Events
- 1788 - Fires in Kyoto claim 183,000 households. (Traditional Japanese Date: Thirtieth Day of the First Month, 1788)
- 1873 - The mythical date of the founding of Japan by Emperor Jimmu (February 11, 660 B.C.) is established as a holiday.
- 1900 - Smoking by minors is prohibited.
- 1908 - A ferry connecting Aomori and Hakodate, the Hiraomaru, begins operation once a day.
- 1925 - The Peace Preservation Law, designed to protect the royal family from the left wing, is passed. It forbade conspiracy and revolt, and it criminalized socialism and communism.
- 1948 - A law establishing a fire department is passed.
- 1957 - Japan takes top honors in five events at the Twenty Fourth World Ping Pong Championship.
- 1958 - A driving license testing center is opened in Fuchu, Tokyo.
- 1971 - National Rail unifies the Tokyo Line and the Yamate Line and changes its name to the Yamanote Line.
- 1991 - The International Orchid Show opens in Nagoya.
Births
- 1949 - Genyo Takeda, Japanese video game developer
- 1966 - Atsushi Sakurai, singer-songwriter
- 1967 - Ai Yazawa, author and illustrator
- 1969 - Hideki Noda, race car driver
- 1977 - Hiroki Hasegawa, actor
- 1982 - Erika Yamakawa, model and actress
- 1997 - Honoka Miki, actress, model, and voice actress
Film and television
- 2015 - The End of the World and the Cat's Disappearance, an apocalyptic science fiction film starring Izukoneko, Jun Aonami, and Daisuke Nishijima