Timeline of Japanese history

This is a timeline of Japanese history, comprising important legal, territorial and cultural changes and political events in Japan and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Japan.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Centuries: 1st · 2nd · 3rd · 4th · 5th · 6th · 7th · 8th · 9th · 10th · 11th · 12th · 13th · 14th · 15th · 16th · 17th · 18th · 19th
Modern Japanese periods: Meiji · Taisho · Showa · Heisei · Reiwa

Paleolithic period

Year Date Event
14000 BC First settlers arrived on the Japanese archipelago, called the Jōmon. They had a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population.

3rd century BC

Year Date Event
300 BC Mass migration from the Asian continent to the Japanese archipelago ushered in the Yayoi period. Japan transitioned from a hunter-gatherer to a settled agricultural society. There was a mixture between the Yayoi immigrants and the indigenous population, and between new cultural influences and existing practices.

1st century

Year Date Event
57 The King of Na gold seal is issued by Emperor Guangwu of Han to the coalition of Japanese states in northern Kyushu led by Nakoku state.

2nd century

Year Date Event
180 The Civil War of Wa ends, bringing Shaman queen Himiko to power in Yamatai clan somewhere in either Northern Kyushu or Central Honshu.

3rd century

Year Date Event
201 The Nagata Shrine, Hirota Shrine and Ikuta Shrine, the oldest surviving Shinto shrines in Japan, are founded by legendary Empress Jingū.
238 First embassy of Himiko to Cao Wei
248 Himiko dies and is succeeded by 13 year old Queen Toyo after a brief civil war. Some rebels, preferring a male successor, fled Yamatai and founded the Miwa court in Nara.
250 The Kofun period and Yamato period starts. Traditional date to mark the founding of Yamato entity in Nara associated with the Sujin line of kings.
266 Toyo embassy to Emperor Wu of Jin
283 The Hata clan led by Yuzuki no Kimi settles in Japan, introducing sericulture (silk farming).

4th century

Year Date Event
346 Makimuku site abandoned, possibly due to invaders including Baekje and Gaya confederacy men, indicating large changes of Miwa court
350 Unification of Yamato Province
362 King Chūai of Miwa court replaced by king Ōjin of Kawachi court (Saki Court), marking expansion of Yamato Province to entire Kinai

5th century

Very little is known about the 5th century in Japan. The period was definitely marked by volatile inter-state warfare, complex alliances, submissions and betrayals. Some of the more constant Yamato polity partners were Baekje and Gaya confederacy, while enemies included Goguryeo, Silla and various Chinese groups. All of the records of the era either did not survive or are contentious.

Year Date Event
404 Goguryeo–Wa conflicts between Wa, Baekje, and Gaya against Goguryeo and Silla
413 King of Wa sends 1st recorded tribute to the Jin.
430 Yamato polity become a regional power after subjugating several states in West Japan. Details are subject to Mimana controversy.
461 Chronology of the Japanese historical records become consistent. All dates before this entry are reconstructed with foreign or archaeological data.
Baekje sends an embassy to Japan, as confirmed by both Japanese and Korean records.

6th century

Year Date Event
500 Iron tools become widespread in archeological record, marking the advent of Iron Age in Japan.
507 Kawachi court is succeeded by King Ohoto of Koshi (Keitai line of kings) in Asuka court.
527 With the suppression of the Iwai Rebellion, the Yamato polity is firmly entrenched in Tsukushi Province, Kyushu.
538 Introduction of Buddhism in Japan by Seong of Baekje.
The Asuka period starts, the Imperial capital was transferred to Asuka. Yamato polity achieve de facto political dominance with full conquest of Shikoku and Kyushu islands.
562 The last states of Gaya confederacy are destroyed, marking extinction of Japonic languages outside Japan.
587 The religious war (Soga–Mononobe conflict) ends with the victory of the pro-Buddhist Soga clan.
593 The Soga clan takes control of Japan with the installation of Empress Suiko on the throne.

7th century

Year Date Event
603 Introduction of the Twelve Level Cap and Rank System in Japan
607 The first embassy under the command of Ono no Imoko is sent to Sui China.
630 The first of Japanese missions to Tang China
645 The Asuka period ends with the power of the Soga clan broken in the Isshi incident and Nakatomi clan becoming the dominant power.
646 22 January The Hakuhō period starts with the Taika Reform.
660 Japanese, under command of Abe no Hirafu, massacre the Mishihase people in Hokkaido. The Japanese do not return to Hokkaido until over 700 years later.
662 Japanese enter the Baekje–Tang War.
663 The Japanese navy is decisively defeated in the Battle of Baekgang, marking the withdrawal of Japan from Korean politics.
665 First coastal defences of Kyushu were built at what is now the Ōnojō Castle Ruins.
668 The Ōmi Code was adopted starting the Ritsuryō law system.
670 First population census.
672 Succession conflict results in the Jinshin War.
673 With the reign of Emperor Tenmu, Japan becomes an empire.
684 684 Hakuho earthquake, severe tsunami and subsidence at Tosa Province
689 Asuka Kiyomihara Code, incorporating a citizens registration and pestilence reporting system, was adopted
694 The Imperial capital transferred to Fujiwara-kyō.

8th century

Year Date Event
701 The Taihō Code legal system is accepted.
709 The Fort Ideha is established near modern Akita, marking the start of submission of the Emishi people in the Tōhoku region to Japanese.
710 The Nara period starts after Empress Genmei establishes the capital of Heijō-kyō.
711 The law prohibiting nobles from restricting peasant's access to non-agricultural areas is enacted. Stagnation in cultivated land area begins and would continue until 14th century.
712 The Kojiki is completed.
713 The provinces are ordered to compile cultural and geographical records, known as fudoki.
718 Fujiwara no Fuhito compiles the Yōrō Code (the update of Taihō Code) which is accepted in 757.
720 The Nihon Shoki (1st volume of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) is completed.
November Murder of governor Kamitsukenu no Ason Hirohito and susbsequent punitive expedition to Mutsu Province
721 The Hayato rebellion ends after a year and half of fighting, marking the complete subjugation of Southern Kyushu.
Severe drought and government attempts to mitigate by clearing farmland in Mutsu Province
724 Emperor Shōmu was enthroned. Also, the site of the Taga Castle, near to modern Sendai, is founded.
731 April A fleet of 300 Japanese vessels is defeated on the east coast on Silla.[1]
735 Genbō and Kibi no Makibi returned from China.
A major smallpox epidemic spread from Kyushu, resulting in a third of the population perishing, 10 years of social instability and 4 transfers of the Imperial capital through Kuni-kyō, Shigaraki Palace and Naniwa-kyō before returning to Heijō-kyō in 745.
740 28 September The Fujiwara no Hirotsugu rebellion erupts on Kyushu.
741 Shōmu established the provincial temples as a part of shift from Confucianism to Buddhism effected by ongoing epidemic and famine.
743 The Ritsuryō law system incorporated the right of eternal land ownership by any squatter in attempt to mitigate a rampant vagrancy.
745 Establishment of the centralized rice tax system.
749 End of first smallpox epidemic.
751 The Kaifūsō poetry anthology was completed.
752 The Great Buddha of Nara at Tōdai-ji was completed with the assistance of Bodhisena from India.
754 Priest Ganjin arrived from China.
757 Fujiwara no Nakamaro defeated an attempt by Tachibana no Naramaro to seize power.
The Yōrō Code completes the evolution of Ritsuryō law system.
763 Severe epidemic of unidentified illness began spreading from the Iki Island.
764 Fujiwara and Emperor Junnin launched a plot against the retired Empress Kōken and the monk Dōkyō (which failed)
773 The Thirty-Eight Years War for the subjugation of Tōhoku starts.
781 Emperor Kanmu was enthroned.
784 The Imperial capital moved to Nagaoka-kyō. This was the capital of Japan from 784 to 794. Its location was in Otokuni District, Kyoto, Yamashiro Province.
788 Saichō built Enryaku-ji.
790 Relatively minor smallpox outbreak resulting in large mortality of men aged 30 or below.
794 The first shōgun, Ōtomo no Otomaro, was appointed by Emperor Kanmu in 794 CE. The shōgun was the military dictator of Japan with near absolute power over territories via the military.
The Heian period starts after Emperor Kanmu moved the capital to Heian-kyō (ancient name of Kyoto). Emperor Kanmu chose to relocate the capital in order to distance it from the clerical establishment in Nara.
797 The Shoku Nihongi (2nd volume of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) was completed.

