1885 in Japan

Events in the year 1885 in Japan.

Incumbents

 * Monarch: Emperor Meiji
 * Prime Minister: Itō Hirobumi (starting December 22)

Governors

 * Aichi Prefecture: Renpei Kunisada then Minoru Katsumata
 * Akita Prefecture: Akagawa
 * Aomori Prefecture: Kyusei Fukushima
 * Ehime Prefecture: Shinpei Seki
 * Fukui Prefecture: Tsutomu Ishiguro
 * Fukushima Prefecture: Kinichi Akashi
 * Gifu Prefecture: Toshi Kozaki
 * Gunma Prefecture: Sato Atasesan
 * Hiroshima Prefecture: Senda Sadaaki
 * Ibaraki Prefecture: Hitomi Katsutaro then Shima
 * Iwate Prefecture: Shoichiro Ishii
 * Kanagawa Prefecture: Baron Tadatsu Hayashi
 * Kochi Prefecture: Yoshiaki Tonabe
 * Kumamoto Prefecture: Yoshiaki Tonabe
 * Kyoto Prefecture: Baron Utsumi Tadakatsu
 * Mie Prefecture: Baron Utsumi Tadakatsu then Ishii Kuni
 * Miyagi Prefecture: Matsudaira Masanao
 * Miyazaki Prefecture: Teru Tananbe
 * Nagano Prefecture: Baron Seiichiro Kinashi
 * Niigata Prefecture: Nagayama Sheng Hui then Shinozaki Goro
 * Oita Prefecture: Ryokichi Nishimura
 * Okinawa Prefecture: Sutezo Nishimura then Sadakiyo Osako
 * Osaka Prefecture: Tateno Tsuyoshi
 * Saga Prefecture: Kamata
 * Saitama Prefecture: Kiyohide Yoshida
 * Shimane Prefecture: Tamechika Fujikawa then Sada Kotedayasu
 * Tochigi Prefecture: Mishi Michitsune then Sukeo Kabayama
 * Tokyo: Earl Kensho Yoshikawa then Hiroshi Watanabe
 * Toyama Prefecture: Kunishige Masafuni
 * Yamagata Prefecture: Orita Hirauchi then Shibahara Sum

Births

 * January 25 - Kitahara Hakushū (d. 1942), poet and author
 * November 8 - Tomoyuki Yamashita (d. 1946), World War II general