Events
- 1869 - The regional Daimyō return their land holdings to the control of the emperor. (Traditional Japanese Date: Twenty-third Day of the First Month, 1869)
- 1908 - Japan holds its first beauty contest when Jiji Shinpō Co., at the request of the Herald Tribune in the United States, solicits photographs from all over the country and chooses a winner, Suehiro Hiroko, from among the applicants. The publication of the photograph in the United States led to the first worldwide beauty contest held the next year.
- 1926 - The Labor Agriculture Party is formed.
- 1942 - The first air raid warnings are sounded in Tokyo.
- 1953 - The Tokyo Stock Exchange falls sharply, led by munitions company stocks.
- 1966 - A British Boeing 707 crashes near Mount Fuji, killing 124 people.
- 1967 - The First Ōme Marathon is held.
Births
- 1898 - Misao Okawa (d. 2015), super-centenarian
- 1910 - Momofuku Ando (d. 2007), Taiwanese-Japanese businessman, founded Nissin Foods
- 1918 - Tadahiko Hayashi (d. 1990), photographer
- 1929 - Takao Saito (d. 2014), cinematographer
- 1959 - Tsukasa Hojo, illustrator
- 1969 - Rio Natsuki, voice actress
- 1970 - Yuu Watase, illustrator
- 1980 - Mariya Yamada, actress
- 1981 - Shugo Oshinari, actor
- 1985 - Kenichi Matsuyama, actor
- 1995 - Jun Shison, actor