9th century

Year Date Event
802 After the defeat of the Emishi Isawa confederation and execution of Aterui in the final stages of Thirty-Eight Years War [ja], the Japanese control the entire Honshu island.
806 The Japanese kana scripts (invention popularly attributed to Kūkai) have evolved as distinct from Chinese characters.
810 The Kusuko incident propels Emperor Saga to the throne, resulting in a 32-years long peaceful period.
814 Second major outbreak of smallpox epidemic killing "nearly half" of the Japanese population.
815 Shinsen Shōjiroku, the first compilation of Japanese genealogical data, is complete.
829 23 January Kūkai has established the first public school in Japan.
839 Last envoy to Tang China sent (some later embassies were cancelled)
840 Nihon Kōki (3rd volume of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) was completed.
842 The Jōwa incident marks the raising power of the Fujiwara clan.
853 February Minor outbreak of smallpox epidemic. The outbreaks would continue with average interval of 30 years until smallpox become endemic by 1061.
858 The Fujiwara clan solidify their rule over Japan with the installation of Emperor Seiwa.
869 Shoku Nihon Kōki (4th volume of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) was completed.
9 July The devastating 869 Sanriku earthquake and tsunami happened off Tohoku coast.
878 March The Akita Castle is overrun during Gangyou disturbance [ja] with the background of heavy drought and famine, resulting in growing independence of the Dewa Province
879 Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku (5th volume of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) was completed.
887 Ako Controversy around edict issued by Emperor Uda naming Fujuwara no Mototsune as Kanpaku
894 Sugawara no Michizane advocates for stopping sending embassies to China.

10th century

Year Date Event
901 Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku (6th and last of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) was completed.
907 Severe epidemics and extreme weather including floods and drought, popularly attributed to persecution of Sugawara no Michizane
935 The Tosa Nikki, the oldest surviving Japanese diary, was written.
939 Tengyō no Ran – the failed rebellion of Taira no Masakado in Hitachi Province and Shimōsa Province, Fujiwara no Sumitomo in Iyo Province and San'yō region, plus opportunistic uprisings in Dewa Province – the first of many rebellions led by professional warriors (samurai), has led to the downfall of the Tachibana clan.
949 The 56 warrior monks of Tōdai-ji stage the public protest, marking the formation of sōhei class and militarization of temples.
984 The Ishinpō, the oldest surviving Japanese medical manual, is compiled.
995 Unprecedented scale epidemic ravages Heian-kyō, killing many nobles on the background of sectarian strife.[2]

11th century

Year Date Event
1008 The Tale of Genji is written.
1019 Toi invasion to northern Kyushu
1028 Taira no Tadatsune starts a 3-years long war in now Chiba Prefecture before surrendering.
1051 The Former Nine Years' War (Zenkunen War) against rebellious Abe clan in now Tohoku have started.
1069 The Ritsuryō system has completely failed due to encroachment by private manors. Emperor Go-Sanjō land reform attempt was thwarted by Fujiwara no Yorimichi, signaling the terminal decline of imperial power.
1074 The unification of units of volume measurement[3]
1083 The fighting in Tohoku flares up again, resulting in the Gosannen War (Later Three-Year War).

12th century

Year Date Event
1156 The Hōgen rebellion has marked the rise of the samurai class.
1159 The Heiji rebellion has been defeated, and Taira clan under control of Taira no Kiyomori is dominating the government of Japan – the first example of samurai rule.
1177 Shishigatani incident – an attempted rebellion against Taira clan rule
1180 The Genpei War starts. As result, the Imperial capital is briefly moved to Fukuhara-kyō.
1181 Severe drought created the Yōwa famine
1185 The Kamakura period starts after the Genpei War ends with the defeat of the Taira clan, resulting in establishment of the Kamakura shogunate.
1189 15 June The Battle of Koromo River have ended de facto independence of the Northern Fujiwara clan in Tōhoku. As result, first Japanese refugees have settled in Kaminokuni, Hokkaido.
1192 Kamakura became the de facto capital of Japan in about 1180 AD, following the victories of the Minamoto over the Taira. It officially became the capital in 1192 when Minamoto Yoritomo was declared shōgun.
Minamoto no Yoritomo seized power from the central government and the aristocracy and established a feudal system based in Kamakura. The samurai gained political power over the aristocratic nobility (kuge) of the Imperial Court in Kyoto. Minamoto no Yoritomo was awarded the title of Sei-i Taishōgun by Emperor Go-Toba. The Emperor became a figurehead. The political system that Yoritomo developed with a succession of shōguns as the head became known as a shogunate. The military class would rule Japan near continuously from 1192 till 1868 CE.

13th century

Year Date Event
1221 Jōkyū War – an attempt of Imperial family to regain independence from the Kamakura shogunate
1230-1231 Kanki famine
1232 The Goseibai Shikimoku code accepted and used until the Edo period, marking militarization of legal system
1274 1st Mongol invasion in Japan repulsed in the Battle of Bun'ei
1281 2nd Mongol invasion in Japan repulsed in the Battle of Kōan
1293 27 May The deadly 1293 Kamakura earthquake, followed by government in-fighting, struck Japan.

14th century

Year Date Event
1331 Emperor Go-Daigo initiates the Genkō War.
1333 5 July The short-lived Kenmu Restoration starts with the destruction of the Kamakura shogunate in the siege of Kamakura (1333).
1334 Imperial court of Japan splits in two until 1392, resulting in the Nanboku-chō period.
1336 The Muromachi period starts with the establishment of the Ashikaga shogunate domination over the imperial Northern Court. The Daimyō system is established.
1341 The Jinnō Shōtōki is written, formalizing Emperor's of Japan role transition from ruler to the mystical symbol.
1348 4 February The Southern Court loses the Battle of Shijōnawate.
1350 Kannō disturbance weakens the Ashikaga shogunate. Wokou pirates from Japan are becoming rampant in region.
1353 The Southern Court wins the Battle of Yawata, enabling the siege of Kyoto in 1354.
1368 De facto independence of the Kantō region
1370 De facto independence of Kyushu
1392 The Nanboku-chō period ends with subjugation of the Southern Court to the Northern Court.

15th century

Year Date Event
1419 19 June Ōei Invasion to Wokou bases on Tsushima Island
1428 Cholera epidemic and extreme impoverishment in now Shiga Prefecture have resulted in the Shocho uprising.
1438 Flare-up of Eikyō disturbance [ja] in the Kantō region after 22 years of confrontation between local lords and shogunate
1443 The Treaty of Gyehae was signed, resulting in Wokou pirates becoming increasingly non-Japanese.
1454 The Kyōtoku incident starts the 32 years of instability and bloodshed in the semi-independent Kantō region.
1457 Takeda Nobuhiro emerged victorious after repelling an Ainu assault on Kaminokuni, Hokkaido, marking the beginning of Japanese conquest of Hokkaido.
Edo Castle, a nucleus of modern Tokyo, was built.
1459 Bad handling of the Kanshō famine in the aftermath of flood and plague in Kyoto has resulted in increasing divisions of society.
1467 The Ōnin War starts, marking the beginning of the Sengoku period – during which violence and power struggle has become the norm.
1477 Kyoto has been completely destroyed. Iga Province by this point has successfully rejected the authority of the local shugo.
1485 The Yamashiro uprising establishes the Yamashiro ikki
1487 Battle of Magari: Rokkaku Takayori, supported by ninja from Iga ikki and Kōka ikki, defeats an expedition from Shogun Ashikaga Yoshihisa.
1488 The Kaga Rebellion overthrows Togashi Masachika and establishes a theocratic confederation, the Kaga ikki, in now-Ishikawa Prefecture.
1493 The Ashikaga shogunate destroys the Yamashiro ikki
1498 20 September 1498 Nankai earthquake

