# 1996 Japan Open Tennis Championships – Women's singles

The 1996 Japan Open Tennis Championships included this tournament in women's singles. Third-seeded Amy Frazier was the defending champion but lost in the final 7–5, 6–4 against first-seeded Kimiko Date.

## Seeds

A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.
* Kimiko Date (champion)
* Sabine Appelmans (first round)
* Amy Frazier (final)
* Ai Sugiyama (semifinals)
* Naoko Sawamatsu (second round)
* Shi-Ting Wang (first round)
* Yone Kamio (first round)
* Marianne Witmeyer (second round)

## Draw
### Key

* Q = Qualifier
* WC = Wild card
* LL = Lucky loser
* Alt = Alternate
* SE = Special exempt
* PR = Protected ranking
* ITF = ITF entry
* JE = Junior exempt
* w/o = Walkover
* r = Retired
* d = Defaulted
* SR = Special ranking
| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | K Date | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | R Hiraki | 3 | 1 | | 1 | K Date | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | S-H Park | 2 | 3 | | | A Grossman | 5 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Grossman | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 1 | K Date | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | K Nagatsuka | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | K Kschwendt | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | N Dahlman | 7 | 6 | | | N Dahlman | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | K Kschwendt | 6 | 6 | | | K Kschwendt | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | S-T Wang | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | K Date | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| 4 | A Sugiyama | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | A Sugiyama | 1 | 3 | | | | | |
| LL | M Tang | 1 | 4 | | 4 | A Sugiyama | 6 | 3 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Endo | 7 | 6 | | | M Endo | 3 | 6 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | N Dechy | 5 | 4 | | | | | | | 4 | A Sugiyama | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | K Studeníková | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | K Studeníková | 0 | r | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | M Saeki | 3 | 0 | | | K Studeníková | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | L Courtois | 3 | 7 | 6 | | L Courtois | 4 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Y Kamio | 6 | 5 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Kimiko Date | 7 | 6 |
| 8 | M Witmeyer | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Amy Frazier | 5 | 4 |
| Q | A Ellwood | 3 | 4 | | 8 | M Witmeyer | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | L Wild | 6 | 6 | 2 | Q | K Po | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | K Po | 7 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | Q | K Po | 3 | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | Y Yoshida | 5 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | 3 | A Frazier | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | N Feber | 7 | 4 | 2 | WC | Y Yoshida | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | K Takuma | 2 | 3 | | 3 | A Frazier | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | A Frazier | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | A Frazier | 6 | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| 5 | N Sawamatsu | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | N Kijimuta | 3 | 7 | 1 | | | | |
| | L Poruri | 5 | 3 | | 6 | N Sawamatsu | 7 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | C Morariu | 6 | 4 | 6 | Q | C Morariu | 5 | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Rottier | 4 | 6 | 2 | | | | | | Q | C Morariu | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | P Kamstra | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | N Kijimuta | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | N Kijimuta | 6 | 6 | | | N Kijimuta | 2 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | N Miyagi | 7 | 4 | 6 | | N Miyagi | 6 | 4 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | S Appelmans | 6 | 6 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |