (until 23 June); Yoshinobu Ishikawa (starting 1 August) *Tochigi Prefecture: Fumio Watanabe *Tokushima Prefecture: Shinzo Miki (until 4 October); Toshio Endo (starting 4 October) *

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

: Shun'ichi Suzuki *Tottori Prefecture: Yuji Nishio *Toyama Prefecture: Yutaka Nakaoki *Wakayama Prefecture: Shirō Kariya *Yamagata Prefecture: Seiichirō Itagaki (until 2 February);

Kazuo Takahashi , ring name , is a Japanese retired mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1993 until 2013 (and then once again in 2018), he competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, Pancrase, RINGS, K-1 HERO'S, and World Victory Road ...

(starting 14 February) *Yamaguchi Prefecture: Toru Hirai *Yamanashi Prefecture: Ken Amano

Events

* January 15: A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes off the shore of

Kushiro is a city in Kushiro Subprefecture on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. Located along the coast of the North Pacific Ocean, it serves as the subprefecture's capital and it is the most populated city in the eastern part of the island. History An ...

; two people die and 966 are injured. * January 27:

Sumo wrestler A , or, more colloquially, , is a sumo wrestler. Although used to define all wrestlers participating in sumo wrestling matches, the term is more commonly used to refer to professional wrestlers, employed by the Japan Sumo Association, who part ...

Akebono Tarō was an American-born Japanese professional sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining sumo in Japan in 1988, he was trained by pioneering Hawaiian wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, reaching t ...

becomes the first non-Japanese participant to reach the rank of

yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the o ...

. * April 15: The 10th anniversary of the opening of

Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney park t ...

. * May 15: The

J-League The , commonly a.k.a. shortened to the , and officially known as the for sponsorship with Meiji Yasuda Life, is the men's association football league in Japan. It is responsible for organizing Japan's major professional football tournaments, in ...

is established. * June 9: Crown Prince Naruhito marries Masako Owada. * June 22:

New Party Sakigake The , also known as the New Harbinger Party, was a political party in Japan that broke away from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on 22 June 1993. The party was created by Masayoshi Takemura. The party was centrist, and had many reformist ...

breaks away from the Liberal Democratic Party. * July 7 - July 9: The G7 summit is held in

. * July 16: The

Yokohama Landmark Tower The is the third tallest building and fifth tallest structure in Japan, standing high. Until surpassed by Abeno Harukas in 2014, it stood as the tallest building in Japan. It is located in the Minato Mirai 21 district of Yokohama city, ...

, Japan's tallest building until the opening of the Abeno Harukas skyscraper, is completed. * July 18: General elections for the

House of Representatives of Japan The is the lower house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors is the upper house. The composition of the House is established by and of the Constitution of Japan. The House of Representatives has 465 members, elected for a fo ...

are held. The

Liberal Democratic Party Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...

fails to secure a

majority A majority is more than half of a total; however, the term is commonly used with other meanings, as explained in the "#Related terms, Related terms" section below. It is a subset of a Set (mathematics), set consisting of more than half of the se ...

. * August 1 to 6: Torrential rain and a resultant

debris flow Debris flows are geological phenomena in which water-laden masses of soil and fragmented Rock (geology), rock flow down mountainsides, funnel into stream channels, entrain objects in their paths, and form thick, muddy deposits on valley floors. ...

occur in the

Kagoshima , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the ...

area of

Kyushu Island is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional ...

. According to the report by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, 72 people died and 142 were injured. * August 3: The

Kono Statement The Kono Statement refers to a statement released by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yōhei Kōno on August 4, 1993, after the conclusion of the government study that found that the Japanese Imperial Army had forced women, known as comfort women, to wor ...

is issued by the Japanese government. * August 6: Hosokawa Morihiro is elected as the

Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...

. A non-Liberal Democratic Party

coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

composed of seven parties is formed. *October 5: An accident on the

Nankō Port Town Line The , also called New Tram, is an automated guideway transit line in Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Japan. The line is operated by Osaka Metro, and was constructed to serve as the main rapid transit line for newly built Osaka South Port habitations and f ...

, an

automated people mover A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small-scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks ...

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, injures 215 people at Suminoekōen Station.

