February 11, 660 BC—Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.

Tags: Ancient Japan, Yamato Period, Monarchy, Shinto, Mythology

Suinin, Legendary Emperor of Japan (29 BC–AD 70)

Tags: Ancient Japan, Emperor, Yamato Period, Mythology, Political History, Shinto, Imperial Rule, Governance

Emperor Guang Wu grants Nakoku (located around modern-day Fukuoka City) a golden seal, being the oldest evidence of writing in Japan. In return King N...

Tags: Diplomacy, Tributary System, Han Dynasty, Imperial Authority

Emperor Suinin of Japan, according to legend.

Tags: Ancient Japan, Emperor, Yamato Period, Mythology, Shinto, Governance

Buddhism introduced to Japan from Baekje during the Asuka period.

Tags: Buddhism, Asuka Period, Baekje, Religious Diffusion, Cultural Exchange, Shinto

Hōryū-ji temple believed to have been completed in Ikaruga, Japan.

Tags: Buddhism, Japanese History, Asuka Period, Architecture, Religious Sites, Cultural Heritage

Two Chinese monks, Zhi Yu and Zhi You, reconstruct the 3rd century south-pointing chariot mechanical compass-vehicle for Emperor Tenji of Japan.

Tags: Compass, Tang Dynasty, Asuka Period, Mechanical Devices

The Taihō Code is enacted in late Asuka period Japan.

Tags: Japanese History, Asuka Period, Legal Code, Governance, Centralization, Emperor, Political Reform, Bureaucracy

Empress Genmei moves the capital to Heijō-kyū (present day Nara), initiating the Nara period of Japan.

Tags: Japanese History, Capital City, Empress, Political Transition, Imperial Court, Governance

Emperor Kanmu moves the capital to Heian-kyō (present day Kyoto), initiating the Heian period of Japan.

Tags: Heian Period, Japanese History, Political Change, Imperial Japan, Governance

1008: Japanese Lady Murasaki Shikibu writes The Tale of Genji.

Tags: Heian Period, Japanese Literature, Novel

– Lady Murasaki Shikibu writes her Japanese novel, The Tale of Genji.

Tags: Literature, Japanese Literature, Heian Period, Novel, Fiction, Classical Literature, Cultural Influence

Fujiwara no Yorimichi converts the rural villa at Byōdō-in into a famous Japanese Buddhist temple.

Tags: Buddhism, Japanese History, Heian Period, Temple, Architecture, Religious Conversion

– The Uji Dainagon Monogatari, a collection of stories allegedly penned by Minamoto-no-Takakuni, is written sometime between now and 1077.

Tags: Heian Period, Classical Literature, Prose, Storytelling

1073: the reign of Japanese Emperor Go-Sanjō brings about a brief period where central power is taken out of the hands of the Fujiwara clan.

Tags: Heian Period, Imperial Authority, Political Reform, Aristocracy, Centralization, Power Struggle

Hōnen Shōnin (Genkū) founds the Jōdo shū (Pure Land) sect of Buddhism.

Tags: Buddhism, Religious Movements, Heian Period, Kamakura Period, Religious Reform

Beginning in this year the Kamakura shogunate deprives the emperor of Japan of political power.

Tags: Feudalism, Shogunate, Emperor, Kamakura Period, Military Dictatorship, Political Power, Civil War

Minamoto no Yoritomo is appointed Sei-i Taishōgun, "barbarian-subduing great general", shōgun for short, the first military dictator to bear this titl...

Tags: Feudalism, Shogunate, Military Dictatorship, Kamakura Period, Political Transition, Japanese History, Samurai, Governance

1333: The Genkō War in Japan deposes the Kamakura Shogunate, ending the Kamakura Period and beginning the Kenmu Restoration under Emperor Go-Daigo.

Tags: Kamakura Period, Shogunate, Civil War, Political Transition, Feudalism

The Kenmu Restoration ends and the Muromachi period begins in Japan; start of the Nanboku-chō period.

Tags: Shogunate, Civil War, Feudalism, Emperor, Military Rule

Emperor Go-Kameyama of Japan abdicates in favor of rival claimant Go-Komatsu, in order to end the Nanboku-chō period of conflict between the Northern ...

Tags: Emperor, Imperial Court, Civil War, Abdication, Political Transition, Middle Ages, Governance

Construction of Edo Castle begins.

Tags: Edo Period, Architecture, Military, Shogunate, Governance, Feudalism, Territorial Control

Jesuit China Mission, Francis Xavier dies.

Tags: Jesuits, Christianity, Missionary, Catholicism, Missionary Work, Age of Exploration, Religious Conversion

Death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, known as the unifier of Japan.

