This is a timeline of Japanese history, comprising important legal, territorial and cultural changes and political events in Japan and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Japan.
The mega-colossal eruption of the Aso Caldera about 90,000 years ago.[1] It ejected about one trillion cubic meters of ash which covered most of the Japanese archipelago.[1]
30,000
The colossal Aira Caldera volcanic eruption in Kagoshima about 30,000 years ago.[1] It spewed a 35-cm layer of ash on Kyushu and southern Honshu and 10 cm of ash on the Kantō Plain (Tokyo).[1]
14000
First settlers arrived on the Japanese archipelago, called the Jōmon, about 14,000 years ago. They had a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population.
Mass migration from the Asian continent to the Japanese archipelago ushered in the Yayoi period. Japan transitioned from a hunter-gatherer to a settled agricultural society. There was a mixture between the Yayoi immigrants and the indigenous population, and between new cultural influences and existing practices.
Himiko dies and is succeeded by 13 year old Queen Toyo after a brief civil war. Some rebels, preferring a male successor, fled Yamatai and founded the Miwa court in Nara.
Very little is known about the 5th century in Japan. The period was marked by volatile inter-state warfare, complex alliances, submissions and betrayals. Some of the Yamato polity partners were Baekje and Gaya confederacy, while enemies included Goguryeo, Silla and various Chinese groups. Few records of the era survive; those that exist are controversial.
The Asuka period starts, the Imperial capital was transferred to Asuka. Yamato polity achieve de facto political dominance with full conquest of Shikoku and Kyushu islands.
The law prohibiting nobles from restricting peasant's access to non-agricultural areas is enacted. Stagnation in cultivated land area begins and would continue until 14th century.
Relatively minor smallpox outbreak resulting in large mortality of men aged 30 or below.
794
The first shōgun, Ōtomo no Otomaro, was appointed by Emperor Kanmu in 794 CE. The shōgun was the military dictator of Japan with near absolute power over territories via the military.
Kamakura became the de facto capital of Japan in about 1180 AD, following the victories of the Minamoto over the Taira. It officially became the capital in 1192 when Minamoto Yoritomo was declared shōgun.
The town of Edo became the de facto capital of Japan and center of political power. This was after Tokugawa Ieyasu established the bakufu headquarters in Edo. Kyoto remained the formal capital of the country.
Matthew C. Perry arrives off the coast of Japan in four ships. Perry orders harbor buildings to be shelled to force negotiations for a letter President Millard Fillmore sent to the ruler of Japan. This incident was coined as the "Arrival of the Black Ships" in Japanese history.
The Convention of Kanagawa was signed.[5] Within 5 years, Japan signs similar treaties with other western countries, thus ending an isolation period of more than 200 years known as sakoku (鎖国), whereby the Dutch and Chinese ships had limited trade exclusivity.
Ambassador Shinmi Masaoki sets sail for San Francisco, leading the first Japanese diplomatic mission to the United States.
17 March
The Japanese ship Kanrin Maru arrives in San Francisco with the delegation, marking the first official visit to a foreign state following the end of its 214-year isolationist policy, demonstrating the degree to which Japan had mastered Western navigation techniques and ship technologies in the 6 years since opening its borders.
The First Sino-Japanese War is won by the Japanese, resulting in the Treaty of Shimonoseki. It was the first major conflict between Japan and an overseas military power in modern times. For the first time, regional dominance in East Asia shifted from China to Japan. Korea became a vassal state of Japan.
Russo-Japanese War: Japan became the first modern Asian nation to win a war against an Eastern European nation (Russia). The Treaty of Portsmouth was signed, ceding some Russian property and territory to Japan and ending the war. Pro-war activists staged the Hibiya incendiary incident nevertheless. This changed the global world order. Japan became the main Asian power.
Japanese seaplane carrierWakamiya conducted the world's first successful naval-launched air raids on 5 September 1914 and during the first months of World War I from Jiaozhou Bay off Qingdao. On 6 September 1914 was the very first air-sea battle in history.
Prince Hirohito became as the Emperor of the Empire of Japan after the death of his father Yoshihito. This marked the start of Shōwa period, and also the last period of the Empire of Japan (during the final year of World War II).
The navy minister, Admiral Shigetarō Shimada says that in view of the Allies' "Retaliation and hatred", Japan would no longer follow recognized rules of sea warfare.
18 April
Doolittle Raid, the first bombing raid on Japanese home islands.
