1996 in Japan

Events in the year 1996 in Japan.

The year 1996 corresponded to Heisei 8 (平成8年) in the Japanese calendar.

Incumbents
 Emperor: Akihito
 Prime Minister: Tomiichi Murayama (S–Ōita) until January 11, Ryūtarō Hashimoto (L–Okayama)
 Chief Cabinet Secretary: Kōken Nosaka (S–Tottori) until January 11, Seiroku Kajiyama (L–Ibaraki)
 Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Tōru Miyoshi
 President of the House of Representatives: Takako Doi (S–Hyōgo) until September 27 (dissolution), Sōichirō Itō (L–Miyagi) from November 7
 President of the House of Councillors: Jūrō Saitō (L–Mie)
 Diet sessions: 135th (extraordinary, January 11 to January 13), 136th (regular, January 22 to June 19), 137th (extraordinary, September 27, HR dissolved on same day), 138th (special, November 7 to November 12), 139th (extraordinary, November 29 to December 18)

Events

 January 11 – Ryutaro Hashimoto, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, becomes Prime Minister.
 February 10 – A boulder falls onto the Toyohama Tunnel in Furubira, Hokkaido, crushing a bus and several cars and resulting in 20 fatalities.
 February 27 – Pokémon Red and Green was released in Japan as the first game in the Pokémon series.
 April 1 - Tokyo Big Sight opens.
 June 13 - Garuda Indonesia Flight 865 crashes on takeoff from Fukuoka Airport, resulting in three fatalities.
 June 23 - The Nintendo 64 video game system is released in Japan.
 June 25 - A train on the Takayama Main Line collides with a fallen boulder, resulting in 16 injuries.
 July 16 – An outbreak of E. coli food poisoning in Sakai City resulted in 6309 schoolchildren and 92 school staff members from 62 municipal elementary schools falling ill.
 August 8 - Tokyo Opera City Tower is completed.
 November 26 - Tamagotchi is released.
 December 6 - Gamahara Swamp Landslide disaster, A landslide recurs, during restoration work for landslide by heaviest rain hit in July 1995, borders between Nagano Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture, according to Japan Fire and Disaster Mamagement Agency confirmed report, 14 workers were lost to lives, nine were wounded.

Fashion and Rebellion
In the 1990s in Japan, we begin to see an influx of growth in the fashion community. The infamous Harajuku style, as well as the birth of a popular style known as Gyaru. Both fashion styles as well as the many sub groups of fashion in Japan, were built due to the idea that most youth in Japan were tired of being conformed into one look. We begin to see Japan break away from the idea of being a country built on tradition and monotony, and branch into what it has come today; a colorful and vibrant place.

Births
 January 10 - Sakurako Ohara,  actress and singer
 January 12 - Ai Hashimoto, actress and fashion model
 January 13 - Ami Inamura, gravure idol, and sportscaster
 February 7 - Mai Hagiwara, singer
 February 10
Shiori Niiyama, singer and songwriter
Ukyo Shuto, professional baseball player
February 16 - Nana Komatsu, actress and model
 April 3 - Mayo Hibi, tennis player
 May 18 - Yuki Kadono, snowboarder
 May 21 - Sarina Koga, volleyball player
 May 28 - Ayano Kudo, model and actress
 June 5 - Yuya Ozeki, actor
 June 11 
 Naoki Maeda (born 1996), footballer
 Ayaka Sasaki, singer
 July 5 - Risa Shoji, figure skater
 July 18 - Shiina Natsukawa, voice actress and singer
 August 24 - Kenzo Shirai, gymnast
 September 6 - Rika Hongo, figure skater
 September 12 - Nakamura Umemaru, actor
 September 19 - Haruka Kodama, idol singer
 October 8 - Sara Takanashi, ski jumper
 October 30 - Mizuki Fukumura, singer
 November 15 - Kanako Watanabe, swimmer
 November 16 - Hiroshi Kaino, professional baseball player
 November 18 - Saki Ogawa, former singer
 December 12 - Karen Miyama, actress
 December 13 - Miu Sato, figure skater

Deaths
January 7 – Tarō Okamoto, artist (b. 1911)
January 8 – Michiya Mihashi, enka singer (b. 1930)
February 12 – Ryōtarō Shiba, writer (b. 1923)
February 20 – Tōru Takemitsu, composer (b. 1930)
May 11 – Yasuko Namba, mountaineer, summited the Seven Summits (b. 1949)
June 6 – Kusuo Kitamura, Olympic swimmer (b. 1917)
July 30 – Arihiro Hase, actor and voice actor (b. 1965)
August 4 – Kiyoshi Atsumi, actor (Otoko wa Tsurai yo) (b. 1928)
September 23 – Fujiko F. Fujio, cartoonist (b. 1933)
September 29 – Shūsaku Endō, novelist (b. 1923)

See also
 1996 in Japanese television
 List of Japanese films of 1996

References

 
Category:Years of the 20th century in Japan
Japan
Japan