1988 in Japan
Events in the year 1988 in Japan.
Incumbents
- Emperor: Hirohito
- Prime Minister: Noboru Takeshita (L–Shimane)
- Chief Cabinet Secretary: Keizo Obuchi (L–Gunma)
- Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Kōichi Yaguchi
- President of the House of Representatives: Kenzaburō Hara (L–Hyōgo)
- President of the House of Councillors: Masaaki Fujita (L–Hiroshima) until September 30, Yoshihiko Tsuchiya (L–Saitama)
- Diet sessions: 112th (regular session opened in December 1987, until May 25), 113th (extraordinary, July 19 to December 28), 114th (regular, December 30 to 1989, June 22)
Events
- March 13: Seikan Tunnel opens, connecting Hokkaido and Honshu by rail for the first time.
- March 17: Tokyo Dome completed.
- April 4 and 5: Rock band Boøwy hold their last concert in Tokyo Dome and break up.
- April 10: Great Seto Bridge opens.
- April 16: Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro is released.
- June 18: Asahi Shimbun breaks the Recruit scandal.
- July 16: The anime film Akira is released.
- July 23: A sports fishing boat, Fuji Maru No. 1, collides with a submarine, Nadashio, in Tokyo Bay, resulting in the former sinking and 30 deaths as well as 17 injuries.[1]
- September 14: Daiei purchases the Nankai Hawks baseball team: they become the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.
- October 10: Anpanman premieres on Fuji TV.
- October 19: Orix purchases the Hankyu Braves baseball team: they become the Orix Braves.
- December 9: Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa resigns amid the Recruit scandal.
- December 27: Takeshita announces a realigned cabinet.
Births
- January 1: Saori Hara, AV idol, model, and actress
- January 8: Ryuichi Dogaki, football player
- January 28: Seiya Sanada, wrestler
- February 5: Ayaka Noda, gravure idol
- February 7: Ai Kago, performer
- February 8: Nozomi Sasaki, glamour model
- February 12: Nana Eikura, model, actress, and occasional radio show host
- February 19: Miyu Irino, voice actor
- February 26: Hitomi Niiya, long-distance runner
- March 11: Katsuhiko Nakajima, professional wrestler
- March 22: Noriko Kijima, gravure idol and actress
- March 27: Atsuto Uchida, footballer
- April 5: Asumi Nakata, child model and voice actress
- April 19: Haruna Kojima, singer, actress and idol
- May 1: Takeshi Suzuki, alpine skier
- May 18: Tatsuma Ito, tennis player
- May 26: Akito Watabe, Nordic combined skier
- May 28: Meisa Kuroki, actress, model, and singer
- June 1: Nami Tamaki, singer
- June 11: Yui Aragaki, model, actress and singer
- June 22: Miliyah Kato, pop and urban singer-songwriter
- June 26: Rina Nakanishi, AV idol and former idol singer
- June 28
- July 26: Sayaka Akimoto, singer, actress and idol
- August 17: Erika Toda, actress
- September 2: Keisuke Kato, actor and entertainer
- September 7: Daiki Sato, footballer (died 2010)
- September 13: Nobuyuki Tsujii, pianist and composer
- September 18: Yuichi Sugita, tennis player
- September 20: Chiaki Satō, actress
- September 29: Osama Elsamni, football player
- October 6: Maki Horikita, actress and endorser
- October 17: Yuko Oshima, idol, singer and actress
- October 20: Risa Niigaki, J-pop singer
- November 1: Ai Fukuhara, table tennis player
- November 7: Kim Chae-Hwa, figure skater
- November 8: Honami Tajima, actress
- November 26: Yumi Kobayashi, fashion model
- December 19: Mami Matsuyama, idol
- December 23: Eri Kamei, J-pop singer
- December 26: Kayo Satoh, model and television personality
- December 28: Yuya Toyoda, actor and entertainer
Deaths
- January 2: Yukio Kasahara, general
- March 1: Yoshi Kato, film actor
- April 10: Shigeo Sugiura, freestyle swimmer and Olympic gold medalist
- May 23: Aya Kitō, writer
- June 14: Prince Kan'in Haruhito, career officer
- August 4: Toshio Doko, business leader
- November 4: Takeo Miki, former prime minister
- November 23: Kenzō Masaoka, anime creator
- December 30: Takeo Fujisawa, businessman, co-founder of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Statistics
- Yen value: US$1 = ¥122 (low) to ¥135 (high)
References