16th century

Year Date Event
1523 Japanese in-fighting results in the Ningbo incident, bringing trade with China to a halt and resulting in a new wave of Wokou piracy.
1540 Tenbun famine [ja] and plague
1543 25 August The first Europeans, the Portuguese, arrive at Japan, opening the Nanban trade period.
1560 Battle of Okehazama: Oda Nobunaga emerged victorious.
1570 Oda Nobunaga starts a 10-year long Ishiyama Hongan-ji War to suppress the warrior monk community and the Kaga ikki state.
1573 Japanese society begins to stabilize, starting the Azuchi–Momoyama period under the rule of Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
1574 The Rokkaku clan and Kōka ikki surrender to Nobunaga. The Iga–Kōka alliance is thus terminated.
1579 Azuchi religious debate results in enforced religious tolerance.
1581 Oda Nobunaga forces win the Tenshō Iga War, destroying the Iga ikki
Himeji Castle, the largest in Japan, was built.
1582 Honnō-ji incident: Akechi Mitsuhide betrays Oda Nobunaga who commits suicide
1585 Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Shikoku.
1586 The 1586 Tenshō earthquake strikes central Honshu, killing thousands.
1587 Toyotomi Hideyoshi launches the Kyūshū campaign.
1590 4 August Toyotomi Hideyoshi prevails over the Late Hōjō clan in the siege of Odawara in the Kantō region, completing the re-unification of Japan.
1591 8 October The Separation Edict and Population Census Edict froze the social structure of Japan.
1592 23 May Toyotomi Hideyoshi, acting as kampaku (regent) in lieu of Oda Nobukatsu, invaded Korea.
1597 5 February 26 Martyrs of Japan were crucified in Nagasaki in the aftermath of the San Felipe incident.
1598 16 December The Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) have ended with Japanese retreat after the Battle of Noryang.
1600 21 October The Battle of Sekigahara is won by forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

17th century

Year Date Events
1603 24 March The Edo period starts after Tokugawa Ieyasu received from Emperor Go-Yōzei the title of shōgun.
The town of Edo became the de facto capital of Japan and center of political power. This was after Tokugawa Ieyasu established the bakufu headquarters in Edo. Kyoto remained the formal capital of the country.
November Rokugō Rebellion
1605 3 February 1605 Nankai earthquake and tsunami
Ieyasu abdicated from office in favor of his third son and heir, Tokugawa Hidetada.
1609 7 March Invasion of Ryukyu
1610 3 January Nossa Senhora da Graça incident
1611 2 December 1611 Sanriku earthquake and tsunami
1615 3 June The siege of Osaka is complete with the Battle of Tennōji: Tokugawa Ieyasu ended Toyotomi opposition.
1623 Hidetada resigned his office to his eldest son and heir, Tokugawa Iemitsu.
1635 The Sakoku Edict of 1635 was issued by the Tokugawa shogunate. This isolationist foreign policy barred Japanese from leaving Japan and barred Europeans from entering, on pain of death. It instituted strict penalties for the practice of Catholicism and severely restricted foreign trade.
The policy of sankin-kōtai was established, which subjected the daimyōs to the will of the shōgun.
1637 17 December Shimabara Rebellion: A rebellion began against the daimyō Matsukura Katsuie over his persecution of Christianity and onerous tax code.
1638 15 April Shimabara Rebellion: The last of the rebels were defeated in their fortress at Shimabara.
1642 The Kan'ei Great Famine happens due to a combination of government over-spending, Rinderpest epizootic, volcanic eruptions and extreme weather.
1651 24 April Iemitsu died, leaving his office to the ten-year-old Tokugawa Ietsuna.
Keian Uprising: A coup d'état attempted by several rōnin and masterminded by Yui Shōsetsu and Marubashi Chūya failed.
1657 2 March Great Fire of Meireki in Edo
1669 Shakushain's revolt on Hokkaido
1680 4 June Ietsuna died and was succeeded by his younger brother, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.
1686 Jōkyō uprising

18th century

Year Date Event
1703 20 March Chūshingura – Forty-seven rōnin were ordered to commit seppuku by the shōgun.
31 December 1703 Genroku earthquake and tsunami
1707 28 October 1707 Hōei earthquake and tsunami, followed by the Hōei eruption of Mount Fuji
1709 19 February Tsunayoshi died. His nephew Tokugawa Ienobu succeeded him as shōgun.
1712 The Wakan Sansai Zue, the first Japanese encyclopaedia, was published.
12 November Ienobu died and was succeeded by his five-year-old son, Tokugawa Ietsugu, under the regency of the shōgun's adviser Arai Hakuseki.
1716 19 June Ietsugu died. Tokugawa Yoshimune, a great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, became shōgun.
July The Kyōhō Reforms aimed for monetization of economy and broader import of European knowledge have started.
1720 The foreign books restrictions are reduced, starting a Rangaku practice.
1732 The Kyōhō famine happens due to a locust infestation in the Seto Inland Sea region.
1745 Yoshimune retired, leaving his public office to his eldest son Tokugawa Ieshige, although he maintained some influence in the affairs of state.
1754 1754 Horeki River incident
1760 Ieshige retired, leaving his office to his eldest son Tokugawa Ieharu.
1771 9 January Empress Go-Sakuramachi abdicated in favor of her nephew Go-Momozono. She was the last empress regnant of Japan up until now.
1771 24 April 1771 Great Yaeyama Tsunami
1782 Great Tenmei famine
1783 5 August Tenmei eruption of Mount Asama
1789 May Menashi–Kunashir rebellion on Hokkaido
1790 The Kansei Reforms, including the Kansei Edict, tighten the isolation of Japan.
1792 21 May 1792 Unzen earthquake and tsunami

19th century

Year Date Event
1806 Chwostoff raids on the Japanese-controlled Kuril Islands.
1807 Failed military expedition to Sakhalin
1811 The Golovnin Incident marks increasing contacts with the Russian Empire.
1825 Edict to Repel Foreign Vessels
1833 Tenpō famine
1837 Morrison incident
1842 Tenpō Reforms lifts the price controls and further reduce contacts with Europeans.
1846 10 March Emperor Ninkō died at the age of 45 and was succeeded by Emperor Kōmei.
1847 8 May 1847 Zenkoji earthquake
1848 1 July The isolation policy of the Tokugawa shogunate has begun to crumble by the time of landing of Ranald MacDonald on Rishiri Island.
1853 14 July Matthew C. Perry arrives off the coast of Japan in four ships. Perry orders harbor buildings to be shelled to force negotiations for a letter President Millard Fillmore sent to the ruler of Japan. This incident was coined as the "Arrival of the Black Ships" in Japanese history.
1854 February Second Visit. Matthew C. Perry returns to Japan with eight Black Ships and finds that the shogunate had prepared a treaty accepting virtually all demands from President Millard Fillmore.
31 March The Convention of Kanagawa was signed.[4] Within 5 years, Japan signs similar treaties with other western countries, thus ending an isolation period of more than 200 years known as sakoku (鎖国), whereby the Dutch and Chinese ships had limited trade exclusivity.
23 December The Ansei great earthquakes series starts with the 1854 Tōkai earthquake and tsunami.
1855 7 February The Treaty of Shimoda with the Russian Empire was signed.
25 August With the arrival of the modern Dutch paddle steamer Kankō Maru, the Tokugawa shogunate establishes the Nagasaki Naval Training Center as part of its modernization efforts to meet the perceived military threat posed by the western nations and learn Western-style science and naval theory. The cadets who attended the center such as Enomoto Takeaki and Katsu Kaishū would go on to found the Imperial Japanese Navy following the Meiji Restoration in 1868.
11 November The Ansei great earthquakes series ends with the 1855 Edo earthquake followed by a devastating fire.
1858 26 August The Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce and other Ansei Treaties were signed, resulting in Ansei Purge.
1860 9 February Ambassador Shinmi Masaoki sets sail for San Francisco, leading the first Japanese diplomatic mission to the United States.
17 March The Japanese ship Kanrin Maru arrives in San Francisco with the delegation, marking the first official visit to a foreign state following the end of its 214-year isolationist policy, demonstrating the degree to which Japan had mastered Western navigation techniques and ship technologies in the 6 years since opening its borders.
1862 14 September Namamugi Incident: Four British subjects were attacked by guards on the Tōkaidō for failing to pay proper respect to a daimyo. One, a merchant named Charles Lennox Richardson, was killed.
1863 11 March Order to expel barbarians
16 July Battle of Shimonoseki Straits
15 August Bombardment of Kagoshima
29 September Tenchūgumi incident - the year-long rebellion in Yamato Province starts.
1864 May The Mito Rebellion starts in Mito Domain and continues until January 1865.
20 August Kinmon incident - an attempt to kidnap an Emperor Kōmei, resulting in partial burning of Kyoto. It was retaliated by the abortive First Chōshū expedition.
1866 7 June The Second Chōshū expedition starts, only to be halted after death of shogun Tokugawa Iemochi in August 1866, critically discrediting the Tokugawa shogunate.
1867 30 January Emperor Kōmei died at the age of 35. It's generally believed due to the smallpox epidemic. This marked the end of the Edo period.
13 February Emperor Meiji ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne.[5] This marked the start of the Meiji Period.

