Portal:Japan/Anniversaries/January/January 1

Events

1873 - Japan begins using the Gregorian calendar
1930 - The Ministry of Rail adopts the metric system for all of Japan's railways
1946 - Emperor Shōwa renounces his divinity, known in Japanese as the Human Declaration
1948 - The Nijūbashi Bridge, a well known double arched stone bridge located between the front and middle gates of the Imperial Palace, is opened to the public
1950 - The old practice of advancing one's age every New Year's Day (regardless of one's date of birth) is replaced by the western style of advancing one's age on each anniversary of one's date of birth. Under the old system, someone born on November 1, for example, would turn one on January 1, two months later.
1963 - The well known animated television show Astro Boy begins a four-year 200-episode run
1973 - Health care for those over 70 years of age is made free of charge
1991 - Telephone numbers in Tokyo are expanded from 7 digits to 8 digits

Births

1638 - Emperor Go-Sai (d. 1685)
1884 - Chikuhei Nakajima (d. 1949), naval officer, engineer, and politician, founded Nakajima Aircraft Company
1894 - Shitsu Nakano (d. 2007), super-centenarian
1900 - Chiune Sugihara (d. 1986), diplomat
1907 - Kinue Hitomi (d. 1931), sprinter and long jumper
1919 - Yoshio Tabata (d. 2013), singer-songwriter and guitarist
1929 - Haruo Nakajima, actor, stuntman, and choreographer
1956 - Kōji Yakusho, actor
1968 - Miki Higashino, pianist and composer
1975 - Eiichiro Oda, illustrator
1979 - Koichi Domoto, singer-songwriter and actor
1983 - Emi Kobayashi, model and actress

Holidays and observances