1989 in Japan
Encyclopedia
Events in the year 1989 in Japan
.
1989 was the first year of Heisei
in Japan as well as the all-time peak of the Nikkei 225
stock market average.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
1989 was the first year of Heisei
Heisei
is the current era name in Japan. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the first day after the death of the reigning Emperor, Hirohito. His son, Akihito, succeeded to the throne...
in Japan as well as the all-time peak of the Nikkei 225
Nikkei 225
The , more commonly called the Nikkei, the Nikkei index, or the Nikkei Stock Average , is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange . It has been calculated daily by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper since 1950. It is a price-weighted average , and the components are reviewed once a year...
stock market average.
Incumbents
- EmperorEmperor of JapanThe Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
: HirohitoHirohito, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
, AkihitoAkihitois the current , the 125th emperor of his line according to Japan's traditional order of succession. He acceded to the throne in 1989.-Name:In Japan, the emperor is never referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor" which may be shortened to . In... - Prime MinisterPrime Minister of JapanThe is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
: Noboru TakeshitaNoboru Takeshitawas a Japanese politician and the 74th Prime Minister of Japan from November 6, 1987 to June 3, 1989.Takeshita was also the last Prime Minister during the long rule of the Emperor Shōwa.-Early years:...
, Toshiki KaifuToshiki Kaifuis a Japanese politician who was the 76th and 77th Prime Minister of Japan from 1989 to 1991.- Career :He was born in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, and was educated at Chuo University and Waseda University. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party , Kaifu ran successfully for the Diet in 1960 and... - Chief Cabinet SecretaryChief Cabinet Secretary__notoc__The of Japan is a Minister of State who is responsible for directing the Cabinet Secretariat. The main function of Chief Cabinet Secretary is to coordinate the policies of ministries and agencies in the executive branch...
: Keizo ObuchiKeizo Obuchiwas a Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives for twelve terms, and ultimately as the 84th Prime Minister of Japan from July 30, 1998 to April 5, 2000. His political career ended when he suffered a serious and ultimately fatal stroke....
, Tokuo Yamashita, Mayumi MoriyamaMayumi Moriyamais a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Tokyo and graduate of the University of Tokyo she worked at the Ministry of Labor from 1950 to 1980...
Events
- January 7: Emperor Hirohito dies; Prince Akihito becomes Emperor.
- January 8: Heisei era officially begins.
- February 7: Last public performance by singer Misora Hibari held in Kitakyushu.
- February 13: The Recruit scandalRecruit scandalThe was an insider trading and corruption scandal that forced many prominent Japanese politicians to resign in 1988.Recruit is a human resources and classifieds company based in Tokyo. Its chairman, Hiromasa Ezoe, offered a number of shares in a Recruit subsidiary, Cosmos, to business leaders and...
breaks, and the company's former president is arrested. - April 1: Japan introduces its first national consumption taxConsumption taxA consumption tax is a tax on spending on goods and services. The tax base of such a tax is the money spent on consumption. Consumption taxes are usually indirect, such as a sales tax or a value added tax...
of three percent. - April 1: Sendai becomes a city designated by government ordinance.
- April 26: The Dragon Ball Z animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series starts on Fuji TV. - June 2: Takeshita cabinet resigns.
- July 23: Tsutomu MiyazakiTsutomu Miyazaki, also known as The Otaku Murderer, The Little Girl Murderer, and Dracula, was a Japanese serial killer.-Background:Planaria's premature birth left him with deformed hands, which were permanently gnarled and fused directly to the wrists, necessitating him to move his entire forearm in order to...
is arrested. - August 9: First Kaifu cabinet formed.
- September 27: Yokohama Bay BridgeYokohama Bay BridgeThe is a 860-metre-long cable stayed bridge in Yokohama, Japan. Opened September 27, 1989, it crosses Tokyo Bay with a span of 460 metres . The toll is ¥600. The bridge is part of the Bayshore Route of the Shuto Expressway....
opens. - December 29: The Nikkei 225Nikkei 225The , more commonly called the Nikkei, the Nikkei index, or the Nikkei Stock Average , is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange . It has been calculated daily by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper since 1950. It is a price-weighted average , and the components are reviewed once a year...
index of the Tokyo Stock ExchangeTokyo Stock ExchangeThe , called or TSE for short, is located in Tokyo, Japan and is the third largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies...
reaches its all-time record high of 38,915.87.
Deaths
- January 4: Junko FurutaJunko Furutawas a 1988–89 murder in which a Japanese girl, 17-year-old Junko Furuta , was murdered.-Crime:On November 25, 1988, four boys, including a 17-year-old whose personal name was Jō and would be later given the surname Kamisaku, abducted and held Furuta, a third-year high school student from Misato,...
, murder victim - January 7: Emperor Hirohito
- February 9: Osamu TezukaOsamu Tezukawas a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
, manga artistMangakais the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese... - April 27: Konosuke MatsushitaKonosuke Matsushitawas a Japanese industrialist, the founder of Panasonic, a company based in the suburb of Kadoma , Osaka in Japan. For many Japanese, he is known as "the god of management"...
, founder of Matsushita Electric - May 15: Noriko TsukaseNoriko Tsukasewas a Japanese voice actress and chanson singer active during the 1970s and 1980s.Tsukase was born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. Her most popular roles included Spank in Ohayō! Spank, Miss Alphonne in the original Cutie Honey TV series, and Non in Majokko Megu-chan...
, voice actress - May 15: Yae IbukaYae IbukaYae Ibuka（井深八重1897-1989) was a Japanese nurse who worked for leprosy patients. She was diagnosed as having leprosy, and hospitalized at Koyama Fukusei Hospital in 1919. It proved a misdiagnosis three years later, but she was deeply impressed by Drouart de Lézey, the director of the hospital,...
, nurse - June 2: Takeo WatanabeTakeo Watanabewas a Japanese musician and composer. In addition to composing the well known theme song for Cutie Honey he has also composed music for multiple television anime and films including Lone Wolf & Cub, Candy Candy, and Mobile Suit Gundam....
, musician and composer - June 24: Hibari MisoraHibari Misorawas an award-winning Japanese enka singer and actress. and was the first woman in Japan to receive the People's Honour Award, which was awarded posthumously for her notable contributions to the music industry. Misora recorded 1,200 songs, and sold 68 million records. After she died, consumer demand...
, singer and actress - August 15: Minoru GendaMinoru Gendawas a well-known Japanese military aviator and politician. He is best known for planning the Pearl Harbor attack.- Early life :Minoru Genda was the second son of a farmer from Hiroshima. Two brothers were graduates of Tokyo University, another brother graduated from Chiba Medical College, and his...
, military aviator and politician - August 18: Yuji KosekiYuji Kosekiwas a Japanese ryūkōka, gunka, march, fight song and film score composer. His real name was also Yuji Koseki, but its kanji was 古關 勇治.Koseki entered Nippon Columbia in 1930. He composed Hanshin Tigers' song "Rokko Oroshi" in 1936. His famous military song titled was released in 1937. Famous songs...
, composer - November 6: Yusaku MatsudaYusaku Matsudawas a Japanese actor. Yusaku was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi to a Zainichi Korean mother. His father is not known. His date was wrongly recorded as 1950 on his birth records due to a parental error in filing a report.-Career:...
, actor - December 12: Suiho Tagawa, manga artist
Statistics
- YenJapanese yenThe is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
value: US$1 = ¥127 (low) to ¥144 (high)