1946 in Japan

Incumbents

Emperor: Hirohito

Prime Minister: Kijuro Shidehara, Shigeru Yoshida

Supreme Commander Allied Powers: Douglas MacArthur

Events

April 10: The Diet elections (a lower House of Representatives and upper House of Peers). Liberal Party wins 141 of 466 Diet seats, followed by the Progressive Party with 94 and the Socialist Party with 93.

April 16: Kijuro Shidehara resigns as president of the Progressive Party, and as prime minister effective April 22.

April 22: Sazae-san is first published.

May 2: Ichiro Hatoyama receives Imperial Order to form a cabinet.

May 3: International Military Tribunal for the Far East convenes.

May 4: Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers ("SCAP") purges Hatoyama.

May 7: Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, the predecessor of Sony, is founded.

May 16: Shigeru Yoshida receives Imperial Order to form a cabinet.

May 22: Yoshida cabinet announced.

June 20: Emperor Hirohito submits a revision of the Imperial Constitution to the Diet.

August 16: Keidanren established.

August 20: Serial killer Yoshio Kodaira is arrested.

November 3: Constitution of Japan promulgated.

December 21: The Nankai earthquake strikes Wakayama Prefecture, killing 1,443.

Births

January 2: Gorou Ibuki, actor

February 3: Takako Iida, volleyball player

February 19: Hiroshi Fujioka, actor

February 22: Kumiko Sato, figure skater

June 1: Yūko Shiokawa, violinist

June 2: Tomomichi Nishimura, voice actor

July 1: Masaharu Satō, voice actor

August 6: Ichikawa Danjūrō, actor

August 21: Norio Yoshimizu, football player

October 10: Naoto Kan, politician

October 11: Sawao Kato, gymnast

October 30: Katsuhisa Hōki, actor and voice actor

November 4: Isamu Sonoda, judoka

November 6: Tsuguhiko Kozuka, figure skater

November 13: Reiko Ohara, actress (died 2009)

November 14: Kai Atō, actor and TV presenter

November 22: Mitsuko Baisho, actress

November 28: Kazuhiro Ninomiya, judoka

December 4: Yō Inoue, voice actress (died 2003)

December 14: Hiroshi Nagakubo, pair skater

Deaths

February 10: Mushitaro Oguri, novelist

February 13: Tamotsu Oishi, career officer

February 23: Tomoyuki Yamashita

April 3: Masaharu Homma

April 19: Rikichi Andō

June 12: Hisaichi Terauchi

June 26: Yōsuke Matsuoka

August 16: Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu

September 24: Yoshio Tachibana

September 30: Takashi Sakai