Births

* January 6 –

Taku Yashiro is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with VIMS talent agency. He won the Best Rookie Actor Award at the 12th Seiyu Awards. Filmography Anime series Original video animation (OVA) Original net animation (ONA) Anime films Video games ...

, voice actor * January 12 **

Aika Mitsui is a Japanese singer. She is a member of Hello! Project and a former member of the J-pop group Morning Musume, joining as a member of the eighth generation from the audition in Japan during December 2006. Mitsui's audition process was documente ...

, singer ** Yu Inaba, actor * January 29 –

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu , known professionally as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (Hiragana: ), is a Japanese singer, model and tarento. Her public image is associated with Japan's ''kawaii'' and ''decora (style), decora'' culture, centered in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. Ky ...

, singer and model * January 30 -

Kodai Senga is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023 and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) debut in 2012 for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He is a three-time NPB All-Sta ...

, professional baseball player * February 11 - Takumi Ohshiro, professional baseball player * February 13 -

Kasumi Arimura , is a Japanese actress. Her television roles have included the young Haruko Amano in the 2013 NHK asadora '' Amachan'' and the lead role in the 2017 asadora '' Hiyokko''. She has also appeared in several films, including '' Flying Colors'', for ...

, actress * February 16 - Sōsuke Genda, professional baseball player * February 20 - Nanami Hashimoto, idol singer, model, actress * February 23 - Kasumi Ishikawa, table tennis player * March 24 -

Ryo Ryusei is a Japanese actor. He is signed with Ken-On. Career Ryusei was scouted on his way to a hair salon on Takeshita Street in Harajuku in the summer of 2009, and officially joined Ken-On in January 2010. In April 2010 he made his acting debut as ...

, actor * April 1 - Keito Okamoto, singer * April 11 - Yūji Takahashi, footballer * April 26 -

Kaoru Mitsumune is a Japanese actress, model and a former member of Japanese idol girl group AKB48. Career Mitsumune was born in Ehime Prefecture in 1993. As her parents moved around for work, she spent time in Chiba, Hiroshima and Kanagawa Prefectures before ...

, actress and model * May 3 -

Shuto Takajo is a Japanese former professional baseball catcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 2012 to 2022 for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and Orix Buffaloes. Career On November 13, 2019, Takajo signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars ...

, professional baseball player * May 9 -

Ryosuke Yamada is a Japanese singer and actor. He is a member of Hey! Say! JUMP.Hey! Say! JUMP Pro ...

, actor and singer * May 10 -

Mirai Shida is a Japanese actress. She became recognized after her breakthrough role as Kazumi Kanda in "''Joō no Kyōshitsu''" (" The Queen's Classroom") leading her to more prominent roles, such as Miki Ichinose in '' 14-year-old Mother''. Biography Sh ...

, actress * May 17 – Ayaka Sayama, gravure idol * June 15 - Kanna Arihara, singer * June 21 -

Reni Takagi is a Japanese idol and a member of the girl group Momoiro Clover Z. She is the former leader of the group, before leadership was passed to Kanako Momota, and her signature color in the group is purple. Takagi was born in Kanagawa Prefecture ...

, idol * July 2 -

Yosuke Kishi Please don't delete this article because this actor or actress will play a lead or supporting role in the tokusatsu series "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" and will continue their career and make more roles, either lead or supporting, after the end of the ...

, singer and actor * July 13 -

Rena Nōnen , known professionally as , is a Japanese actress, fashion model and singer from Kamikawa, Hyōgo Prefecture. She is best known for her lead roles on the NHK drama series '' Amachan'' (2013). In July 2016, it was announced that she changed her s ...

, actress and fashion model * July 14 -

Sayaka Yamamoto is a Japanese singer-songwriter signed to Universal Sigma. She is a former member of the girl group NMB48, where she served as captain, and a former concurrent member of AKB48. She made her debut as a solo artist in October 2016 with her firs ...

, singer and actress * July 15 -

Masataka Yoshida Masataka Yoshida (吉田正尚 ''Yoshida Masataka'', born July 15, 1993) nicknamed Macho Man, is a Japanese people, Japanese professional baseball designated hitter and left fielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He star ...