Meiji period (1868–1912)

Year Date Event
1868 3 January Meiji Restoration restored practical abilities and the political system under Emperor Meiji. This ended the Tokugawa Shogunate.
1868 to 1869 Boshin War was fought between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the Imperial Court.
1869 The city of Edo was formally renamed to Tokyo ("eastern capital"). The city of Tokyo was officially established.
1 May Emperor Meiji moved his residence from Kyoto to Tokyo. Edo castle became the Imperial Palace. This made Tokyo the formal capital of Japan.
1871 Abolition of Han system, being replaced by a system of Japanese prefectures.
1873 Seikanron: Japanese government debated and rejected the idea of the invasion of Korea.
Land Tax Reform (Japan 1873)
1874 16 February to 9 April Saga Rebellion
6 May to 3 December Mudan incident in Greater China.
1875 Japan quickly transformed in one generation from an isolated feudal society to a modern industrialized nation state and an emerging great power.
1876 Akizuki, Hagi and Shinpūren Rebellions.
1877 Satsuma Rebellion.
1878 23 August Takebashi incident: A riot by underpaid Imperial Guards.
1884 Chichibu incident: A peasants rebellion.
1890 29 November The Constitution of the Empire of Japan (Meiji Constitution) was enacted. This turned Japan into a quasi-absolute monarchy with a representative democracy.
1891 28 October 1891 Mino–Owari earthquake: A strongest recorded inland earthquake of Japan.
1894 1 August First Sino-Japanese War starts.
1895 17 April The First Sino-Japanese War is won by the Japanese, resulting in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. It was the first major conflict between Japan and an overseas military power in modern times. For the first time, regional dominance in East Asia shifted from China to Japan. Korea became a vassal state of Japan.
29 May Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1895)
1896 15 June Sanriku earthquake kills 22,066 people.
1902 30 January Russo-Japanese War: Japan became the first Asian nation to sign a mutual defense pact with a European nation, Britain.
1904 8 February Russo-Japanese War: Japan launched a surprise torpedo attack on the Imperial Russian Navy at Port Arthur.
1905 5 September Russo-Japanese War: Japan became the first modern Asian nation to win a war against an Eastern European nation (Russia). The Treaty of Portsmouth was signed, ceding some Russian property and territory to Japan and ending the war. Pro-war activists staged the Hibiya incendiary incident nevertheless. This changed the global world order. Japan became the main Asian power.
1910 22 August Japan–Korea Treaty completes the annexation of the Korean Empire.
December Japanese Antarctic Expedition starts.
1912 30 July Emperor Meiji died of kidney failure and ulcerative colitis at the age of 59.

Taisho period (1912–1926)

Year Date Event
1912 30 July Prince Taisho became as the Emperor of Japan. This marked the start of the Taishō period.
1914 5 to 6 September Japanese seaplane carrier Wakamiya conducted the world's first successful naval-launched air raids on 5 September 1914 and during the first months of World War I from Jiaozhou Bay off Qingdao. On 6 September 1914 was the very first air-sea battle in history.
31 October The siege of Qingdao starts as part of World War I.
1915 18 January Japan sends the Twenty-One Demands to China.
1917 2 November Lansing–Ishii Agreement goes into effect.
1918 January 1918 to April 1920 Spanish flu pandemic began to devastate Japan, which killed 400,000 people.
4 April Japanese intervention in Siberia starts and continues until 1922.
July to September Rice riots of 1918
July Siberian intervention launched.
1919 1 March March 1st Movement begins to invigorate the Korean independence movement.
1920 Japan helps found the League of Nations.
1921 13 November Hōshō, the first Japanese aircraft carrier, is launched.
29 November Crown Prince Hirohito becomes regent because his father, Emperor Taisho had a serious illness.
13 December Four-Power Treaty is signed with America, Britain, and France.
1922 6 February Five Power Naval Disarmament Treaty is signed.
28 August Japan withdraws troops from Siberia.
1923 1 September Great Kanto earthquake kills 140,000 people.
1924 26 January Crown Prince Hirohito (Future Emperor Shōwa) marries Princess Nagako of Kuni (Future Empress Nagako).
1925 5 May General Election Law was passed, all men above age 25 gained the right to vote.
1926 25 December Emperor Taishō died of heart attack at the age of 47 after developing pneumonia.

Showa period (1926–1989)