Tags: Sengoku Period, Unification, Power Struggle, Succession, Daimyo, Feudalism, Shogunate

Tokugawa Ieyasu takes the title of shōgun, establishing the Tokugawa shogunate. This begins the Edo period, which will last until 1868.

Tags: Shogunate, Edo Period, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Feudalism, Samurai, Japanese History, Political Transition, Centralization, Military Dictatorship

In Nagasaki, the Portuguese Jesuit missionary João Rodrigues publishes Nippo Jisho, the first dictionary of Japanese to a European (Portuguese) langua...

Tags: Jesuits, Dictionary, Linguistics, Translation, Language, Cultural Exchange

Tokugawa Ieyasu passes the title of shōgun to his son, Tokugawa Hidetada, and "retires" to Sunpu Domain.

Tags: Tokugawa Shogunate, Succession, Edo Period, Feudalism, Centralization, Military Dictatorship

Death of retired shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Tags: Feudalism, Succession, Samurai

In a notorious but disputed incident, known as the 'Amboyna massacre', ten English and ten Japanese traders are arrested, tried and beheaded for consp...

Tags: Colonialism, East Indies, Spice Trade, Dutch East India Company, British East India Company, Maritime History, Massacre

1639: Japan transforms into "locked country".

Tags: Isolationism, Edo Period, Shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Foreign Policy, Trade, Nationalism, Political Control

The Love Suicides at Sonezaki by Chikamatsu first performed

Tags: Edo Period, Kabuki, Drama, Literature, Theater

Chushingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers), popular Japanese puppet play, composed

Tags: Edo Period, Kabuki, Loyalty, Art

Ugetsu Monogatari (Tales of Moonlight and Rain) by Ueda Akinari

Tags: Japanese Literature, Edo Period, Fiction, Classical Literature, Literary Influence

Kansei Reforms instituted in Japan by Matsudaira Sadanobu.

Tags: Edo Period, Shogunate, Political Reform, Economic Policy, Social Order, Feudalism, Japanese History, Governance

The Convention of Kanagawa formally ends Japan's policy of isolation. This would open up two ports in Japan to American ships and offered protection t...

Tags: Imperialism, Isolationism, Trade, Diplomacy, Treaty, Meiji Restoration, Globalization

1866–1869: After the Meiji Restoration, Japan embarks on a program of rapid modernization.

Tags: Meiji Restoration, Modernization, Industrialization, Political Reform, Westernization, Imperialism

The feudal system is dismantled in Japan.

Tags: Meiji Restoration, Feudalism, Abolition, Political Reform, Samurai, Daimyo, Centralization, Modernization, Imperialism

The samurai class is abolished in Japan.

Tags: Meiji Restoration, Samurai, Feudalism, Social Reform, Modernization, Military Reform, Political Transformation, Imperial Japan

Taiwan is ceded to the Empire of Japan as a result of the First Sino-Japanese war.

Tags: Imperialism, Colonialism, Sino-Japanese War, Meiji Restoration, Territorial Expansion, Treaty of Shimonoseki, Japanese Empire, Qing Dynasty

1899–1900: Open Door Policy proclaimed to protect China.

Tags: Imperialism, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Trade, International Relations

July 24: Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907.

Tags: Imperialism, Colonialism, Treaty, Japanese Empire, Protectorate

Japan and China sign the Jiandao/Gando Treaty.

Tags: Treaty, Diplomacy, Border Dispute, Qing Dynasty, Territorial Claims

August 29: Imperial Japan annexes Korea.

Tags: Imperialism, Colonialism, Annexation, Japanese Empire, Political History, World War I, Meiji Restoration

July 30: Emperor Meiji dies, ending the Meiji era; his son, the Emperor Taishō, becomes Emperor of Japan.

Tags: Monarchy, Emperor, Succession, Japanese History, Political Transition

February 6: Pius XI becomes Pope. The Washington Naval Treaty is signed.

Tags: Treaty, Catholicism, World War I Aftermath, Diplomacy, International Relations

The Yagi-Uda Antenna or simply Yagi Antenna is invented by Shintaro Uda of Tohoku Imperial University, assisted by his colleague Hidetsugu Yagi. The Y...

Tags: Radio Technology, Wireless Communication, World War II, Telecommunications

December 25: Emperor Taishō dies; his son, the Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) becomes Emperor of Japan.

Tags: Monarchy, Emperor, Succession, Imperialism

October 5: Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon Jr. complete the first non-stop flight across the Pacific Ocean in their plane, Miss Veedol, in 41½ hours.

Tags: Aviation, Transportation

March 27: Japan announces it will leave the League of Nations.

Tags: League of Nations, Japanese Empire, International Relations, Diplomacy, Interwar Period, Nationalism, