1946 in Japan

Events in the year 1946 in Japan.

Incumbents

 * Emperor: Hirohito
 * Prime Minister: Kijuro Shidehara, Shigeru Yoshida
 * Supreme Commander Allied Powers: Douglas MacArthur

Governors

 * Aichi Prefecture:
 * until 25 January: Ryuichi Fukumoto
 * 25 January-9 July: Saburo Hayakawa
 * starting 9 July: Mikine Kuwahara
 * Akita Prefecture:
 * until 25 January: Kinsaburo Ikeda
 * 25 January-9 July: Iwao Isobe
 * starting 9 July: Hasuika Kosaku
 * Aomori Prefecture: Motohiko Kanai (until 25 January); Renichi Ono (starting 25 January)
 * Ehime Prefecture: Shotaro Toshima (until 4 October); Juushin Aoki (starting 4 October)
 * Fukui Prefecture:
 * until 25 May: Eminai Miyata
 * 25 May-4 October: Saito Takeo
 * starting 4 October: Harukazu Obata
 * Fukushima Prefecture: Masuda Kashinanatsu (until 25 April); Kanichiro Ishihara (starting 25 April)
 * Gifu Prefecture: Yoshihira Nomura (until 16 February); Naomi Momoi (starting 16 February)
 * Gunma Prefecture: Toshio Takahashi (until 25 January); Shigeo Kitano (starting 25 January)
 * Hiroshima Prefecture: Tsunei Kusunose
 * Ibaraki Prefecture: Yoji Tomosue
 * Iwate Prefecture: Tamemasu Miyata (until 26 January); Haruhiko Ichi (starting 26 January)
 * Kagawa Prefecture: Shogo Tanaka
 * Kochi Prefecture: Nagano Yoshitatsu
 * Kumamoto Prefecture:
 * until 25 January: Hirai Fumi
 * 25 January-9 July: Hiroshi Nagai
 * starting 9 July: Saburo Sakurai
 * Kyoto Prefecture: Atsushi Kimura
 * Mie Prefecture: Kobayashi Chiaki
 * Miyagi Prefecture: Saburo Chiba
 * Miyazaki Prefecture: Tadao Annaka
 * Nagano Prefecture: Monobe Kaoruro
 * Niigata Prefecture:
 * until 25 January: Hatada Masatomi
 * 25 January-9 July: Sato Dodai
 * starting 9 July: Hideo Aoki
 * Okinawa Prefecture: Koshin Shikiya (until 24 April)
 * Saga Prefecture: Miyazaki Kenta (until 4 July); Genichi Okimori (starting 4 July)
 * Saitama Prefecture: Sekigaiyo Otoko (until 25 January); Jitzuzo Nishimura (starting 25 January)
 * Shiname Prefecture:
 * until 25 January: Kiyoshi Ito
 * 25 January-8 June: Mikio Suzuki
 * starting 8 June: Muneo Tokanai
 * Tochigi Prefecture: Soma Toshio
 * Tokyo:
 * until 15 January: Shohei Fujinuma
 * 15 January-8 June: Haruo Matsui
 * starting 8 June: Seiichiro Yasui
 * Toyama Prefecture:
 * until 25 January: Keiichi Yoshitake
 * 25 January-9 July: Keiichi Tanaki
 * starting 9 July: Keiji Ishimura
 * Yamagata Prefecture: Michio Murayama (until 25 October); Yoshio Miura (starting 25 October)

Events

 * January 1: Emperor Shōwa renounces his divinity, known in Japanese as the Human Declaration
 * January 4: The Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, General Douglas MacArthur order the Japanese government to expel all militarists from positions of power. The disbandment of all ultra-nationalist organizations is also ordered.
 * March 2: Kose Cosmetics founded in Oji region, Tokyo, as predecessor name was Kobayashi Kose Cosmetics.
 * 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 at least one thousand people and destroying 36,000 homes.

Births

 * January 2: Gorou Ibuki, actor
 * February 3: Takako Iida, volleyball player
 * February 19: Hiroshi Fujioka, actor
 * February 22: Kumiko Sato, figure skater
 * February 23: Ryudō Uzaki, singer-songwriter
 * March 4: Kiyoshi Nakajō, enka singer
 * March 21: Yumiko Kokonoe, actress and singer
 * April 5: Takurō Yoshida, singer-songwriter
 * May 7: Man Arai, composer, writer and singer (d. 2021)
 * June 1: Yūko Shiokawa, violinist
 * June 2: Tomomichi Nishimura, voice actor
 * June 6
 * Masaaki Sakai, singer and actor
 * Mie Nakao, singer and actress
 * June 9: Kazumi Takahashi, former professional baseball pitcher (d. 2015)
 * July 1: Masaharu Satō, voice actor
 * July 16: Toshio Furukawa, voice actor and narrator
 * August 2: Kenji Nakagami, novelist and essayist (d. 1992)
 * August 6: Ichikawa Danjūrō, actor (d. 2013)
 * August 18: Masaaki Ikenaga, former professional baseball pitcher (d. 2022)
 * August 21: Norio Yoshimizu, football player
 * September 18: Akira Kamiya, voice actor
 * September 24: Kōichi Tabuchi, former professional baseball player
 * October 10: Naoto Kan, politician and prime minister of Japan
 * October 11: Sawao Katō, gymnast
 * October 25: Kōji Yamamoto, former professional baseball player and coach
 * October 30: Katsuhisa Hōki, actor and voice actor
 * November 3: Wataru Takeshita, politician (d. 2021)
 * November 4: Isamu Sonoda, judoka
 * November 6: Tsuguhiko Kozuka, figure skater
 * November 13: Reiko Ohara, actress (d. 2009)
 * November 14: Kai Atō, actor and TV presenter (d. 2015)
 * November 22: Mitsuko Baisho, actress
 * November 28: Kazuhiro Ninomiya, judoka
 * December 4: Yō Inoue, voice actress (d. 2003)
 * December 14: Hiroshi Nagakubo, pair skater

Deaths

 * January 30: Kan Abe, politician (b. 1894)
 * February 10: Mushitaro Oguri, novelist (b. 1901)
 * February 13: Tamotsu Oishi, career officer (b. 1900)
 * February 23: Tomoyuki Yamashita, general (b. 1885)
 * April 3: Masaharu Homma, lieutenant general (b. 1887)
 * April 5: Fujiro Katsurada, parasitologist (b. 1867)
 * April 19: Rikichi Andō, general (b. 1884)
 * May 26: Tamaki Miura, operatic soprano (b. 1884)
 * June 12: Hisaichi Terauchi, marshal (b. 1879)
 * June 26: Yōsuke Matsuoka, diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1880)
 * August 16: Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu (b. 1875)
 * September 24: Yoshio Tachibana, lieutenant general (b. 1890)
 * September 30: Takashi Sakai, lieutenant general (b. 1887)
 * December 7: Sada Yacco, geisha, actress and dancer (b. 1871)
 * December 12: Gennosuke Fuse, anatomist (b. 1880)