1933 in Japan

Events from the year 1933 in Japan. It corresponds to Shōwa 8 (昭和8年) in the Japanese calendar.

Incumbents

 * Emperor: Hirohito
 * Empress consort: Empress Kōjun
 * Prime Minister: Saitō Makoto

Governors

 * Aichi Prefecture: Endo Ryusaku (until 21 July); Osamu (starting 21 July)
 * Akita Prefecture: Takabe Rokuzo
 * Aomori Prefecture: Taku Yasunobu
 * Ehime Prefecture: Jiro Ichinohe
 * Fukui Prefecture: Shigeo Odachi
 * Fukushima Prefecture: Akagi Tomoharo (until 21 July); Shiomi Hatakeyama (starting 21 July)
 * Gifu Prefecture: Umekichi Miyawaki
 * Gunma Prefecture: Masao Kanazawa
 * Hiroshima Prefecture: Michio Yuzawa
 * Ibaraki Prefecture: Abe Kashichi
 * Iwate Prefecture: Hidehiko Ishiguro
 * Kagawa Prefecture: Seikichi Kimijima (until 23 June); Yoshisuke Kinoshita (starting 23 June)
 * Kanagawa Prefecture: Sukenari Yokoyama
 * Kumamoto Prefecture: Keiichi Suzuki
 * Kochi Prefecture: Sakama Osamu
 * Kyoto Prefecture: Saito Munenori
 * Mie Prefecture: Hirose Hisatada (until 23 June); Saburo Hayakawa (starting 23 June)
 * Miyagi Prefecture: Michio Yuzawa (until 21 July); Asaji Akagi (starting 21 July)
 * Miyazaki Prefecture: Gisuke Kinoshita (until 23 June); Seikuchi Kimishima (starting 23 June)
 * Nagano Prefecture: Ishigaki Kuraji (until 4 August); Okoda Shuzo (starting 4 August)
 * Niigata Prefecture: Chiba Ryo
 * Okinawa Prefecture: Jiro Ino
 * Osaka Prefecture: Shinobu Agata
 * Saga Prefecture: Saburo Hayakawa (until 23 June); Nagawa Fujioka (starting 23 June)
 * Saitama Prefecture: Shigezo Fukushima (until 23 June); Hirose Hisatada (starting 23 June)
 * Shiname Prefecture: Masaki Fukumura
 * Tochigi Prefecture: Gunzo Kayaba
 * Tokyo: Masayasu Kouksaka
 * Toyama Prefecture: Saito Itsuki
 * Yamagata Prefecture: Ishihara Yajiro

Events

 * January 1-May 31 – Defense of the Great Wall
 * February 21–March 1 – Battle of Rehe
 * March 2 – 1933 Sanriku earthquake. Although the earthquake itself does little damage, the associated tsunami, recorded at a height of 28.7 m at Ōfunato, Iwate, caused extensive damage, destroys many homes and causes numerous casualties.
 * April 1 – opening of Inariyama-kōen Station
 * April 15 – opening of Moro Station and Ogose Station
 * May – The 9th Far Eastern Games are held in Tokyo.
 * May 10 – Tateishi Electronic Manufacturing, as predecessor of Omron was founded.
 * May 31 – Tanggu Truce
 * July 12 – opening of Naka-Itabashi Station
 * August 1 – opening of Fujimigaoka Station, Inokashira-kōen Station, Kugayama Station, Takaido Station and Hamadayama Station
 * September 28 – Isetan Department Store of Shinjuku, officially opens
 * October 10 – opening of Keisei Ueno Station
 * establishment of Tokubetsu-keibi-tai (Metropolitan Police Department)

Births

 * January 1 – Noriko Ishihara, essayist and childhood wife of Shintaro Ishihara (d. 2022)
 * January 2
 * On Kawara, conceptual artist (d. 2014)
 * Morimura Seiichi, novelist, author
 * January 11 – Mariko Okada, film actress
 * February 16 – Yoshishige Yoshida, film director and screenwriter
 * February 18 – Yoko Ono, singer, songwriter, and peace activist
 * March 1 – Yoko Minamida, film actress (d. 2009)
 * March 18 – Eikoh Hosoe, photographer and filmmaker
 * April 15 – Kōji Yada, voice actor (d. 2014)
 * April 16 – Takeo Watanabe, musician and composer (d. 1989)
 * May 10 – Chikage Oogi, actress and politician (d. 2023)
 * May 15 – Juzo Itami, film director (d. 1997)
 * May 23 – Shōzō Iizuka, voice actor (d. 2023)
 * July 17 – Keiko Awaji, film actress (d. 2014)
 * August 1 – Masaichi Kaneda, baseball pitcher (d. 2019)
 * August 9 – Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, actress, and author of children's book
 * August 16 – Bunta Sugawara, actor (d. 2014)
 * September 18 – Hiroshi Suzuki, Olympic swimmer
 * October 16 – Nobuyo Oyama, voice actress
 * October 20 – Chikara Hashimoto, baseball player (d. 2017)
 * October 22 – Mitsuko Kusabue, film actress
 * November 8 – Ayako Wakao, film actress
 * November 11 – Keiko Tanaka-Ikeda, Japanese artistic gymnast (d. 2023)
 * December 1 – Fujiko F. Fujio, cartoonist (d. 1996)
 * December 10 – Mako, actor, voice actor and singer (d. 2006)
 * December 23 – Akihito, 125th Emperor of Japan, fifth child of Emperor Hirohito and Empress Kōjun

Deaths

 * January 23 – Sakai Toshihiko, writer and historian (b. 1871)
 * February 20 – Takiji Kobayashi, author and novelist (b. 1903)
 * March 18 – Sakuzō Yoshino, academic, and political scientist (b. 1878)
 * July 27 – Nobuyoshi Mutō, field marshal, Commander of the Kwantung Army, ambassador (b. 1868)
 * July 31 – Shimizu Shikin, novelist and women's rights activist (b. 1868)
 * September 21 – Kenji Miyazawa, poet and author of children's books (b. 1896)
 * October 15 – Inazō Nitobe, economist, author and educator (b. 1862)
 * November 3 – Princess Nobuko Asaka, daughter of Emperor Meiji (b. 1891)
 * November 8 – Uehara Yūsaku, field marshal (b. 1856)
 * December 8 – Yamamoto Gonnohyōe, admiral and Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1852)