, professional baseball player * July 30 -

Miho Miyazaki is a Japanese singer, actress and former member of the idol girl group AKB48 where she was active in Team A. She also participated in the Korean-Japanese show '' Produce 48''. Biography In 2007, Miyazaki passed an audition for AKB48 and becam ...

, singer and actress * August 3 –

Yurina Kumai is a Japanese model and former singer. Kumai began her career as a member of Hello! Project Kids in 2002. In 2004, she debuted as a member of Berryz Kobo, a girl group associated with the musical collective Hello! Project. During her time with ...

, singer * August 4 – Alan Shirahama, singer, dancer and actor * August 5 – Suzuka Ohgo, child actress * August 6 –

Kaori Ishihara is a Japanese voice actress and singer managed by Style Cube. She was formerly part of Up-Front Agency in which she was involved with Happy! Style and Team Dekaris. She was affiliated with Sigma Seven from 2013 to 2017. She was a member of Sty ...

, voice actress * August 9 - Kensuke Kondo, professional baseball player * August 10 -

Yuto Nakajima is a Japanese singer, actor and model. He is a member of Hey! Say! JUMP. He played Koji Kiritani in the 2005 Japanese television drama, '' Nobuta wo Produce''. Career 2004: Becoming an artist for Johnny's Entertainment Nakajima joined Johnn ...

, singer * August 28 – Sora Amamiya, voice actress and singer. * August 31 –

Haruka Imai is a Japanese former figure skater. She has won nine senior international medals and competed at three Four Continents Championships, placing as high as fourth. She is the 2008 Japanese Junior national champion. Career Imai began skating a ...

, figure skater * September 1 -

Shōta Imanaga , nicknamed "The Throwing Philosopher", and "Mike Imanaga II" is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama DeNA BayStar ...

, professional baseball player * September 19 –

Miyuki Watanabe is a former member of multiple Japanese idol girl groups. She is a former member of NMB48's Team BII, and a former member of SKE48's Team S. She was also on AKB48 Team B. Career Watanabe passed NMB48's first-generation auditions on 20 Septem ...

, singer and model * November 10 -

Azusa Tadokoro is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is affiliated with the talent agency HoriPro International and signed to record label Lantis. She participated in an audition sponsored by this agency. Her notable roles include Aoi Kiriya in '' Aika ...

, voice actress and singer * November 20 –

Sumire Satō is a Japanese singer and actress. She began her career as a member of the girl group AKB48 and later transferred to its sister group SKE48. In 2016, she starred in a live-action film based on Sanami Suzuki's manga adaptation of ''The Little Matc ...

, actress and idol * November 26 –

Erena Ono , is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was in "Team K" and her talent agency was Ohta Production. She was also part of AKB48 subgroups "Honegumi from AKB48", "AKBIdoling !! " and "ICE from AKB48". Career Ono was born i ...

, singer * November 30 – Yuri Chinen, singer and actor * December 7 - Kiyou Shimizu, karate martial artist * December 15 -

Yuko Araki is a Japanese actress and fashion model. Her most notable works are films '' Our Meal for Tomorrow'' (2017), '' Anoko no Toriko'' (2018), ''See Hear Love'' (2023), '' Once Upon a Crime'' (2023), and '' Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General'' ( ...

, actress and model * December 18 -

Riria Kojima , known professionally as and currently , is a Japanese actress. She is known for her role as Mio (ToQ 3gou) in the 2014 Super Sentai series '' Ressha Sentai ToQger''. Career She was affiliated with Kirin Pro and started her career in 2001. In ...

, actress * December 23 -

Ruriko Kojima is a Japanese television personality, gravure idol and sportscaster, formerly affiliated with Horipro. Biography Kojima was born on December 23, 1993, in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture. Career In 2009, Kojima won the Grand Prize from among ...

, gravure idol and sportscaster * December 24 -

Mariya Nishiuchi is a former Japanese model, actress, and singer-songwriter who is affiliated with Rising Production. She is the younger sister of model, actress, and BeForU member Hiromi Nishiuchi. Filmography TV series Films Discography Singles Maga ...

