Events
- 1900 - The first sleeper cars appear on the former Sanyō Line between Kyoto and Mitajiri
- 1922 - The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology establishes 2,000 regular use kanji (常用漢字, jōyō kanji)
- 1940 - The National Fitness Law is passed, requiring regular checkups for males between the ages of 17 and 19
Births
- 1934 - Kisho Kurokawa (d. 2007), architect, designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower and Singapore Flyer
- 1986 - Erika Sawajiri, actress and singer
- 1989 - Hitomi Takahashi, singer
- 1991 - Minami Takahashi, singer and actress
- 1993 - Gaku Matsumoto, actor
- 1993 - Kanae Yoshii, idol, singer, and actress
Deaths
- 1986 - Yukiko Okada (b. 1967), signer and actress
Film and television
- 1999 - Majo no Jōken begins airing on Tokyo Broadcasting System, starring Nanako Matsushima and Hideaki Takizawa