1996 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Akihito
• Prime Minister: Tomiichi Murayama until January 11, Ryūtarō Hashimoto
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Kōken Nosaka until January 11, Seiroku Kajiyama
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Tōru Miyoshi
• President of the House of Representatives: Takako Doi until September 27, Sōichirō Itō from November 7
• President of the House of Councillors: Jūrō Saitō
• Diet sessions: 135th, 136th, 137th, 138th, 139th

  Events

• January 11 – Ryutaro Hashimoto, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, becomes Prime Minister.
• February 10 – A boulder falls onto the Toyohama Tunnel in Furubira, Hokkaido, crushing a bus and several cars and resulting in 20 fatalities.
• February 27 – Pokémon Red and Green was released in Japan as the first game in the Pokémon series.
• April 1 - Tokyo Big Sight opens.
• June 13 - Garuda Indonesia Flight 865 crashes on takeoff from Fukuoka Airport, resulting in three fatalities.
• June 23 - The Nintendo 64 video game system is released in Japan.
• June 25 - A train on the Takayama Main Line collides with a fallen boulder, resulting in 16 injuries.
• July 16 – An outbreak of E. coli food poisoning in Sakai City resulted in 6309 schoolchildren and 92 school staff members from 62 municipal elementary schools falling ill.
• August 8 - Tokyo Opera City Tower is completed.
• November 26 - Tamagotchi is released.
• December 6 - Gamahara Swamp Landslide disaster, A landslide recurs, during restoration work for landslide by heaviest rain hit in July 1995, borders between Nagano Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture, according to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency confirmed report, 14 workers were lost to lives, nine were wounded.

  Fashion and Rebellion

Births

• January 10 - Sakurako Ohara, actress and singer
• January 12 - Ai Hashimoto, actress and fashion model
• January 13 - Ami Inamura, gravure idol, and sportscaster
• February 7 - Mai Hagiwara, singer
• February 10
• *Shiori Niiyama, singer and songwriter
• *Ukyo Shuto, professional baseball player
• February 16 - Nana Komatsu, actress and model
• February 18 - Ikumi Hisamatsu, fashion model and actress
• April 3 - Mayo Hibi, tennis player
• May 18 - Yuki Kadono, snowboarder
• May 21 - Sarina Koga, volleyball player
• May 28 - Ayano Kudo, model and actress
• June 5 - Yuya Ozeki, actor
• June 11
• * Naoki Maeda, footballer
• * Ayaka Sasaki, singer
• June 30 - Kazuma Okamoto, professional baseball player
• July 5 - Risa Shoji, figure skater
• July 18 - Shiina Natsukawa, voice actress and singer
• August 24 - Kenzo Shirai, gymnast
• September 6 - Rika Hongo, figure skater
• September 12 - Nakamura Umemaru, actor
• September 19 - Haruka Kodama, idol singer
• October 8 - Sara Takanashi, ski jumper
• October 30 - Mizuki Fukumura, singer
• November 15 - Kanako Watanabe, swimmer
• November 16 - Hiroshi Kaino, professional baseball player
• November 18 - Saki Ogawa, former singer
• December 12 - Karen Miyama, actress
• December 13 - Miu Sato, figure skater

  Deaths

• January 7 - Tarō Okamoto, artist
• January 8 - Michiya Mihashi, enka singer
• February 12 - Ryōtarō Shiba, writer
• February 20 - Tōru Takemitsu, composer
• May 11 - Yasuko Namba, mountaineer, summited the Seven Summits
• June 6 - Kusuo Kitamura, Olympic swimmer
• July 30 - Arihiro Hase, actor and voice actor
• August 4 - Kiyoshi Atsumi, actor
• September 23 - Fujiko F. Fujio, cartoonist
• September 29 - Shūsaku Endō, novelist