Operation Ke, a Japanese naval operation, who intended as the reconnaissance of Pearl Harbor and disruption of repair and salvage operations following the surprise attack at two years ago.
During the New Year's Day, Emperor Shōwa renounces his divinity, known in Japanese as the Human Declaration.
4 January
Just five months after he arrived in Japan, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, General Douglas MacArthur order the Japanese government to expel all militarists from positions of power. The disbandment of all ultra-nationalist organizations is also ordered.
A largest Japanese land reclamation project thus far was completed in Lake Hachirōgata, creating the village of Ōgata out of 195km2 of lakebed reclaimed since 1957.
1 October
The first Shinkansen high-speed train railway line was opened.
Zengakuren demonstrate and riot in Tokyo against terms for the return of Okinawa from US to Japanese control. They wanted to remove all American military presence.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s robotic spacecraft Hayabusa landed on an asteroid and collected samples in the form of tiny grains of asteroidal material, which were returned to Earth aboard the spacecraft on 13 June 2010. It was the first spacecraft in history designed to deliberately land on an asteroid and then take off again. The Hayabusa mission was the first to return an asteroid sample to Earth for analysis.
2013 Japanese heatwave, according to Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare official confirmed report, 1,077 people lost their lives to heatwave, caused by heat stroke, second worst heatwave disaster in Japan.
2012–2013 PC remote control incident in Japan, a suspect man of 31-year-old bail for the first time in almost a year from the Tokyo Detention Center of the receiving destination. However, the prosecution claimed the bail revocation on 19 May, suspects the Tokyo District Court, a suspect man imprisoned in the Tokyo Detention Center on 20 May.
In court that the International Court of Justice, the world complained as the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling violation research whaling in the Antarctic Ocean in Japan, research whaling in Japan said, "not for research purposes", and certification treaty violation, ruling order so that it is not carried out in future.
Prince William makes his first visit to Japan, as well as visiting Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures, for all of thoses where the areas had been affected by 2011 triple disaster in Japan.[15]
The Supreme Court rejects prosecutors' claims that a 41-year-old man from Osaka Prefecture in Kansai region, who evaded 570 million yen in taxes by failing to declare income from betting on horse races, confirming that money lost betting on horses can, for tax purposes, be considered expenses deductible from winnings. FamilyMart and UNY Group Holdings, the holding company of Circle K Sunkus, reach an agreement to merge in September 2016, forming the second biggest convenience store operator by sales in Japan under a single brand name.
14 March
Hokuriku Shinkansen starts its service between Nagano and Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture, cutting travel time between Tokyo and Kanazawa by about 80 minutes to as little as 2 hours and 28 minutes.
The Nikkei 225 index reaches 20,006.00 in the first few minutes of trade, passing the 20,000 level for the first time since April 2000.
14 April
The Government of South Korea lifts the departure ban on a former chief of the Sankei Shimbun's Seoul bureau, who had been barred from leaving the country for eight months following his indictment in October 2014 for defamation of South Korean President Park Geun-hye. The charges were due to an article, posted on a Sankei website, that referred to a rumor in a South Korean publication that Park was seeing a man on the day of the sinking of MV Sewol in April 2014.
According to National Police Agency confirmed report, eight person arrested for violating customs law, who brought the equivalent of about 200kg of gold, about 8.2 million US dollars to the fishing port without permission in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture.
Japanese government has official confirmed that Japanese Ministry of Finance rewrote 14 decision documents in accordance with the response about a cooperative school in Osaka Prefecture to the National Assembly in 2017.
13 March
According to the Japan Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, an official report confirmed the Kumano cherry tree (Kumanozakura) as a new species Cherry tree (Sakura). The tree was discovered widely throughout the Kii Peninsula. The last new type of Sakura tree found in Japan was in 1915.
Heavy floods was started in western areas of Japan, most in Hiroshima Prefecture, which has been hit by torrential rain. As of 20 July, 225 people were killed, another 13 were declared missing, and 1.5 million people were displaced.
9 July to 26 August
East Asia heat wave kills least 116 people, due to heat-related causes, and at least 22,000 more suffer from heat strokes.
Since the founder of International Whaling Commission in 1946, Japan announced that IWC had failed its duty to promote sustainable hunting, which is one of its stated goals, Japan is withdrawing its membership and will resume commercial hunting in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone from July 2019, but will cease whaling activities in the Antarctic Ocean.
27 December
Japan executes two more prisoners, bringing 2018 executions to 15 taking annual total to highest since 2008.