Year Date Event
1926 25 December Prince Hirohito became as the Emperor of the Empire of Japan after the death of his father Yoshihito. This marked the start of Shōwa period, and also the last period of the Empire of Japan (during the final year of World War II).
1927 January to April Shōwa financial crisis begins.
30 December Tokyo Metro Ginza Line between Ueno and Asakusa was the first subway line built in Japan.[6]
1928 3 to 11 May Jinan incident.
28 June Huanggutun incident.
1930 27 October Wushe incident, a rebellion on Taiwan, which was the last major uprising against colonial Japanese forces in Taiwan.
1931 18 September Japan invaded Manchuria in the aftermath of Mukden incident in Northeastern China.
1932 1 March Manchukuo, a puppet state of Japan, is established.
28 January to 3 March Shanghai incident begin for only two months.
15 May Japanese Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated during the Japanese coup d'état.
1936 26 to 28 February Japanese Prime Minister Keisuke Okada survived the two days of incident. However, he left office by one month later.
1937 7 July Second Sino-Japanese War begins.
13 August to 26 November Battle of Shanghai begins.
1939 13 September to 8 October Battle of Changsha begins in Hunan Province, China.
1940 16 March to 3 April Battle of Wuyuan begins.
1 May to 18 June Battle of Zaoyang-Yichang begins.
22 September Japanese invasion of French Indochina begins.
1941 13 April Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact was signed.
7 December Empire of Japan attacked the naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japan declared war on American, Dutch, and British people, marking the start of Pacific War theatre of World War II.
8 to 10 December First Battle of Guam begin.
8 to 25 December Battle of Hong Kong begins in China.
1942 12 January Japan declares war on Dutch.
22 January Hideki Tōjō warns Australia that says: "If you continue resistance, Japanese will destroy you."
February Japan demands the surrender of Singapore.
20 March The navy minister, Admiral Shigetarō Shimada says that in view of the Allies' "Retaliation and hatred", Japan would no longer follow recognized rules of sea warfare.
18 April Doolittle Raid, the first bombing raid on Japanese home islands.
4 to 7 June Battle of Midway begins.
1943 14 January to 8 February Operation Ke, a Japanese naval operation, who intended as the reconnaissance of Pearl Harbor and disruption of repair and salvage operations following the surprise attack at two years ago.
29 January to 4 February Battle of Wau begins in the eastern parts of New Guinea.
1944 15 June to 9 July Battle of Saipan begins in the Mariana Islands.
15 to 16 June Bombing of Yawata begins in Kyoto Prefecture.
19 to 20 June Battle of the Philippine Sea begins.
21 July to 10 August Second Battle of Guam begins.
10 to 20 October Formosa Air Battle begins.
30 to 31 December Battle of Pearl Ridge begins.
1945 18 February U.S. Marines land on Iwo Jima.
10 March and 24 May Two Bombings of Tokyo begins.
26 March American Armed Forces win the Battle of Iwo Jima, defeating the last remaining troops led by Tadamichi Kuribayashi.
6 and 9 August Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during the final period of World War II.
8 August Soviet invasion of Manchuria starts and continues on as the Kuril Islands dispute.
15 August Surrender of Japan
Last Allied bombing of Japan takes place in Odawara and Tsuchizaki.
Emperor Hirohito declares Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration following the surrender of Japan at the end of war.
1946 Japanese economic miracle begins.
1 January During the New Year's Day, Emperor Shōwa renounces his divinity, known in Japanese as the Human Declaration.
4 January Just five months after he arrived in Japan, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, General Douglas MacArthur order the Japanese government to expel all militarists from positions of power. The disbandment of all ultra-nationalist organizations is also ordered.
2 March Kose Cosmetics founded in Oji region, Tokyo, as predecessor name was Kobayashi Kose Cosmetics.
22 April Sazae-san is first published.
3 May In the controversial International Military Tribunal for the Far East, the prosecution began of Japanese military leaders for war crimes.
7 May Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, the predecessor of Sony, is founded.
16 May Shigeru Yoshida receives Imperial Order to form a cabinet.
22 May Yoshida's cabinet has announced.
20 June Emperor Hirohito submits a revision of the Imperial Constitution to the National Diet.
16 August Keidanren has established.
3 November Constitution of Japan promulgated.
1947 3 March Sekisui Chemical was founded.
3 May The Constitution of Japan goes into the effect. This country will start the transition from the Empire of Japan to the State of Japan (Nihon Koku, 日本国) with a Liberal Democracy. The Article 9 turned Japan into a pacifist country without a military, known as East Asia or Asia-Pacific country.
4 August Supreme Court of Japan has established.
1951 8 September American occupation of Japan ended after the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco and Security Treaty between United States of America and the State of Japan, which became effective on 28 April 1952. It restored the sovereignty of Japan and established America-Japan alliance.
1954 1 July Formation of Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).
1955 15 November The right-wing Liberal Democratic Party, a major conservative and Japanese nationalist political party in Japan, which has ruled Japan almost continuously ever since.
1956 12 December Japan joins the United Nations for the first time since the end of World War II.
1960 June The massive Anpo protests against revision of the America–Japan Security Treaty are the largest protests in Japan's modern history, and force the resignation of Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi and the cancellation of a planned visit by US president Dwight D. Eisenhower.
1964 1 October A largest Japanese land reclamation project thus far was completed in Lake Hachirōgata, creating the village of Ōgata out of 195 km2 of lakebed reclaimed since 1957.
1 October The first Shinkansen high-speed train railway line was opened.
10 October 1964 Summer Olympics: Tokyo hosted the Summer Olympic Games, marking the first time the Games were held in Asia-Pacific.
1968 Japan surpassed West Germany to become the second largest economic power in the world.
The Ogasawara Islands were returned from American occupation to Japanese sovereignty. Japanese citizens were allowed to return.
1969 18 January Japanese student protests against the Vietnam War and American use of bases on Japanese soil culminated in a short-lived takeover of University of Tokyo.
1970 11 February The first successful launch of the Lambda 4S rocket places the Japanese Ohsumi satellite on orbit.
20 December The Koza riot was a violent and spontaneous protest against the US military presence in Okinawa.
By the 1970s Japan ascended to great power status again. Japan had record high economic growth during the Japanese economic miracle.
1971 30 September Zengakuren demonstrate and riot in Tokyo against terms for the return of Okinawa from US to Japanese control. They wanted to remove all American military presence.
24 November The 1971 Okinawa Reversion Agreement is ratified and returned the Okinawa Prefecture to Japanese sovereignty.
1974 Prime Minister Eisaku Satō accepted the Nobel Peace Prize.
1980 Japan became the biggest motor vehicle producing country in the world with 11,042,884 motor vehicles compared to the USA's 8,009,841.
1983 The domestic North American video game market crashes, allowing the Japanese industry to take America's place as the world's largest video game market.
1985 12 August Japan Air Lines Flight 123 crashes near Mount Takamagahara, killing 520 people in Japan's worst ever air disaster.
1989 7 January Emperor Hirohito died of cancer at the age of 87.

Heisei period (1989–2019)

