1946 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Hirohito
• Prime Minister: Kijuro Shidehara, Shigeru Yoshida
• Supreme Commander Allied Powers: Douglas MacArthur

  Events

• January 1: Emperor Shōwa renounces his divinity, known in Japanese as the Human Declaration
• January 4: The Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, General Douglas MacArthur order the Japanese government to expel all militarists from positions of power. The disbandment of all ultra-nationalist organizations is also ordered.
• March 2: Kose Cosmetics founded in Oji region, Tokyo, as predecessor name was Kobayashi Kose Cosmetics.
• April 10: The Diet elections. Liberal Party wins 141 of 466 Diet seats, followed by the Progressive Party with 94 and the Socialist Party with 93.
• April 16: Kijuro Shidehara resigns as president of the Progressive Party, and as prime minister effective April 22.
• April 22: Sazae-san is first published.
• May 2: Ichiro Hatoyama receives Imperial Order to form a cabinet.
• May 3: International Military Tribunal for the Far East convenes.
• May 4: Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers purges Hatoyama.
• May 7: Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, the predecessor of Sony, is founded.
• May 16: Shigeru Yoshida receives Imperial Order to form a cabinet.
• May 22: Yoshida cabinet announced.
• June 20: Emperor Hirohito submits a revision of the Imperial Constitution to the Diet.
• August 16: Keidanren established.
• August 20: Serial killer Yoshio Kodaira is arrested.
• November 3: Constitution of Japan promulgated.
• December 21: The Nankai earthquake strikes Wakayama Prefecture, killing 1,443.
• Unknown date: Kubo Home Electric Shop, as predecessor of Edion was founded in Hiroshima Prefecture.

  Births

• January 2: Gorou Ibuki, actor
• February 3: Takako Iida, volleyball player
• February 19: Hiroshi Fujioka, actor
• February 22: Kumiko Sato, figure skater
• June 1: Yūko Shiokawa, violinist
• June 2: Tomomichi Nishimura, voice actor
• July 1: Masaharu Satō, voice actor
• July 16: Toshio Furukawa, voice actor and narrator
• August 2: Kenji Nakagami, novelist and essayist
• August 6: Ichikawa Danjūrō, actor
• August 21: Norio Yoshimizu, football player
• September 18: Akira Kamiya, voice actor
• October 10: Naoto Kan, politician and prime minister of Japan
• October 11: Sawao Kato, gymnast
• October 30: Katsuhisa Hōki, actor and voice actor
• November 4: Isamu Sonoda, judoka
• November 6: Tsuguhiko Kozuka, figure skater
• November 13: Reiko Ohara, actress
• November 14: Kai Atō, actor and TV presenter
• November 22: Mitsuko Baisho, actress
• November 28: Kazuhiro Ninomiya, judoka
• December 4: Yō Inoue, voice actress
• December 14: Hiroshi Nagakubo, pair skater

  Deaths

• Jnaaury 30: Kan Abe, politician
• February 10: Mushitaro Oguri, novelist
• February 13: Tamotsu Oishi, career officer
• February 23: Tomoyuki Yamashita, general
• April 3: Masaharu Homma, lieutenant general
• April 5: Fujiro Katsurada, parasitologist
• April 19: Rikichi Andō, general
• June 12: Hisaichi Terauchi, marshal
• June 26: Yōsuke Matsuoka, diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs
• August 16: Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu
• September 24: Yoshio Tachibana, lieutenant general
• September 30: Takashi Sakai, lieutenant general
• December 7: Sada Yacco, geisha, actress and dancer
• December 12: Gennosuke Fuse, anatomist