The tourist boom in Japan reach unprecedented scale, with a number of yearly visitors counting in millions - 19.73 in 2015, 23.97 in 2016, 28.6 in 2017, and 31.19 million foreign visitors in 2018.[17][18]
18 July
Kyoto Animation arson attack: 36 people were killed in one of the deadliest massacres in post-World War II history of Japan.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare official report, Japan has confirmed the first case of novel coronavirus. It was marked the second exported case of COVID-19 pandemic (After Thailand) and the first reported in Japan. The patient was discharged from the hospital and Japanese government scaled up a whole-of-government coordination mechanism.[19]
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared the first state of emergency over COVID-19 spreading.[20][21]
29 August
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned due to his health reasons, such as ulcerative colitis, and he was replaced by his successor Yoshihide Suga at one month later.
According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated report, from January 2020 to the end of September 2021, Japan has registered 112,000 excess deaths as a direct effect of COVID-19 pandemic, but not 18,000 officially reported deaths. It is loss of about 2.6 years in the average life expectancy, although excess mortality rates for all causes has been estimated at between 100,000 and 130,000 deaths.[citation needed] Japan lifted 4th and final state of emergency up as infection falls.[22]
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga resigned due to poor approval ratings, and he was replaced by Fumio Kishida, who was elected 100th Prime Minister of Japan.
31 October
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wins the 2021 general election about 34.6% of the vote.
30 November 2021 to 7 May 2023
Japan has confirmed the first case of COVID-19 Omicron variant, found from South Africa. As of 7 May 2023, Japan has reported 56,500 Omicron-related deaths, a lowest mortality toll, than compared to wealthy countries.[citation needed]
Former Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu died of pneumonia at the Tokyo hospital, at the age of 91. (According to Japanese Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare report and his family statement, announced that Toshiki Kaifu died at the hospital that it was unrelated to triple Fukushima disaster and COVID-19 and Omicron infections.)[23]
According to Japan Meteorological Agency official confirmed report, a Celsius 40.2 degrees (Fahrenheit 104.36 degrees) high temperature record hit in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, as highest temperature record on June in Japan, since first observation record of JMA, since 1872, as same place another Celsius 40.0 (Fahrenheit 104.0 degrees) recorded observed on June 29.
Japan declared the national mourning day of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated while he giving a speech at the House of Councillors election campaign in Nara.[25]
11 July
Following Shinzo Abe's assassination, Japanese government discussed that Unification Church leader Tomihiro Tanaka has confirmed Tetsuya Yamagami's mother was a member of the religious group (Also known as the Unification Church (Shukyo nisei)). Because Shinzo Abe had alleged ties to the Unification Church, which go back generations including his father, Shintaro Abe, his mother Yoko Abe, and his maternal grandparents, Nobusuke and Yoshiko Kishi. At the end of World War II, his maternal grandfather was jailed as a suspected war criminal.[26]
12 July
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was cremated at Kirigaya Funeral Hall in Tokyo.[27]
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the first reshuffled his second cabinet at the first time.[29]
17 to 20 September
Typhoon Nanmadol, a heavy massive precipitation and landslide hit in southern Kyushu Island and other western parts of Japan. At least four people were killed and 147 people were wounded, according to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report.
Following China's recent decision to end its Zero-COVID strategy, Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato says the possibility of imposing travel restrictions on visitors from the Greater China is 'under the review'. The following day, Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has confirmed that passengers arriving in Japan from Greater China will have to provide a negative test before they board a flight.[citation needed]
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reports, Japanese prosecutors indicts 42-year-old gunman Tetsuya Yamagami for the suspect of the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on murder charges and as well as the gun violating laws after the concluding 6 months of psychiatric evaluation.[31]
Japan marked the first anniversary of the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated by Tetsuya Yamagami while campaigned in Nara, Japan on 8 July 2022.
The Supreme Court of Japan formally orders Okinawa to allow the United States Armed Forces to expand its runways and military infrastructure on the island despite protests from the locals who oppose the American military's presence.
Japan AirlinesAirbus A350-900 collides with a Japan Coast GuardDHC-8 aircraft and bursts into flames at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. The Coast guard plane was going to deliver aid to those affected by Ishikawa earthquake, a day before. All 379 occupants aboard Japan Airlines flight are evacuated, while five of six occupants aboard the Coast Guard aircraft are killed.[41]
Japan becomes the fifth country to successfully land on the surface of the moon with the SLIM lunar lander mission.[43]
24 January
Ukrainian-born Karolina Shiino is announced as the winner of the 2024 Miss Nippon Grand Prix beauty pageant. She is the first naturalised Japanese citizen to win the pageant. Her win sparks debates over "Japaneseness" and the shifting Japanese demographics.