Year Date Event
1989 7 January After his death from cancer, his posthumous name is Emperor Shōwa. He was the both longest-lived and longest-reigning historical Japanese emperor, as well as the longest-reigning monarch in the world at that time of his death. Crown Prince Akihito succeeded to the Chrysanthemum Throne upon the death of his father Emperor Shōwa. He thereby became as the Emperor of Japan. This marked the start of the Heisei period.
29 December During Japanese asset price bubble, Tokyo Stock Market index, Nikkei 225, hits its peak at 38,957 before closing at 38,916 for the day.
1991 1 January Japanese asset price bubble has been popped, ending Japanese economic miracle and triggering the prolonged period of economic decline known as the "Lost Decades".
1993 12 July 1993 Okushiri earthquake kills 230 people, but no injuries.
18 July In the wake of Japanese economic crisis, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is defeated in the general elections for the first time since 1955, and the coalition of opposition parties headed by Morihiro Hosokawa takes power.
1995 17 January Great Hanshin earthquake: Kansai region earthquake kills 6,434 people and more than 43,792 injured.
20 March Tokyo subway sarin attack: Members of the Aum Shinrikyo religious sect release sarin gas on the Tokyo subway system, killing 13 and injuring over 1000.
1997 11 December Kyoto Protocol to regulate greenhouse gas emissions was adopted.
2000 5 April Japanese Prime Minister Keizō Obuchi resigned due to his mild stroke, and Yoshirō Mori become 90th Prime Minister of Japan.
14 May Japanese Prime Minister Keizō Obuchi died of mild stroke at the hospital in Tokyo at the age of 62.
2001 26 April Japanese Prime Minister Yoshirō Mori resigned and Junichiro Koizumi become 91st Prime Minister of Japan.
29 July Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi won the House of Councillors election.
2002 31 May-30 June 2002 FIFA World Cup are held in Japan and South Korea.
2003 9 November Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi won the general elections at the second time.
9 December Japan send troops to Iraq during the Iraq War (2003–11). However, a year later, Japan was established Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group between 2004 and 2006.
2004 11 July Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi won the House of Councillors election.
23 October 2004 Chūetsu earthquake kills 68 people and more than 4,805 injured.
2005 11 September Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi won the general elections at the third time.
November Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s robotic spacecraft Hayabusa landed on an asteroid and collected samples in the form of tiny grains of asteroidal material, which were returned to Earth aboard the spacecraft on 13 June 2010. It was the first spacecraft in history designed to deliberately land on an asteroid and then take off again. The Hayabusa mission was the first to return an asteroid sample to Earth for analysis.
2006 26 September Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi resigned and Shinzo Abe become 92nd Prime Minister of Japan.
2007 29 July Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned due to lost his power in the House of Councillors election to Ichirō Ozawa.
26 September Yasuo Fukuda become 93rd Prime Minister of Japan following Shinzo Abe lost the House of Councillors election and his resignation.
2008 January–December Japan has severely hardest-hit by the 2007–2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession.
24 September Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda resigned and Tarō Asō become 94th Prime Minister of Japan.
2009 30 August Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda lost his election to Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama.
16 September Yukio Hatoyama was elected 95th Prime Minister of Japan.
2010 8 June Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama resigned and Naoto Kan become the 96th Prime Minister of Japan.
1 July According to the United Nations, Japanese population has now peaked.
11 July Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan won the House of Councillors election.
2011 January and March The Tokyo Skytree 634.0 metres (2,080 ft) became the third tallest tower in the world, which opened in 2012.
11 March Japan begin to suffered from the triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, etc.), which claimed the lives of 20,000 people.
July Japan Self-Defense Force Base was established in Djibouti.
1 July According to the United Nations, Japan's total memorial population is 128 million people, which peaked at 128.1 million people in 2010. It the 3rd-most populous country in Asia-Pacific region (Behind Greater China and Indonesia), and the 11th-most populous country in the world.
2012 16 December Shinzo Abe won the general election at the first time.
26 December Shinzo Abe was elected 98th Prime Minister of Japan.
2013 2 January Abenomics and Japanese policies are enacted to handle the consequences of the Lost Decade. Japanese aging population has begun to decrease since July 2010.
June to October 2013 Japanese heatwave, according to Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare official confirmed report, 1,077 people lost their lives to heatwave, caused by heat stroke, second worst heatwave disaster in Japan.
21 July Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won the House of Councillors election at the first time.
7 September During the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Japan award the rights to host 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in Reiwa period (over Istanbul and Madrid).
6 December State Secrecy Law passes the National Diet.
2014 5 March 2012–2013 PC remote control incident in Japan, a suspect man of 31-year-old bail for the first time in almost a year from the Tokyo Detention Center of the receiving destination. However, the prosecution claimed the bail revocation on 19 May, suspects the Tokyo District Court, a suspect man imprisoned in the Tokyo Detention Center on 20 May.
8 March Abeno Harukas open in Abeno-ku, Osaka, the tallest (exclude freestanding) structure in Japan.
31 March In court that the International Court of Justice, the world complained as the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling violation research whaling in the Antarctic Ocean in Japan, research whaling in Japan said, "not for research purposes", and certification treaty violation, ruling order so that it is not carried out in future.
1 April Consumption tax is up to 8% from 5% since 1997.[7]
20 August 2014 Hiroshima landslides, according to official confirmed report, 74 people fatalities in Asakita-ku, Hiroshima.
27 August According to Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare official confirmed report, a first dengue fever patient cases in the country since 1945, or later, 153 people are same symptoms by October, mainly Greater Tokyo Area in Kantō region.
27 September Mount Ontake eruption begins and killed 63 people. It is the worst eruption disaster since 1991.
14 December Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won the general election at the second time.
2015 8 January The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fines Honda a record 70 million dollars for grossly under-reporting fatal accidents and injuries to the government.[8]
14 January Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approves a record defence budget with plans to buy surveillance aircraft and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to improve the security of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea claimed by both Japan and China.
15 January Japan–Australia Economic Partnership Agreement enters into the force.[9]
1 February JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries conduct its first launch of an Information Gathering Satellite with the aid of an H-IIA rocket F-27 from Tanegashima Space Center.[10]
2 February The Supreme Court finalizes the death sentence of Tomohiro Kato, a man who convicted of killing 7 people and 10 people are wounded at an indiscriminate rampage in Akihabara, Tokyo on 8 June 2008.[11][12]
20 February Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau (TMPDPSB) arrests Tsutomu Shirosaki, a Japanese Red Army member, for attempted arson associated with a 1986 mortar attack in Indonesia as he arrives at Narita Airport, having been deported from the United States following his January 16 release from jail.[13]
26 February Prince William makes his first visit to Japan, as well as visiting Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, for all of thoses where the areas had been affected by 2011 triple disaster in Japan.[14]
3 March Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft and philanthropist, has announces that he discovered the Japanese battleship Musashi, more than 70 years after it was sunk by the United States Navy, in the Sibuyan Sea, of the Philippines.
10 March The Supreme Court rejects prosecutors' claims that a 41-year-old man from Osaka Prefecture in Kansai region, who evaded 570 million yen in taxes by failing to declare income from betting on horse races, confirming that money lost betting on horses can, for tax purposes, be considered expenses deductible from winnings.
FamilyMart and UNY Group Holdings, the holding company of Circle K Sunkus, reach an agreement to merge in September 2016, forming the second biggest convenience store operator by sales in Japan under a single brand name.
14 March Hokuriku Shinkansen starts its service between Nagano and Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, cutting travel time between Tokyo and Kanazawa by about 80 minutes to as little as 2 hours and 28 minutes.
28 March The main keep of Himeji Castle, a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, has reopened to the public after a major 5-year face-lift. The keep itself is recognized as one of the National Treasures of Japan.
10 April The Nikkei 225 index reaches 20,006.00 in the first few minutes of trade, passing the 20,000 level for the first time since April 2000.
14 April The Government of South Korea lifts the departure ban on a former chief of the Sankei Shimbun's Seoul bureau, who had been barred from leaving the country for eight months following his indictment in October 2014 for defamation of South Korean President Park Geun-hye. The charges were due to an article, posted on a Sankei website, that referred to a rumor in a South Korean publication that Park was seeing a man on the day of the sinking of MV Sewol in April 2014.
17 April Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets Takeshi Onaga, Governor of Okinawa Prefecture for the first time to push ahead with the government plan to relocate a U.S. military base in Futenma to the proposed location around Camp Schwab in Nago, Okinawa, but failed to reach agreement over the relocation.
11 July President of Nintendo Satoru Iwata died of bile duct cancer at the age of 55.
11 August Sendai Nuclear Power Plant No. 1 reactor is the first reactor to be restarted in accordance with the new regulatory requirements established by the Nuclear Regulation Authority following the Fukushima nuclear accident.
2016 13 January The Supreme Court rejects the appeal of former Aum Shinrikyo believer Shoko Asahara, and his sentence of 9 years in prison is confirmed.
24 January Sumo wrestling player Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro win in a decade for a Japanese rikishi.
17 February The launch of Hitomi (satellite), ChubuSat-2, ChubuSat-3, and Horyu-4 using a H-IIA 202 space launch vehicle
11 March Japan marked the fifth anniversary of triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, etc.), which claimed the lives of 20,000 people.
26 to 27 May The 42nd G7 summit was held on Kashiko Island.
10 July Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won the House of Councillors election at the second time.
31 July Yuriko Koike won the Tokyo gubernatorial election and was elected 9th Governor of Tokyo Metropolis.
5 to 7 December Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declares his historic plan to visit Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
2017 1 June According to National Police Agency confirmed report, eight person arrested for violating customs law, who brought the equivalent of about 200 kg of gold, about 8.2 million US dollars to the fishing port without permission in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture.
5 October Japanese-British writer Kazuo Ishiguro won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature.
22 October Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won the general election at the third time.
30 November Emperor Akihito announces that he intends to retire and the end of Heisei period on April 30, 2019.
2018 12 March Japanese government has official confirmed that Japanese Ministry of Finance rewrote 14 decision documents in accordance with the response about a cooperative school in Osaka Prefecture to the National Assembly in 2017.
13 March According to the Japan Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, an official report confirmed the Kumano cherry tree (Kumanozakura) as a new species Cherry tree (Sakura). The tree was discovered widely throughout the Kii Peninsula. The last new type of Sakura tree found in Japan was in 1915.
7 April Japan activated the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, its first marine unit since World War II. They're trained to counter invaders from occupying Japanese islands.
28 June to 9 July Heavy floods was started in western areas of Japan, most in Hiroshima Prefecture, which has been hit by torrential rain. As of 20 July, 225 people were killed, another 13 were declared missing, and 1.5 million people were displaced.
9 July to 26 August East Asia heat wave kills least 116 people, due to heat-related causes, and at least 22,000 more suffer from heat strokes.
9 August According to Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism official confirmed report, nine people died when a Bell 412EP helicopter crashed into the forest site in Nakanojō, Gunma Prefecture.
4 September A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit Hokkaido created a region-wide power outage, because of damage to a thermal power station in the hard-hit town, Atsuma. According to a Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official report, 41 people were killed and 692 people were wounded.
11 October Toyosu Market has opened as the largest wholesale fish market in the world.[15] It replaced the old Tsukiji fish market.
26 December Since the founder of International Whaling Commission in 1946, Japan announced that IWC had failed its duty to promote sustainable hunting, which is one of its stated goals, Japan is withdrawing its membership and will resume commercial hunting in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone from July 2019, but will cease whaling activities in the Antarctic Ocean.
27 December Japan executes two more prisoners, bringing 2018 executions to 15 taking annual total to highest since 2008.

