1977 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Hirohito
• Prime minister: Takeo Fukuda
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Sunao Sonoda until November 28, Shintaro Abe
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Ekizo Fujibayashi until August 25, Masao Okahara from August 26
• President of the House of Representatives: Shigeru Hori
• President of the House of Councillors: Kenzō Kōno until July 3, Ken Yasui from July 28
• Diet sessions: 80th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 84th

  Events

• January 4 - Poisoned cola is placed in a telephone booth near Shinagawa Station, killing two.
• June 15 - Outbreak of cholera in Arida, Wakayama prefecture.
• August 7 - Mount Usu erupts.
• September 9 - Typhoon Babe strikes Okinoerabujima.
• September 19 - Yutaka Kume is abducted by North Korean agents in Noto Peninsula - beginning of North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens.

  Births

• January 3 - Mayumi Iizuka, voice actress
• January 22 - Hidetoshi Nakata, footballer
• March 15 - Norifumi Yamamoto, mixed martial artist
• April 27 - Dai Fujikura, composer
• May 26 - Misaki Ito, actress
• June 22 - Ryōko Ono, voice actress
• June 25 - Naoya Tsukahara, gymnast
• June 26 - Tite Kubo, manga artist, creator of BLEACH
• August 13 - Miho Konishi, actress
• August 22 - Miho Kanno, actress and singer
• August 23 - Kenta Miyake, voice actor
• August 25 - Masumi Asano, voice actress
• August 30 - Sayori Ishizuka, voice actress
• September 6 - Kiyoshi Hikawa, enka singer
• September 15 - Angela Aki, singer-songwriter
• September 20 - Namie Amuro, singer
• December 6 - Miwa Yasuda, voice actress

  Deaths

• March 21 - Kinuyo Tanaka, actress
• March 31 - Yasuji Kamada, photographer
• December 19 - Takeo Kurita, admiral