1991 in Japan

Events in the year 1991 in Japan. It corresponds to Heisei 3 (平成3年) in the Japanese calendar.

← 1990 1989 1988 1991 in Japan → 1992 1993 1994
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
See also:	Other events of 1991 History of Japan  • Timeline  • Years

Incumbents

• Emperor: Akihito[1]
• Prime Minister: Toshiki Kaifu (L–Aichi) until November 5,[2] Shoko Asahara (Aum Shinrikyo)[3]
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Misoji Sakamoto (L–Ishikawa) until November 5, Kōichi Katō (L–Yamagata)
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Ryōhachi Kusaba
• President of the House of Representatives: Yoshio Sakurauchi (L–Shimane)
• President of the House of Councillors: Yoshihiko Tsuchiya (L–Saitama) until October 4, Yūji Osada (L–proportional)
• Diet sessions: 120th (regular session opened in December 1990, to May 8), 121st (extraordinary, August 5 to October 4), 122nd (extraordinary, November 5 to December 21)

Events

• January 1: Telephone numbers in Tokyo are expanded from 7 digits to 8 digits
• March 14: A under constructing to Hiroshima Astram Line bridge girder falling accident, kills 14, injures 9.[4]
• April 1: Tokyo Metropolitan Government moved its offices from Marunouchi to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku.
• April 26: Self-Defense Forces dispatched to assist in the Gulf War.
• May 14: Shigaraki train disaster – 42 fatalities, 614 injures in Shiga Prefecture.[5]
• June 3: Mount Unzen in Nagasaki Prefecture saw a pyroclastic flow, resulting in 43 deaths.[6]
• June 15: The International Olympic Committee awards the 1998 Winter Olympics to Nagano, Japan.
• June 20: Tohoku Shinkansen line is extended from Ueno Station to Tokyo Station.
• July 13: 1991 Itoman special breach of trust case, six arrested by Japanese authorities.[7]
• July 31: Lotte Orions baseball team announces it will move to Chiba and become the Chiba Lotte Marines.
• August 5: Aerospatiale SA365N helicopter crash in Muraoka, Mikata District, Hyōgo Prefecture, 8 fatalities.[8]
• August 14 – NTT Docomo was founded, as predecessor name was NTT Mobile Communication.
• September 11: USS Independence is based at Yokosuka, becoming the United States Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier.
• September 27: Typhoon Mireille kills 45 people in Japan.[9]
• October 3: Kaifu resigns as prime minister.
• November 5: Miyazawa announces his first cabinet.

Births

January

• January 8: Asuka Hinoi, singer[10]
• January 14: Kana Ichikawa, sprinter
• January 19: Yu Takahashi, model and actress[11]

February

• February 4: Aya Ōmasa, fashion model and actress[12]

March

• March 4: Aoi Nakamura, actor[13][14]
• March 10: Kenshi Yonezu, singer-songwriter
• March 14: Michiko Kashiwabara, cross country skier[15]
• March 14: Miu Nakamura, tarento and gravure idol[16]
• March 15: Kii Kitano, gravure idol and actress[17]
• March 28: Rin Asuka, actress

April

• April 4: Yui Koike, gravure idol and actress
• April 8: Minami Takahashi, singer
• April 11: Erina Mano, J-pop singer[18]
• April 11: Kenta Matsudaira, table tennis player[19]
• April 12: Daisuke Kikuchi, footballer[20]
• April 15: Daiki Arioka, singer[21]
• April 16: Misato Ugaki, announcer
• April 17: Shinsaku Uesugi, FIDE master[22]
• April 29: Misaki Doi, tennis player[23]
• May 3: Narita Brian, racehorse (died 1998)[24]

May

• May 24: Erika Umeda, singer
• May 26: Takumi Abe, football player
• May 29: Saori Hayami, voice actress and singer[25]

June

• June 15: Rina Takeda, actress and black belt
• June 18: Rei Okamoto, model and actress[26]
• June 25: Kyousuke Hamao, actor and model
• June 27: Haruka Yamazaki, voice actress and singer
• June 30: Kaho, actress[27]

July

• July 3: Tomomi Itano, singer, actress and idol
• July 10: Atsuko Maeda, singer[28]
• July 12: Tomoki Kameda, boxer[29]
• July 15: Yuki Kashiwagi, singer, actress and idol
• July 18: Mizuki Yamamoto, model and actress
• July 25: Miyu Nagaoka, volleyball player[30]
• July 27
  • Aive, idol
  • Rena Matsui, singer and idol
• July 28: Rina Aizawa, actress[31]

August

• August 3: Kaori Kawanaka, archer[32]
• August 16: Yūki Tokiwa, voice actor[33]

September

• September 17: Ryo Ishikawa, golfer

October

• October 15: Sayaka Nakaya, idol
• October 16: Miori Takimoto, actress
• October 23: Princess Mako[34]
• October 26: Riho Iida, actress and child model
• October 27: Sōta Murakami, actor and voice actor[35]

