| Champ: | Iva Majoli |
| Runner: |  Arantxa Sánchez Vicario |
| Score: | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Type: | singles doubles |
| Draw: | 28 (3) |
| Seeds: | 8 |
| Before Name: | Toray Pan Pacific Open – Singles |
| After Name: | Toray Pan Pacific Open – Singles |
| Main Name: | Pan Pacific Open |
Iva Majoli defeated Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the final, 6–4, 6–1 to win the singles tennis title at the 1996 Pan Pacific Open.
Kimiko Date was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Naoko Sawamatsu.
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. The top four seeds received a bye to the second round.
Monica Seles (quarterfinals) Conchita Martínez (semifinals) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (final)
Kimiko Date (second round)
Gabriela Sabatini (first round) Lindsay Davenport (quarterfinals)