1941 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Hirohito
• Prime Minister:
• *Fumimaro Konoe: until October 18
• *Hideki Tōjō: from October 18

  Events

• January 25 - Panjiayu tragedy
• January 30-March 1 - Battle of South Henan
• March - Western Hubei Operation
• March 14-April 9 - Battle of Shanggao
• May 7–27 - Battle of South Shanxi
• July 29 - Organo is founded, as predecessor name was Yamanashi Chemical Industry.
• September 6-October 8 - Battle of Changsha
• September 16 - An express train collision with standing local passenger train in Aboshi Station, Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture. Total 85 persons were fatalities, 71 persons were wounded, according to Railway Ministry of Japan official confirmed report.
• October 22 - Takahito, Prince Mikasa marries Yuriko Takagi henceforth Yuriko, Princess Mikasa
• December 7 - Attack on Pearl Harbor
• December 7–13 - Niihau Incident
• December 8–10 - Battle of Guam
• December 8–23 - Battle of Wake Island
• December 8–25 - Battle of Hong Kong

  Births

• January 3 - Judi Yassin, actress
• January 5 - Hayao Miyazaki, film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and manga artist
• January 22 - Rintaro, anime director
• July 8 - Masayuki Minami, volleyball player
• August 26 - Akiko Wakabayashi, actress
• September 10 - Gunpei Yokoi, creator of Game Boy and Game & Watch handheld systems
• November 21 - Eiji Kanie, voice actor
• December 10 - Kyu Sakamoto, singer and actor

  Deaths

• January 22 - Hayashi Tadataka, former daimyō
• August 22 - Hasegawa Shigure, playwright
• August 27 - Mitsuko Aoyama, emigrate, wife of Heinrich von Coudenhove-Kalergi
• September 2 - Kei Okami, physician, first Japanese woman to obtain a degree in Western medicine from a Western university
• December 11 - Masaaki Iinuma, aviator, flew the first Japanese-built aircraft from Japan to Western Europe
• December 13 - Shigenori Nishikaichi, military pilot
• December 24 - Sueo Ōe, athlete