Reiwa period (Since 2019)

Year Date Event
2019 30 April Emperor Akihito abdicated being the first Japanese emperor to do so since 1817. Prince Naruhito succeeded his father as the Emperor of Japan, which marked the start of Reiwa period.
25 May 2019 to 1 January 2020 The 2019 Emperor's Cup begins in Reiwa period.
1 July Japan announces tightening of high-tech exports to South Korea, effective on 4 July, thus begin the trade dispute between the two countries from July 2019 to March 2023.
2 July The tourist boom in Japan reach unprecedented scale, with a number of yearly visitors counting in millions - 19.73 in 2015, 23.97 in 2016, 28.6 in 2017, and 31.19 million foreign visitors in 2018.[16][17]
18 July Kyoto Animation arson attack: 36 people were killed in one of the deadliest massacres in post-World War II history of Japan.
21 July Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won the House of Councillors election at the third time.
2 August Japan announces the removal of South Korea from its list of most trusted trading partners, effective on 28 August 2019.
20 September to 2 November 2019 Rugby World Cup begins in Japan.
29 November An oldest living former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone died of natural causes at aged 101.
2020 15 January According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare official report, Japan has confirmed the first case of novel coronavirus. It was marked the second exported case of COVID-19 pandemic (After Thailand) and the first reported in Japan. The patient was discharged from the hospital and Japanese government scaled up a whole-of-government coordination mechanism.[18]
30 March 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics has been postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic spreading.
7 April to 29 May Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared the first state of emergency over COVID-19 spreading.[19][20]
29 August Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned due to his health reasons, such as ulcerative colitis, and he was replaced by his successor Yoshihide Suga at one month later.
2021 7 January to 1 October Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared the second, third, and fourth state of emergencies amid rising COVID-19 infections and deaths.
February COVID-19 vaccination program begins in Japan.
11 March Japan marked the tenth anniversary of triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, etc.), which claimed the lives of 20,000 people.
23 July to 8 August 2020 Summer Olympic Games are held in Japan.
30 September According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated report, from January 2020 to the end of September 2021, Japan has registered 112,000 excess deaths as a direct effect of COVID-19 pandemic, but not 18,000 officially reported deaths. It is loss of about 2.6 years in the average life expectancy, although excess mortality rates for all causes has been estimated at between 100,000 and 130,000 deaths.[citation needed]
Japan lifted 4th and final state of emergency up as infection falls.[21]
1 October Japan becoming the first country, who transited to the living with COVID-19 endemic phase in the future.
4 October Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga resigned due to poor approval ratings, and he was replaced by Fumio Kishida, who was elected 100th Prime Minister of Japan.
31 October Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wins the 2021 general election about 34.6% of the vote.
30 November 2021 to 7 May 2023 Japan has confirmed the first case of COVID-19 Omicron variant, found from South Africa. As of 7 May 2023, Japan has reported 56,500 Omicron-related deaths, a lowest mortality toll, than compared to wealthy countries.[citation needed]
2022 9 January Former Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu died of pneumonia at the Tokyo hospital, at the age of 91. (According to Japanese Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare report and his family statement, announced that Toshiki Kaifu died at the hospital that it was unrelated to triple Fukushima disaster and COVID-19 and Omicron infections.)[22]
1 February and 8 March Former Governor of Tokyo and hawkish writer Shintaro Ishihara and his wife, essayist Noriko Ishihara both died at their home in Ota, Tokyo, at the both age of 89, following in their footsteps. (According to their family statement and Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, it was revealed that pancreatic cancer and raptured aortic aneurysm are both now 89-year-old Japanese couple's cause of death were unrelated to triple Fukushima disaster and COVID-19 and Omicron infections.) Both of their bodies were cremated after their private funerals, and both of ashes were scattered to the Sea of Japan or Pacific Ocean.[citation needed]
4 to 20 February Japanese athletes compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
11 February A rice cracker confectionery manufacturing factory caught fire in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture. At least six factory workers have died from the fire.
27 February Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida proposed that Japan should be stands with Ukraine, although this plan comes in the wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine.
23 April According to a Japan Coast Guard official confirmed report, a sightseeing ferry, Kazu I, sank nearby Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido. In total, 26 people died.
11 May The Economic Security Promotion Law was enacted by the House of Councillors. This will be implemented in stages starting from April 2023.
2 to 3 June According to Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan Weather News Television, and Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed reports, a massive hail fallen in Gunma, Saitama, and Chiba Prefectures, parts of Kanto region. At least 91 people were hurt, but no deaths and no one missing reported.[citation needed]
25 June According to Japan Meteorological Agency official confirmed report, a Celsius 40.2 degrees (Fahrenheit 104.36 degrees) high temperature record hit in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, as highest temperature record on June in Japan, since first observation record of JMA, since 1872, as same place another Celsius 40.0 (Fahrenheit 104.0 degrees) recorded observed on June 29.
8 July At 11:30 a.m., former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by 41-year-old-gunman Tetsuya Yamagami while he was giving a speech at the House of Councillors election campaign in Nara. At 5:03 p.m., he died at Nara hospital after being shot (about 5 hours and 33 minutes later).[23]
8 July to 30 September Japan declared the national mourning day of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated while he giving a speech at the House of Councillors election campaign in Nara.[24]
11 July Following Shinzo Abe's assassination, Japanese government discussed that Unification Church leader Tomihiro Tanaka has confirmed Tetsuya Yamagami's mother was a member of the religious group (Also known as the Unification Church (Shukyo nisei)). Because Shinzo Abe had alleged ties to the Unification Church, which go back generations including his father, Shintaro Abe, his mother Yoko Abe, and his maternal grandparents, Nobusuke and Yoshiko Kishi. At the end of World War II, his maternal grandfather was jailed as a suspected war criminal.[25]
12 July Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was cremated at Kirigaya Funeral Hall in Tokyo.[26]
25 July According to Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare official reports, Japan has confirmed the first case of monkeypox outbreak, but Japanese public health experts are said it is unlikely to cause a new surge.[27]
10 August Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the first reshuffled his second cabinet at the first time.[28]
17 to 20 September Typhoon Nanmadol, a heavy massive precipitation and landslide hit in southern Kyushu Island and other western parts of Japan. At least four people were killed and 147 people were wounded, according to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report.
27 September Funeral service of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe begin at Nippon Budokan, Kitanomaru National Garden in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
28 October to 31 December According to both Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare official reports, 50 cases of bird flu have been reported in Japan in chickens and ducks raised on poultry farms in nationwide, total 7.63 millions sluggered by Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.
22 November Japan begins investigation into the Unification Church, just four months following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who allegedly by Tetsuya Yamagami with a longstanding grudge against the religious group.[29]
29 December Following China's recent decision to end its Zero-COVID strategy, Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato says the possibility of imposing travel restrictions on visitors from the Greater China is 'under the review'. The following day, Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has confirmed that passengers arriving in Japan from Greater China will have to provide a negative test before they board a flight.[citation needed]
2023 1 January to 28 March According to Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare official confirmed reports, at least 82 livestock farm place were bird flu, resulting H5N1 type from death bodies positive test on nationwide, and 9.9 million chickens were culling by Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.
13 January According to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reports, Japanese prosecutors indicts 42-year-old gunman Tetsuya Yamagami for the suspect of the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on murder charges and as well as the gun violating laws after the concluding 6 months of psychiatric evaluation.[30]
6 February According to Mitsubishi Aircraft has official announcement, Mitsubishi SpaceJet has complete withdraw from manufacture, sales and development.
9 March Japan's first female House of Representatives member Chikage Oogi died of esophageal cancer at the Tokyo hospital at the age of 89, less than three years after the death of her husband Sakata Tōjūrō IV from natural causes on 12 November 2020 at the age of 88.[31]
15 April Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida assassination attempt in Wakayama following the Saikazaki bombing.
2 June According to Japan Meteorological Agency official confirmed report, a heavy massive torrential rain, affective Typhoon Mawar hit in Japan, many places occur on flash flood, levee collapse, landslide hit in Tokyo metropolitan area, Kii Peninsula, and Hamamatsu, which killed 7 people and 45 people are wounded.[citation needed]
14 July According to Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) official confiremed report, an explosion occurred during the test of solid fuel Epsilon rocket at JAXA's Noshiro Testing Center in Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, no one injures on this incident.[32]
24 August According to Japanese government official announcement, a despite opposition groups from environmental activist and government official from neighbor countries, from discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima First Nuclear Power Plant to start into the Pacific Ocean has started. Relative Chinese government and South Korean government both announces that prohibition to all fish import from Japan on same day.[33]
4 September The Supreme Court of Japan formally orders Okinawa to allow the United States Armed Forces to expand its runways and military infrastructure on the island despite protests from the locals who oppose the American military's presence.
13 September Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the second reshuffled his second cabinet at the second time.[34]
2 October An entertainment giant, Johnny & Associates official announcement, change name to Smile-Up, according to report.[35]
7 October According to Japan National Police Agency official confirmed report, four climbers were their lost to lives, due suddenly change temperature in Mount Asahi, Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture.[36]
13 October Japanese government seeking the dissolution of the Unification Church branch in Japan following the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at one year ago.[37]
29 November The United States Air Force V-22 Osprey crashes off the coast of Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture with eight crew members onboard. A search and rescue operation has been launched, according to Japan Coast Guard.[38]
12 December A district court in Fukushima, convicts three former soldiers for sexually assaulting a colleague, Rina Gonoi, during a military exercise in 2021, sentencing them to two years in prison and suspending them from the military for four years.[39]
2024 1 January On New Year's Day, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Ishikawa Prefecture, killing at least 241 people.[citation needed]
2 January Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 collides with a Japan Coast Guard DHC-8 aircraft and bursts into flames at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The Coast guard plane was going to deliver aid to those affected by Ishikawa earthquake, a day before. All 379 occupants aboard Japan Airlines flight are evacuated, while five of six occupants aboard the Coast Guard aircraft are killed.[40]
18 to 19 January Amid 2023–2024 Japanese slush fund scandal, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that three factions of Liberal Democratic Party (Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai, Kōchikai, and Shisuikai) all announced their intention to dissolve to form a war cabinet. However, several L.D.P. lawmakers were indicted, including incumbent lawmakers Yasutada Ōno and Yaichi Tanigawa, who both resigned from the party following their indictments.[41]
19 January Japan becomes the fifth country to successfully land on the surface of the moon with the SLIM lunar lander mission.[42]
24 January Ukrainian-born Karolina Shiino is announced as the winner of the 2024 Miss Nippon Grand Prix beauty pageant. She is the first naturalised Japanese citizen to win the pageant. Her win sparks debates over "Japaneseness" and the shifting Japanese demographics.
25 January A court sentences Shinji Aoba to death for a 2019 arson attack on Kyoto Animation studio in Fishimi, Kyoto, which killed 36 people.
26 January Japanese police announced that they have arrested Satoshi Kirishima, a member of East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front, who has been a fugitive from justice for 50 years for his role in a series of bombings of companies.
29 January Satoshi Kirishima died of cancer that had led him to seek hospital treatment. DNA comparison with relatives further confirms his identity as Kirishima.
5 February Ukrainian-born Karolina Shiino won the 2024 Miss Nippon Grand Prix beauty pageant relinquishes her crown after news emerges of her having an affair with a married man.
1 March The Nikkei Stock Exchange reaches 40,000 points for the first time.[43]
12 March A court in Fukuoka overturns the death sentence of yakuza Kudo-kai leader Satoru Nomura imposed for a 1998 murder and sentences him to life in prison. Nomura had originally been sentenced to death for murder in 1998.
13 March KAIROS-1, designed by Space One as Japan's first privately-manufactured rocket, explodes seconds after its maiden launch from Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture.
20 March South Korean-flagged tanker Keoyoung Sun capsizes off the coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture during the stormy weather. Nine crew members are found dead, while one person remains missing. Two people are rescued.
26 March Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet allows the sale and export of fighter aircraft to other countries.
29 March North Korean state media cites foreign minister Choe Son Hui as saying that North Korea rejects any talks with Japan on any issue, including Japanese abductees, after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he was willing to meet in person with Kim Jong Un.
30 March Japanese health officials search a Kobayashi Pharmaceutical factory in Osaka after five deaths possibly linked to its dietary supplements containing the red mold benikoji.
1 April North Korea fires a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan near South Korean territory.
The Imperial House of Japan opens an account on Instagram for the first time.[44]
3 April According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes off the coast of Taiwan, prompting tsunami warnings for Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. A large section of an uninhabited Guishan Island collapses into the Pacific Ocean. Nine people are killed including four by rockfalls in Taiwan, with more than 930 other people have injured. A 30-cm tsunami is observed at Yonaguni Island and Miyako Island while a 20-cm tsunami reaches Ishigaki Island.[45][46]
15 April Japan raises its four-stage danger ranking level for most of Iran, including Tehran, to Level 3, which urges to avoid all travel to Iran following the Iranian strikes in Israel.
23 April China objects to an offering the controversies that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine.

