1966 in Japan explained

Events from the year 1966 in Japan. Under the Japanese calendar, this year is known as Shōwa 41.

Incumbents

Tomisaburo Hashimoto until August 1, Kiichi Aichi until December 3, Kenji Fukunaga

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Kisaburo Yokota until August 5, Masatoshi Yokota from August 6
President of the House of Representatives: Kikuchirō Yamaguchi until December 3, Kentarō Ayabe until December 26
President of the House of Councillors: Yūzō Shigemune

- - - - Akita Prefecture: Yūjirō Obata Aomori Prefecture: Shunkichi Takeuchi Chiba Prefecture: Taketo Tomonō Ehime Prefecture: Sadatake Hisamatsu Fukui Prefecture: Eizō Kita Fukuoka Prefecture: Taichi Uzaki
Fukushima Prefecture: Morie Kimura
Gifu Prefecture: Yukiyasu Matsuno (until 16 October); Saburō Hirano (starting 17 October)
- Gunma Prefecture: Konroku Kanda Hiroshima Prefecture

- - - Iwate Prefecture: Tadashi Chida Kagawa Prefecture: Masanori Kaneko Kagoshima Prefecture: Katsushi Terazono Kanagawa Prefecture

- - Nagasaki Prefecture: Katsuya Sato Nara Prefecture: Ryozo Okuda Niigata Prefecture

Juichiro Tsukada (until 28 March); Shiro Watari (starting 8 May)

Kyujiro Taniguchi (until 6 December); Kinichiro Nozaki (starting 7 December)

- - - - Shiname Prefecture: Choemon Tanabe Shizuoka Prefecture: Toshio Saitō Tochigi Prefecture: Nobuo Yokokawa Tokushima Prefecture: Yasunobu Takeichi Tokyo

- - - - Tottori Prefecture: Jirō Ishiba Toyama Prefecture: Minoru Yoshida Wakayama Prefecture: Shinji Ono Yamagata Prefecture: Tōkichi Abiko Yamaguchi Prefecture: Masayuki Hashimoto Yamanashi Prefecture: Hisashi Amano

January 9 - The Kanai Building fire in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture leaves 12 dead, 14 injured.
February 4 -All Nippon Airways Flight 60 crashes into Tokyo Bay, killing all 133 people on board.
March 4 - Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 402 crashes while landing at night with poor visibility at Tokyo International Airport, with 64 out of 72 on board killed.
March 5 - BOAC Flight 911 crashes while encountering severe Clear-air turbulence over Mount Fuji shortly after taking off from Tokyo International Airport, killing all 124 on board.
March 11 - A spa hotel caught fire in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, causing 30 deaths, 29 injuries, according to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report.^[2]
March 25 – Hachinohe Rinkai Line was opened.
April 1 - Japan switches to the Metric system.
April 26 - Japan's biggest postwar public transportation strike.
August 22 - Frontier Tea Product Manufacturing, as predecessor of Ito En founded in Shizuoka City.
September 25 - Two typhoons Helen and Ida landed in Japan on same days, according to Japanese government official confirmed report, total 317 persons were human fatalities with 824 persons were hurt.^[3]
November 11 - All Nippon Airways Flight 533 crashes into the Seto Inland Sea, killing all 50 on board.
Undated
- Yamanashi Women's Junior College is founded.
- Japanese birth rates plummeted due to the superstition that girls born in the year of the Fire Horse will grow up to kill their husbands.

January 5 - Yuri Amano, voice actress
January 17 - Jyoji Morikawa, author and illustrator
January 17 - Hiroko Mita, actress
January 28 - Seiji Mizushima, anime director
January 31 - Nobuyuki Hoshino, former professional baseball pitcher
February 4 - Kyōko Koizumi, actress and singer
February 5 - Maiko Kawakami, actress
March 7 - Atsushi Sakurai, singer (Buck-Tick) (died 2023)
April 3 - Mina Tominaga, voice actress
April 19 - El Samurai, professional wrestler
April 27 - Yoshihiro Togashi, author and illustrator^[4]
June 26 - Yūko Minaguchi, voice actress
July 11 - Kentaro Miura, manga artist (died 2021)^[5]
July 15 - Masatoshi Nagase, actress
July 25 - Wataru Takagi, voice actor
July 28 - Shikao Suga, singer
August 4 - Kensuke Sasaki, professional wrestler
August 14 - Honami Suzuki, actress^[6]
August 30 - Mikako Kotani, former synchronised swimming athlete
September 2 - Yu Hayami, singer and actress
September 11 - Kiko, Crown Princess of Japan, wife of Fumihito, Crown Prince of Japan
October 8 - Toshiro Yufune, former professional baseball pitcher
October 27 - Masanobu Takashima, actor
October 31 - Koji Kanemoto, professional wrestler
November 2 - Yoshinari Ogawa, professional wrestler
November 6 - Kae Araki, voice actress
November 13 - Mieharu, actor
November 28 - Narumi Yasuda, actress
December 12 - Último Dragón, professional wrestler
December 17 - Yuko Arimori, former marathon runner
December 22 - Sayuri Kokusho, actress
December 27 - Masahiro Fukuda, former footballer

Web site: Hirohito Biography, Accomplishments, & Facts . Encyclopedia Britannica . 27 March 2019 . en.
[:ja:菊富士ホテル火災]
[:ja:昭和41年台風第24号、第25号]
Book: YuYu Hakusho Uncovered: The Unofficial Guide . Fujie, Kazuhisa . Wyman, Walt . amp . 2005 . DH Publishing Inc . Tokyo, Japan . 11–2.
Web site: Kentaro Miura, Creator of Epic Manga 'Berserk,' Dies at 54. May 25, 2021. Alex Traub. New York Times. May 30, 2022.
Web site: Suzuki Honami. Kotobanku. Asahi Shinbun. 24 April 2018.
Web site: Nishida. Hiroshi. Imperial Japanese Navy, Totsuka Michitarō. 17 August 2022.
Michio Kushi & Alex Jack (2003) Diet for a Strong Heart: Michio Kushi's Macrobiotic Dietary Guidelines, St. Martin's Griffin.