Japanese police announced that they have arrested Satoshi Kirishima, a member of East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front, who has been a fugitive from justice for 50 years for his role in a series of bombings of companies.
29 January
Satoshi Kirishima died of cancer that had led him to seek hospital treatment. DNA comparison with relatives further confirms his identity as Kirishima.
5 February
Ukrainian-born Karolina Shiino won the 2024 Miss Nippon Grand Prix beauty pageant relinquishes her crown after news emerges of her having an affair with a married man.
A court in Fukuoka overturns the death sentence of yakuzaKudo-kai leader Satoru Nomura imposed for a 1998 murder and sentences him to life in prison. Nomura had originally been sentenced to death for murder in 1998.
South Korean-flagged tankerKeoyoung Sun capsizes off the coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture during the stormy weather. Nine crew members are found dead, while one person remains missing. Two people are rescued.
26 March
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet allows the sale and export of fighter aircraft to other countries.
Japanese health officials search a Kobayashi Pharmaceutical factory in Osaka after five deaths possibly linked to its dietary supplements containing the red mold benikoji.
Japan raises its four-stage danger ranking level for most of Iran, including Tehran, to Level 3, which urges to avoid all travel to Iran following the Iranian strikes in Israel.
The National Diet approves a bill seeking to allow joint child custody for divorced couples. Three members of Japan Wings Party (Tsubasa no tō), including a candidate of the House of Representatives by-election on April 28 are arrested on suspicion of disrupting other candidates' campaign rallies.
76 more deaths and at least 500 hospitalizations in Japan are linked to use of Kobayashi red yeast rice supplements, distributed by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, which causing kidney disease and other severe conditions.
3 July
Japanese Supreme Court rules that a defunct eugenics law that led to the forced sterilization of 24,500 people from 1948 to 1996 is unconstitutional. The court also invalidates a 20-year statute of limitations for complaints relating to the law. New 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000 yen banknote design is issued by the Bank of Japan.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida formally apologizes to 130 victims of forced sterilization under the Eugenics Protection Law, which was declared unconstitutional on July 3, and approves compensation measures for more than 25,000 affected victims and their relatives, which are passed into law on 8 October.
19 July
Ryo Sakai resigns as Chief of Staff of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force following criticism over a series of scandals in the service. He is replaced in his position by Akira Saito.
At the beginning of 2024 Summer Olympic Games held in Paris, France, Japanese Olympic delegation wins 20 gold, 12 silver, and 13 bronze medals and places third out of 84 countries competing at the Olympic game event.
Nikkei 225stock market index falls by over 12%, which suffering its worst two-day decline in history and its largest daily percent drop since Black Monday in October 1987. Kadokawa's official website and the video-sharing platform Niconico go back online after a two-month shutdown due to the ransoware attack on June 8. The result of an investigation released on the same day confirms that the attack leaked 254,241 user data.
Japan announces the first incursion into its airspace of Chinese military aircraft after a Shaanxi Y-9 surveillance plane flies over the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture for two minutes.
28 August
Manabu Horii resigns as a member of the House of Representatives from Hokkaido following a scandal over his giving out condolence money to constituents for funerals he did not personally attend in violation of election laws.
Belarus announces the arrest in July of a Japanese national on suspicion of spying on vital installations along the border with Ukraine on behalf of Japanese intelligence services.
Yoshihiro Hidaka, the president of Yamaha Motor Company, is injured after being stabbed, allegedly by his daughter, at their residence in Iwata, Shizuoka.
18 September
Seiichi Katsurada, CEO of Shiretoko Pleasure Cruise, has been arrested on charges related to the sinking of Japanese company vessel Kazu I in 2022, which killed all 26 people on board.
Iwao Hakamada, the world's longest-serving death row inmate, who has waited his potential execution since 1968, is acquitted by a court in Shizuoka after a retrial for four murders.
Nihon Hidankyo, a group established by hibakusha, is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their campaign against nuclear weapons that has "contributed greatly to the establishment of the nuclear taboo".
17 October
A bird flu outbreak is reported at a farm in Atsuma, Hokkaido, prompting the culling of 19,000 poultry.
