# 1969 in Japan

Events in the year 1969 in Japan.

## Incumbents

* Emperor: Hirohito
* Prime Minister: Eisaku Satō (Liberal Democratic)
* Chief Cabinet Secretary: Shigeru Hori
* Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Masatoshi Yokota until January 10, Kazuto Ishida from January 11
* President of the House of Representatives: Mitsujirō Ishii until July 16, Takechiyo Matsuda from December 3 to December 27
* President of the House of Councillors: Yūzō Shigemune

### Governors

* Aichi Prefecture: Mikine Kuwahara
* Akita Prefecture: Yūjirō Obata
* Aomori Prefecture: Shunkichi Takeuchi
* Chiba Prefecture: Taketo Tomonō
* Ehime Prefecture: Sadatake Hisamatsu
* Fukui Prefecture: Heidayū Nakagawa
* Fukuoka Prefecture: Hikaru Kamei
* Fukushima Prefecture: Morie Kimura
* Gifu Prefecture: Saburō Hirano
* Gunma Prefecture: Konroku Kanda
* Hiroshima Prefecture: Iduo Nagano
* Hokkaido: Kingo Machimura
* Hyogo Prefecture: Motohiko Kanai
* Ibaraki Prefecture: Nirō Iwakami
* Ishikawa Prefecture: Yōichi Nakanishi
* Iwate Prefecture: Tadashi Chida
* Kagawa Prefecture: Masanori Kaneko
* Kagoshima Prefecture: Saburō Kanemaru
* Kanagawa Prefecture: Bunwa Tsuda
* Kochi Prefecture: Masumi Mizobuchi
* Kumamoto Prefecture: Kōsaku Teramoto
* Kyoto Prefecture: Torazō Ninagawa
* Mie Prefecture: Satoru Tanaka
* Miyagi Prefecture: Shintaro Takahashi (until 27 March); Sōichirō Yamamoto (starting 28 March)
* Miyazaki Prefecture: Hiroshi Kuroki
* Nagano Prefecture: Gon'ichirō Nishizawa
* Nagasaki Prefecture: Katsuya Sato
* Nara Prefecture: Ryozo Okuda
* Niigata Prefecture: Shiro Watari
* Oita Prefecture: Kaoru Kinoshita
* Okayama Prefecture: Takenori Kato
* Osaka Prefecture: Gisen Satō
* Saga Prefecture: Sunao Ikeda
* Saitama Prefecture: Hiroshi Kurihara
* Shiga Prefecture: Kinichiro Nozaki
* Shiname Prefecture: Choemon Tanabe
* Shizuoka Prefecture: Yūtarō Takeyama
* Tochigi Prefecture: Nobuo Yokokawa
* Tokushima Prefecture: Yasunobu Takeichi
* Tokyo: Ryōkichi Minobe
* Tottori Prefecture: Jirō Ishiba
* Toyama Prefecture: Minoru Yoshida (until 1 December); Kokichi Nakada (starting 30 December)
* Wakayama Prefecture: Masao Ohashi
* Yamagata Prefecture: Tōkichi Abiko
* Yamaguchi Prefecture: Masayuki Hashimoto
* Yamanashi Prefecture: Kunio Tanabe

## Events

* January 5 - According to Japan Coast Guard official confirmed report, a bulk carrier Boriba Maru capsized off Nojimazaki Lighthouse, Chiba Prefecture, 31 crew were fatalities.
* January 18 to 19 - According to Japan National Police Agency official confirmed report, a fierce battle between riot police unit and extreme and core university students in Yasuda Auditorium, Tokyo University, during the 1968–69 Japanese university protests. A total of 457 students were arrested and 757 injured.
* February 5 - A resort hotel fire in Bandai-Atami Spa, Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, according to Fire and Disaster Management Agency, official confirmed report, 30 persons lost their lives, with 35 persons injured.
* April 3- According to JFDMA official confirmed report, a gas explosion hit Moshiri coal mine in Akabira, Hokkaido, official resulting death toll is 19 persons, with 24 persons hurt. This mine officially shut down on April 30.
* May 16 – Senon Security Service was founded, as predecessor name of FarEastern Security Service.
* June 24 to July 11 - According to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report, a torrential rain, following landslide hit in Kagoshima Prefecture and Miyazaki Prefecture, this natural disaster total death number of 89 person.
* October 1 - The National Space Development Agency of Japan is established.
* December 1 - Sumitomo Bank introduces Japan's first ATM.
* December 27 - 1969 Japanese general election - Liberal Democratic Party win 47.6% of popular vote, Yoshirō Mori, Tsutomu Hata and Ichirō Ozawa all elected for first time

## Births

* January 27 - Cornelius, rock musician, singer and producer (Flipper's Guitar)
* January 29 - Hyde, rock musician, singer and guitarist
* February 6 – Masaharu Fukuyama, singer-songwriter and actor
* February 11 – Takeshi Obata, manga artist
* February 20 - Keiji Takayama, professional wrestler
* March 12 - Akemi Okamura, voice actress
* March 15 - Yutaka Take, jockey
* March 27 - Satoshi Nakajima, former professional baseball player and current coach
* March 29 - Chiaki Ishikawa, singer See-Saw
* April 11 - Chisato Moritaka, singer
* April 18 - Sayako Kuroda, formerly Sayako, Princess Nori, daughter of Emperor Akihito
* May 15 - Hideki Irabu, baseball player
* May 18 – Noriyuki Makihara, singer-songwriter
* June 4 - Takako Minekawa, musician, composer and writer
* June 29 - Tōru Hashimoto, politician, lawyer, mayor of Osaka city and former leader of the Japan Innovation Party
* July 8 - Sugizo, guitarist and singer
* July 18 - Masanori Murakawa, professional wrestler
* August 8 - Dick Togo, professional wrestler
* August 13 - Midori Ito, figure skater
* September 12 - Shigeki Maruyama, golfer
* October 2 - Jun Akiyama, professional wrestler
* October 3
** Yuriko Ishida, actress and essayist
** Tetsuya, musician
* October 14 - Kōsuke Okano, voice actor
* November 17 - Ryōtarō Okiayu, voice actor
* November 20 - Sakura, musician
* December 13 - Hideo Ishikawa, voice actor
* December 20
** Chisa Yokoyama, voice actress
** Kenji Ogiwara, former nordic combined skier
** Tsugiharu Ogiwara, former nordic combined skier
* December 24
** Taro Goto, footballer
** Ryuji Kato, footballer
** Miyuki Matsushita, voice actress
** Mariko Shiga, voice actress (d. 1989)

## Deaths

* April 26 - Morihei Ueshiba, martial artist and founder of Aikido (b. 1883)
* June 1 - Michiyo Tsujimura, agricultural scientist (b. 1888)
* July 9 - Raizō Tanaka, admiral (b. 1892)
* July 17 - Ichikawa Raizō VIII, actor (b. 1931)