Portal:Japan/Anniversaries/April/April 18

April 18:

Events
 * 1872 - The first Christian church built by Japanese opens in Yokohama. (Traditional Japanese Date: Eleventh Day of the Third Month, 1872)
 * 1934 - The Teijin bribery scandal occurs, which eventually leads to the resignation of Prime Minister Saitō Makoto and his entire cabinet.
 * 1942 - The U.S. begins bombing raids over Tokyo, Nagoya, Kobe and other cities in Japan.
 * 1943 - Japanese Fleet Admiral and Commander-in-Chief Yamamoto Isoroku is shot down and killed over the Solomon Islands.

Births
 * 1918 - Shinobu Hashimoto, director, producer, and screenwriter
 * 1969 - Sayako Kuroda, daughter of Akihito
 * 1976 - Fayray, singer-songwriter and actress
 * 1981 - Mai Hoshimura, singer-songwriter and pianist
 * 1985 - Sasa Handa, model and actress
 * 1992 - Misa Eguchi, tennis player

Film and television
 * 2005 - Engine begins airing on Fuji Television, starring Takuya Kimura, Koyuki, Yoshio Harada, and Yuki Matsushita
 * 2010 - Shinzanmono begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Hiroshi Abe, Meisa Kuroki, and Osamu Mukai
 * 2014 - Shinigami-kun begins airing on TV Asahi, starring Satoshi Ohno and Mirei Kiritani