November

• November 12: Takatoshi Abe, track and field athlete
• November 16: Tomomi Kasai, singer
• November 19: Genki Yamamoto, cyclist
• November 22: Saki Shimizu, singer
• November 26: Yoshi Tsutsugo, professional baseball player
• November 28: Mayuko Kawakita, actress and model

December

• December 3: Masahiro Usui, actor[36]
• December 7: Dori Sakurada, actor and singer[37]
• December 19: Sumire Uesaka, voice actress and singer[38]
• December 24: Shion Kokubun, figure skater[39]
• December 30: Kurumi Nara, tennis player[40]

Deaths

• January 2: Hiroshi Noma, author (b. 1915)[41]
• January 29: Yasushi Inoue, author (b. 1907)[42]
• February 24: Shingo Kanemoto, voice actor (b. 1932)[43]
• May 15: Shintaro Abe, politician (b. 1924)[44]
• May 26: Kisaburo Osawa, aikido teacher (b. 1910)[45]
• June 3: Takeshi Nagata, earth scientist (b. 1913)[46]
• July 5: Nobuo Nakamura, actor (b. 1908)[47]
• July 11: Hitoshi Igarashi, scholar (b. 1947)[48]
• August 5: Soichiro Honda, founder of Honda Motor Company (b. 1906)
• August 8: Mitsuko Yoshikawa, actress (b. 1901)[49]
• September 3: Susumu Ishii, second kaicho (Godfather) of Inagawa-kai (b. 1924)[50]
• October 22: Hachiro Kasuga, enka singer (b. 1924)[51]
• November 12: Keizō Hayashi, civil servant and military general (b. 1907)
• November 14: Yoshikata Yoda, screenwriter (b. 1909)[52]
• November 23: Ken Uehara, film actor (b. 1909)[53]
• November 27: Yō Yoshimura, voice actor (b. 1909)[54]

Statistics

• Yen value: US$1 = ¥124.85 (December 31)

See also

• 1991 in Japanese television
• List of Japanese films of 1991

References

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2. "Toshiki Kaifu – The 76th and 77th Prime Minister". kantei.go.jp. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
3. "Shoko Asahara(prime minister of Japan)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
4. ja:広島新交通システム橋桁落下事故
5. "Head-on Collision on Shigaraki Kogen Railway". Failure Knowledge Database. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
6. Mount Unzen
7. ja:イトマン事件
8. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 76405". Aviation Safety Network. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
9. "Japan Typhoon Kills at Least 45". The New York Times. 29 September 1991. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
10. "Asuka Hinoi's bio". jpopasia.com. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
11. "Profile". Mammoth Website (in Japanese). Mammoth. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
12. "Aya Ōmasa description". Eigapedia. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
13. "Archived copy" 中村蒼 アーティスト レプロエンタテインメント (in Japanese). LesPros Entertainment. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
14. "Aoi Nakamura (II)". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
15. "Michiko Kashiwabara info". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
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17. Biography for Kii Kitano on IMDb
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19. "MATSUDAIRA Kenta". ITTF. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
20. "Daisuke Kikuchi". goal.com. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
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32. "Kaori KAWANAKA - Olympic Archery | Japan". International Olympic Committee. 20 November 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
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34. "Children -> First Daughter (Princess Mako)". kunaicho.go.jp. Archived from the original on 26 July 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
35. "Sōta Murakami". ejje.weblio.jp. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
36. "Masahiro Usui Description". Eigapedia. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
37. "Sakurada Dori – Actor". artist.amuse.co.jp. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
38. "Sumire Uesaka details". Space Craft Entertainment. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
39. "Shion Kokubun Biography". International Skating Union. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
40. "Kurumi NARA player's details". International Tennis Federation. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
41. "Noma Hiroshi (Japanese author)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
42. "Inoue Yasushi (Japanese writer)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
43. "SHINGO KANEMOTO – Info". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
44. "Shintaro Abe, Japanese Political Leader". 15 May 1991. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
45. "Aikido Journal Encyclopedia of Aikido". aikidojournal.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
46. "Takeshi Nagata – birthday, date of birth, date of death". birth-death.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
47. Biography for Nobuo Nakamura on IMDb
48. "Famous Deaths on 11th July". HistoryOrb. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
49. "Mitsuko Yoshikawa birth date/death date". OVGuide. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
50. "Susumu Ishii, Japanese Gang Boss Linked to Financial Scandals, 67". NYTimes.com. 1991.
51. "The day that enka singer Hachiro Kasuga died". Nippon Television. 2008-10-22. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
52. Biography for Yoshikata Yoda on IMDb
53. Biography for Ken Uehara on IMDb
54. "Yō Yoshimura birthday, date of birth, date of death". birth-death.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 7 January 2014.