1996 in Japan

← 1995 1994 1993 1996 in Japan → 1997 1998 1999
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
See also:	Other events of 1996 List of years in Japan

Events in the year 1996 in Japan.

Incumbents

• Emperor: Akihito
• Prime Minister: Tomiichi Murayama (S–Ōita) until January 11, Ryūtarō Hashimoto (L–Okayama)
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Kōken Nosaka (S–Tottori) until January 11, Seiroku Kajiyama (L–Ibaraki)
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Tōru Miyoshi
• President of the House of Representatives: Takako Doi (S–Hyōgo) until September 27 (dissolution), Sōichirō Itō (L–Miyagi) from November 7
• President of the House of Councillors: Jūrō Saitō (L–Mie)
• Diet sessions: 135th (extraordinary, January 11 to January 13), 136th (regular, January 22 to June 19), 137th (extraordinary, September 27, HR dissolved on same day), 138th (special, November 7 to November 12), 139th (extraordinary, November 29 to December 18)

Events

• January 11 – Ryutaro Hashimoto, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, becomes Prime Minister.
• February 10 – A boulder falls onto the Toyohama Tunnel in Furubira, Hokkaido, crushing a bus and several cars and resulting in 20 fatalities.^[1]
• February 27 – Pokémon Red and Green was released in Japan as the first game in the Pokémon series.
• April 1 - Tokyo Big Sight opens.
• June 13 - Garuda Indonesia Flight 865 crashes on takeoff from Fukuoka Airport, resulting in three fatalities.^[2]
• June 23 - The Nintendo 64 video game system is released in Japan.
• June 25 - A train on the Takayama Main Line collides with a fallen boulder, resulting in 16 injuries.
• July 16 – An outbreak of E. coli food poisoning in Sakai City resulted in 6309 schoolchildren and 92 school staff members from 62 municipal elementary schools falling ill.^[3]
• August 8 - Tokyo Opera City Tower is completed.
• November 26 - Tamagotchi is released.

Fashion and Rebellion

In the 1990s in Japan, we begin to see an influx of growth in the fashion community. The infamous Harajuku style, as well as the birth of a popular style known as Gyaru. Both fashion styles as well as the many sub groups of fashion in Japan, were built due to the idea that most youth in Japan were tired of being conformed into one look. We begin to see Japan break away from the idea of being a country built on tradition and monotony, and branch into what it has come today; a colorful and vibrant place.

Births

• January 12 - Ai Hashimoto, actress and fashion model
• February 7 - Mai Hagiwara, singer
• April 3 - Mayo Hibi, tennis player
• May 17 - Kazato Tomizawa, actor and voice actor
• May 18 - Yuki Kadono, snowboarder
• May 21 - Sarina Koga, volleyball player
• May 28 - Ayano Kudo, model and actress
• June 5 - Yuya Ozeki, actor
• June 11
  • Naoki Maeda (born 1996), footballer
  • Ayaka Sasaki, singer
• July 5 - Risa Shoji, figure skater
• August 24 - Kenzo Shirai, gymnast
• September 6 - Rika Hongo, figure skater
• September 12 - Nakamura Umemaru, actor
• October 8 - Sara Takanashi, ski jumper
• October 30 - Mizuki Fukumura, singer
• November 15 - Kanako Watanabe, swimmer
• November 18 - Saki Ogawa, former singer
• December 12 - Karen Miyama, actress
• December 13 - Miu Sato, figure skater

Deaths

• January 7 - Tarō Okamoto, artist
• January 8 - Michiya Mihashi, enka singer
• February 12 - Ryōtarō Shiba, writer
• February 20 - Tōru Takemitsu, composer
• May 11 - Yasuko Namba, summited the Seven Summits
• June 6 - Kusuo Kitamura, Olympic swimmer
• July 30 - Arihiro Hase, actor and voice actor
• September 23 - Fujiko F. Fujio, cartoonist

See also

• 1996 in Japanese television
• List of Japanese films of 1996

References