1964 in Japan

Events in the year 1964 in Japan.

1964 is considered a seminal year in modern Japanese history. The Tokyo Olympics and first run of the bullet train reflected a society-wide sense that post-war reconstruction was over and that Japan had rejoined the international family of nations. Diplomatic negotiations underway this year between South Korea and Japan resulted in a formal normalization of relations the following year.

Individuals born beginning around this date were often subsequently identified as "shinjinrui" (or new people) because they had not experienced the suffering older generations had during World War II or the post-war period, and on the contrary, grew up in material plenty.

Incumbents

• Emperor: Hirohito
• Prime Minister: Hayato Ikeda (L–Hiroshima, 3rd term) until November 9, Eisaku Satō (L–Yamaguchi)
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Yasumi Kurogane (L–Yamagata) until July 18, Zenkō Suzuki (L–Iwate) until November 9, Tomisaburō Hashimoto (L–Ibaraki)
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Kisaburō Yokota
• President of the House of Representatives: Naka Funada (L–Tochigi)
• President of the House of Councillors: Yūzō Shigemune (L–national)
• Diet sessions: 46th (regular session opened in December 1963, to June 26), 47th (extraordinary, November 9 to December 18), 48th (regular, December 21 to 1965, June 1)

Events

• March 18: Hayakawa Electric (the predecessor of today's Sharp) and Sony announce that they have completed a prototype electronic calculator using Japanese-manufactured diodes and transistors.
• March 24: U.S. ambassador Edwin Reischauer is stabbed by a Japanese youth.
• April 1: Japanese citizens are permitted to freely travel overseas.
• April 12: Channel 12, the predecessor of TV Tokyo, begins operations.
• June 16: An earthquake in Niigata Prefecture kills 12.
• July 18: A heavy massible rain, following devastate flood and landslide in Shimane and Tottori Prefecture, at least 128 people lives.
• September 17: The Tokyo Monorail begins operations.
• October 1: The Tōkaidō Shinkansen begins operations.
• October 10–24: 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo.
• October 25: Ikeda Hayato resigns as prime minister; Eisaku Sato is elected to replace him.
• November 9: Sato announces his first cabinet.
• November 17: The political party Komeito is formed.

Births

• January 1: Akemi Masuda, athlete
• March 18: Mika Kanai, voice actress and singer
• March 18: Yoko Kanno, pianist and songwriter
• April 10: Hiroshi Tsuburaya, actor (d. 2001)
• April 23: Rie Ishizuka, voice actress
• May 5: Minami Takayama, singer and voice actress
• May 31: Yukio Edano, politician
• June 22: Hiroshi Abe, model and actor
• July 9: Kazumi Kawai, actress (d. 1997)
• July 19: Masahiko Kondō, solo singer of Johnny & Associates
• July 24: Banana Yoshimoto, author
• July 25: Reiko Takashima, actress
• August 10: Hiro Takahashi, singer, lyricist, and composer (d. 2005)
• September 13: Junko Mihara, politician, former singer, and actress
• September 23: Koshi Inaba, singer of B'z
• October 5: Seiko Hashimoto, ice speed skater
• October 12: Masaru Ogawa, figure skater
• October 15: Megumi Yokota, one of the North Korean abductee victims of the late 1970s
• October 18: Etsuko Inoue, tennis player
• November 4: Yūko Mizutani, voice actress
• December 13: hide, musician (d. 1998)
• December 23: Kazuhiro Koshi, skeleton racer
• December 28: Kaori Yamaguchi, judoka

Deaths

• February 8: Boshirō Hosogaya, admiral
• February 17: Chūichi Hara, admiral
• May 8: Kichisaburo Nomura, politician and military leader
• August 17: Keiji Sada, actor

Statistics

• Yen value: US$1 = ¥360 (fixed)