, actress, model and singer-songwriter * December 25 -

Emi Takei is a Japanese actress and model. Biography Takei was born in Nagoya. Aspiring to become a model, she declared to her parents on her entry to junior high school that she would become a model within three years. In 2006, she entered the 11th Japa ...

, actress, model and singer * December 28 - Yua Shinkawa, actress and model

Deaths

* January 22:

Kōbō Abe , known by his pen name , was a Japanese writer, playwright and director. His 1962 novel ''The Woman in the Dunes'' was made into an Woman in the Dunes, award-winning film by Hiroshi Teshigahara in 1964. Abe has often been compared to Franz Kaf ...

, author (b.

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

) * February 9:

Saburo Okita Saburō Ōkita (大来佐武郎 ''Ōkita Saburō'') (3 November 1914 – 9 February 1993) was a Japanese economist and politician noted for his role in the postwar development of the Japanese economy and Japan-US relations. Early life and educa ...

, former foreign minister (b.

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...

) * February 28:

Ishirō Honda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 46 feature films in a career spanning five decades. He is acknowledged as the most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki and one of the founders of modern disaster film, wit ...

, film director (b.

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

) * April 2:

Masaichi Niimi Vice-Admiral was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Life and naval career Niimi was born in what is now Asakita Ward, Hiroshima City, in Hiroshima Prefecture, as the second son to a farming and soy sauce producing f ...

, admiral in the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(b.

1887 Events January * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the United States Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

) * July 3: Tadao Yoshida, founder of the

YKK Group The is a Japanese group of manufacturing companies. They are the world's largest zipper manufacturer, also producing other fastening products, architectural products, plastic hardware and industrial machinery. The initials YKK stand for , wh ...

, the world's largest

zipper A zipper (N. America), zip, zip fastener (UK), formerly known as a clasp locker, is a commonly used device for binding together two edges of textile, fabric or other flexible material. Used in clothing (e.g. jackets and jeans), luggage and oth ...

manufacturer (b.

1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...

) * July 10:

Masuji Ibuse was a Japanese author. His novel ''Black Rain (novel), Black Rain,'' about the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bombing of Hiroshima, was awarded the Noma Prize and the Order of Culture, Order of Cultural Merit. Early life and educat ...

, writer (b.

1898 Events January * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queen ...

) * August 6: Genkei Masamune, botanist (b.

1899 Events January * January 1 ** Spanish rule formally ends in Cuba with the cession of Spanish sovereignty to the U.S., concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.''The American Monthly Review of Reviews'' (February 1899), p ...

) * August 21:

Ichirō Fujiyama , born , was a Japanese singer and composer, known for his contribution to Japanese popular music called ''ryūkōka'' by his Western classical music skills. He was born in Chūō, Tokyo, and graduated from the Tokyo Music School. Although he ...

, composer and singer (b.

) * October 29:

Masahiro Makino was a Japanese film director. He directed more than 260 films, primarily in the chanbara and yakuza film, yakuza genres. His real name was , but he took the stage name Masahiro, the kanji for which he changed multiple times (including , , and ). ...

, film director (b.

) * November 14:

Sanzō Nosaka was a Japanese writer, editor, labor organizer, communist agent, politician, and university professor and a founder of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP). He was the son of a wealthy Japanese merchant, and attended Keio University. While in ...

, one of the founders of the

Japanese Communist Party The is a communist party in Japan. Founded in 1922, it is the oldest political party in the country. It has 250,000 members as of January 2024, making it one of the largest non-governing communist parties in the world. The party is chaired ...

(b.

1892 In Samoa, this was the only leap year spanned to 367 days as July 4 repeated. This means that the International Date Line was drawn from the east of the country to go west. Events January * January 1 – Ellis Island begins processing imm ...

) * December 16:

Kakuei Tanaka was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974. Known for his background in construction and earthy and tenacious political style, Tanaka is the only modern Japanese prime minister who ...

, former Prime Minister of Japan (b.

1918 The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...

) * December 20: Iichirō Hatoyama, politician and diplomat (b.

)

Statistics

Yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. T ...

value: US$1 = ¥109.91 (December 1)

References

{{Asia topic, 1993 in Years of the 20th century in Japan

1993 in Asia 1990s in Japan