1970 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Shōwa
• Prime Minister: Eisaku Satō
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Shigeru Hori
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Kazuto Ishida
• President of the House of Representatives: Naka Funada from January 14
• President of the House of Councillors: Yūzō Shigemune

  Events

• March 15 – September 13 – Expo '70 in Osaka.
• March 31 – Hijacking of Japan Airlines Flight 351
• April 8 – Gas explosion at subway construction site in Osaka kills 79, injures over 400.
• May 13 – According to Japan Coast Guard official confirmed report, a suspicion man shot dead by Japanese authority after two-days, with another all passengers and crew freed, a passenger ferry Prince hijacking off Kurushima Straight, Seto Inland Sea.
• June 29 – According to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report, a Ryōmō General hospital fire, resulting to 17 person fatalities with 10 person injures, in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture.
• October – Mitsubishi Motors is founded. The Mitsubishi keiretsu had already begun making cars as far back as 1917, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries had made many vehicles in the postwar era, but the actual company would not be founded until this date.
• November 25 – In Tokyo, author and Tatenokai militia leader Yukio Mishima and his followers take over the headquarters of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in an attempted coup d'état. After Mishima's speech fails to sway public opinion towards his right-wing political beliefs, including restoration of the powers of the Emperor, he commits seppuku.
• December 20 - Koza riot: a violent and spontaneous protest against the US military presence in Okinawa. Roughly 5,000 Okinawans clashed with roughly 700 American MPs in an event which has been regarded as symbolic of Okinawan anger against 25 years of US military occupation. In the riot, approximately 60 Americans were injured, 80 cars were burned, and several buildings on Kadena Air Base were destroyed or heavily damaged.

  Births

• January 19 - Udo Suzuki, comedian
• January 30 - Kimiya Yui, astronaut
• February 18 - Junko Iwao, voice actress and singer
• February 23 - Shoko Aida, J-pop artist and actress
• March 1 - Miho Nakayama, singer and actress
• March 21 - Shiho Niiyama, voice actress
• April 5 - Miho Hatori, singer-songwriter
• April 14 - Shizuka Kudo, pop singer and actress
• April 23 - Sadao Abe, actor
• April 25 - Tomoko Kawakami, voice actress
• May 25 - Satsuki Yukino, voice actress,
• May 26 - Nobuhiro Watsuki, manga artist
• September 8 - Motoko Kumai, voice actress
• September 13 - Susumu Chiba, voice actor
• September 19
• *Yuka Imai, voice actress
• *Takanori Nishikawa, singer
• September 25
• *Aja Kong, professional wrestler
• *Misa Shimizu, actress
• September 26 - Yukio Iketani, gymnast
• September 27 - Yoshiharu Habu, professional shogi player
• September 28 - Kimiko Date-Krumm, tennis player
• September 29 - Yoshihiro Tajiri, professional wrestler
• September 30 - Yūto Kazama, voice actor
• October 8 - Tetsuya Nomura, video game creator and film director
• October 14 - Hiromi Nagasaku, actress and singer
• December 27 - Naoko Yamazaki, astronaut

  Deaths

• January 7 - Ken'ichi Enomoto, comedian and singer
• January 25 - Eiji Tsuburaya, film director and special effects designer
• May 7 - Mosaburō Suzuki, journalist, essayist, and socialist politician
• May 19 - Haruo Oka, ryūkōka singer
• November 25
• *Yukio Mishima, author, poet, and playwright
• *Masakatsu Morita, political activist