1968 in Japan

1968 in Japan
Events in the year 1968 in Japan.
Incumbents
Emperor: Hirohito
Prime Minister: Eisaku Satō (Liberal Democratic)
Chief Cabinet Secretary: Toshio Kimura until November 30, Shigeru Hori
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Masatoshi Yokota
President of the House of Representatives: Mitsujirō Ishii
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
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
Wakayama Prefecture: Masao Ohashi
Yamagata Prefecture: Tōkichi Abiko
Yamaguchi Prefecture: Masayuki Hashimoto
Yamanashi Prefecture: Kunio Tanabe
Events
Japan at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Japan at the 1968 Winter Olympics
January
January 23 – Mushi (Osamu Tezuka) Production, as predecessor of Tezuka Production was founded.
Unknown date: Komeda Coffeehouse, as known well coffeehouse chain in nationwide, founded in Nagoya.
February
February 19: 1968–69 Japanese university protests sparked over a dispute within the University of Tokyo medical school.
March
March 2: Fuji-Q Highland officially open in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture.
April
April 1: 1968 Hyūga-nada earthquake
April 1: Abukuma Express line opened
April 12: Kasumigaseki Building opened, was the first modern office skyscraper and tallest building in Tokyo until 1970.
April 15: Tōmei Expressway opened
May
May 16: 1968 Tokachi earthquake
June
June 16: Terrorist incident on the Yokosuka Line kills 1.
June 26: Bonin Islands returned to Japan by United States Navy after 23-year occupation.
July
July 1: Postal code system adopted in Japan.
July 7: Shintaro Ishihara and others are elected to the House of Councillors.
August
August 18: 1968 Hida river bus accident, two charter buses occur debris flow, following push into Hida River, Gifu Prefecture, due after heavy torrential rain. According to local official confirmed report, 104 people lost to lives with one of worst road accident in Northeast Asia.
October
October: Golgo 13, which becomes the longest-running ongoing manga, makes its debut on Big Comic.
October 21: New Left forces occupy Shinjuku Station for International Anti-War Day. Arrests are made.
November
November 2: A resort hotel fire in Arima Spa, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, according to Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report, 30 person lost to lives, with 44 person wounded.
December
December 10: 300 million yen robbery
December 27: Toei Mita Line opened.
Births
January 1: Miki Higashino, pianist and composer
February 22: Kazuhiro Sasaki, former Japan professional and Major League Baseball pitcher
April 1
Masumi Kuwata, former professional baseball pitcher
Ryōta Takeda, politician
April 11: Yōichi Okabayashi, former professional baseball pitcher
May 1: Akiko Kijimuta, former tennis player
May 4: Momoko Kikuchi, actress and singer
July 5: Ken Akamatsu
November 12: Aya Hisakawa, voice actress
November 25: Shingo Takatsu, professional baseball coach and former pitcher
December 25: Koichi Ogata, former baseball manager and player
Deaths
January 9: Kōkichi Tsuburaya, athlete (b. 1940)
January 29: Tsuguharu Foujita, painter (b. 1886)
July 19: Kan Shimozawa, novelist (b. 1892)
September 23: Kogo Noda, screenwriter (b. 1893)
See also
1968 in Japanese television
List of Japanese films of 1968
References
1960s in Japan
Japan
Years of the 20th century in Japan
1968 in Asia