1973 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Hirohito
• Prime minister: Kakuei Tanaka
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Susumu Nikaido
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Kazuto Ishida until May 19, Tomokazu Murakami from May 21
• President of the House of Representatives: Umekichi Nakamura until May 29, Shigesaburō Maeo
• President of the House of Councillors: Kenzō Kōno
• Diet sessions: 71st, 72nd

  Events

• January 1 - Health care for those over 70 years of age is made free of charge
• March 8 - According to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report, Yawata General Hospital fire in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, total 13 patients were fatalities.
• March 19 - Konami is established.
• July 23 - Nidec was founded, as predecessor name was Nippon Densan Corporation.
• August 17 - Miyama Real Estate, as predecessor of Leopalace founded in Nakano, Tokyo.
• October 27 - A retailer CGC Group founded.
• November 29 - Fire breaks out in Taiyo department store in Kumamoto City, killing over a hundred.

  Births

• January 2 - Michiyo Nakajima, actress, voice actress and former pop singer.
• January 11 - Eri Fukatsu, actress
• January 16 - Maki Miyamae, pop singer
• January 18 - Shinobu Nakayama, singer and former pop singer
• January 31 - Shingo Katayama, golfer
• February 1 - Makiko Ohmoto, voice actress
• February 7 - Mie Sonozaki, voice actress
• February 28 - Masato Tanaka, professional wrestler
• March 6 - Rumi Ochiai, voice actress
• March 7 - Eiji Takemoto, voice actor
• March 24 - Sakura Tange, voice actress and singer
• March 27 - Sayaka Aoki, comedian
• April 6 - Rie Miyazawa, actress and singer
• April 21 - Katsuyuki Konishi, voice actor
• May 8 - Hiromu Arakawa, manga artist
• May 16 - Kōsuke Toriumi, voice actor
• May 18 - Kaz Hayashi, professional wrestler
• May 29 - Tomoko Kaneda, voice actress and J-pop singer
• June 12 - Mitsuki Saiga, voice actress
• June 18 - Yumi Kakazu, voice actress
• June 19 - Yuko Nakazawa, singer
• July 4 - Gackt, singer-songwriter and actor
• July 7 - Natsuki Takaya, manga artist
• July 17 - Daimaou Kosaka, comedian
• August 13 - Ryoko Shinohara, actress
• August 31 - Kaori Mizumori, enka singer
• September 1 - Rieko Miura, actress and singer
• September 9 - Kazuhisa Ishii, baseball player
• September 18 - Ami Onuki, singer
• October 11 - Daisuke Sakaguchi, voice actor
• October 13 - Nanako Matsushima, actress and model
• October 20 - Tomoka Shibasaki, writer
• October 22 - Ichiro Suzuki, baseball player
• October 26 - Taka Michinoku, professional wrestler
• November 6 - Rumi Shishido, voice actress and singer
• December 11 - Yūko Obuchi, politician and cabinet minister
• December 19 - Takashi Sorimachi, actor and singer

  Deaths

• April 25 - Tanzan Ishibashi, journalist and politician
• May 2 - Akiko Seki, soprano
• September 15 - Saburō Matsukata, journalist, businessman and mountaineer
• September 18 - Ken Harada, first Japanese diplomat to the Holy See
• October 7 - Masayuki Mori, actor
• November 23 - Sesue Hayakawa, actor