See also

Cities in Japan

References and notes

  1. ^ Lee Injae、Owen Miller、Park Jinhoon、Yi Hyun-Hae, "Korean History in Maps", p. 696 (60)
  2. ^ Brown, Delmer M.; Ishida, Ichirō (1979). The Future and the Past: A Translation and Study of the Gukanshō, an Interpretative History of Japan Written in 1219. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-0520034600.
  3. ^ Brown, Delmer M.; Ishida, Ichirō (1979). The Future and the Past: A Translation and Study of the Gukanshō, an Interpretative History of Japan Written in 1219. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0520034600.
  4. ^ "Despatchers from U.S. Consuls in Kanagawa, Japan, 1861–1897". Gale Primary Sources, Nineteenth Century Collections Online. December 26, 1861. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  5. ^ Keene, Donald (2002). Emperor of Japan: Meiji and his world, 1852-1912. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-231-12340-2.
  6. ^ Hornyak, Tim (December 16, 2017). "Heart of gold: The Ginza Line celebrates its 90th birthday". Japan Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
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  24. ^ "Tributes pour in as Japan's Shinzo Abe dies after being shot". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  25. ^ "EXPLAINER: The Unification Church's ties to Japan's politics". AP News. 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  26. ^ Mogul, Jessie Yeung,Rhea (2022-07-12). "Live updates: Japan holds Shinzo Abe's funeral". CNN. Retrieved 2024-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ "Japan detects first monkeypox case". GMA News Online. 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  28. ^ NEWS, KYODO. "Japan PM Kishida to reshuffle Cabinet on Aug. 10: officials". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  29. ^ McCurry, Justin (2022-11-22). "Japan begins inquiry into Unification church in wake of Shinzo Abe killing". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  30. ^ "Suspected Abe shooter Yamagami charged with murder". Nikkei Asia. January 14, 2023. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  31. ^ NEWS, KYODO. "Japan's 1st female upper house chief Chikage Ogi dies at 89". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  32. ^ NEWS, KYODO. "Japanese space agency's Epsilon small rocket engine explodes in test". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  33. ^ "S. Korea to keep import ban on Japan's fishery products in place: PM-Xinhua". english.news.cn. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  34. ^ "Japan's Kishida shuffles Cabinet and party posts to solidify power". AP News. 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  35. ^ NEWS, KYODO. "Scandal-hit Johnny's to change name, over 300 victims seek redress". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  36. ^ "Bodies of 4 elderly climbers recovered from Japan's Mount Asahi - UPI.com". UPI. October 7, 2023. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  37. ^ Ogura, Emiko Jozuka,Tetsu Sukegawa,Junko (2023-10-15). "Japan seeks dissolution of controversial Unification Church: What you need to know". CNN. Retrieved 2024-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ Britzky, Haley (2023-11-30). "Crew members aboard Osprey that crashed off coast of Japan still missing, Pentagon says | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  39. ^ Bloomberg, Momoka Yokoyama / (2023-12-12). "Japanese Ex-Soldiers Found Guilty of Sexual Assault in Rina Gonoi Case". TIME. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  40. ^ "Haneda crash probe focuses on last 2 minutes of silence". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  41. ^ NEWS, KYODO. "Ex-LDP member Tanigawa resigns as lawmaker amid funds scandal". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  42. ^ Mehta, Jatan. "How Japan's 'Moon Sniper' Mission Hit Its Mark". Scientific American. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  43. ^ "Japan's Nikkei average closes above 40,000, led by booming chip stocks". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  44. ^ "Japan's imperial family makes Instagram debut". The Japan Times. 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  45. ^ NEWS, KYODO. "Tsunami warnings prompt evacuation, disrupt transport in south Japan". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  46. ^ NEWS, KYODO. "BREAKING NEWS: Tsunami reaches southern Japan island of Ishigaki: agency". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 2024-06-23.

Further reading

Published in the 19th century
Published in the 20th century
Published in the 21st century