Eight students are injured in a hammer attack inside the Tama campus of Hosei University in Machida, Tokyo. A 22-year old South Korean civilian has been arrested.[citation needed]
27 January
Koichi Minato and Shuji Kanoh resign as the respective president and chair of Fuji Television amid criticism over the network's handling of a sexual abuse scandal involving television personality Masahiro Nakai.
28 January
A sinkhole appears in a road intersection in Yashio, Saitama, swallowing up a truck being driven by an elderly man whose body is recovered on May 2.
29 January
Japan suspends funding for the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in response to its publication of a report in 2024 calling for the revision of Japanese imperial succession law to allow women to become empresses regnant.
17 February
Taliban conducts a diplomatic visit to Japan for the first time since taking power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet approves a bill to allow bears spotted in urban areas to be shot at hunters' discretion following an increase in encounters and attacks on humans.
2025 Ōfunato wildfire: The body of man has been found by Japanese police officer on a road within the evacuation zone.
28 February
2025 Ōfunato wildfire: Devastating wildfires grows to cover over 1,200 ha (3,000 acres), making it the largest wildfire on record in Japanese history.
3 March
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba gives ¥100,000 gift vouchers to 15 L.D.P. lawmakers, sparking criticism. However, he denies breaking political laws.
Japan marked the 80th anniversary of devastating firebombs hit Tokyo and three other prefectures during World War II, which killed more than 100,000 people.[citation needed]
14 March
NHK Party leader Takashi Tachibana is injured and survived from a stabbing while giving a speech in the front of Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry in Tokyo. The attacker, who confesses an intention to kill Tachibana, has been arrested at the scene. Police arrest Kenji Takano for fatally stabbing YouTuber Airi Sato during a livestream in Tokyo.
17 March
A Japanese resident of Belarus has been convicted and sentenced by a court in Minsk to seven years' imprisonment for spying for Japanese intelligence. The dismantling of the Number 2 Reactor at Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant in Shizuoka Prefecture begins in what is the first operation of its kind in Japan.
Former MP Megumi Hirose is sentenced to a suspended 2.5 year prison term for defrauding 3.5 million yen ($23,000) in public funds by claiming salary expenses for a secretary who did no work.
31 March
Gyudon chain Sukiya imposes a one-week nationwide closure of its stores for cleanup after revelations of pest contamination in its food items.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako both visits Iwo Jima to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, in the first visit to the island by a Japanese monarch since 1994. Japan marked the 80th anniversary of the sinking of Japanese Battleship Yamato, which was destroyed and sunked by American Navy carrier aircraft during Operation Ten-Go, while en route to Okinawa Island.
8 April
44-year-old Japanese actress Ryōko Hirosue has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting and injuring a nurse at a hospital in Shimada after being transported there following a vehicular crash on Shin-Tōmei Expressway in Kakegawa, the previous night.
Japanese Imperial Household Agency announces the dismissal of one of its employees for stealing 3.6 million yen while working as an imperial palace attendant from 2023 to 2025.
8 May
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako both congratulates Robert Prevost, who was elected pope (a.k.a. Pope Leo XIV).
Japanese serial killer Takahiro Shiraishi, who was dubbed as a "Twitter killer" for luring and murdering people in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture in 2017, which becomes the first person to be executed by Japanese police since 2022.
Akira Otani becomes the first person from Japan to win in the U.K.-based Dagger Awards for her novel "The Night of Baba Yaga", which she wins the best translated crime book category.
7 July
The Institute for International Business Communication nullifies the results of 803 applicants who took the Test of English for International Communication exam in Japan from 2023 to 2025 due to cheating.
8 July
Japan marked the third anniversary of the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated by Tetsuya Yamagami while campaigned in Nara, Japan on 8 July 2022.
12 July
Hokkaido Prefecture issues its highest-level alert warning for brown bears for the first time following the death of a man in Fukushima from a suspected bear attack. Taiwanese company TiSPACE fails to complete Japan’s first foreign rocket launch after its VP01 rocket falls shortly after liftoff from Hokkaido Spaceport.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba intended to announced his resignation from his office by the end of August amid the defeat of ruling LDP–Komeito coalition.
Ian Preston, ed. (2001). "Japan". Political Chronology of Central, South and East Asia. Political Chronologies of the World. Europa Publications. pp.121–140. ISBN978-1-135-35680-4.
Constantine Vaporis (2012). "Timeline ... 1543–1868". Voices of Early Modern Japan: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life During the Age of the Shoguns. USA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN978-0-313-39200-9.
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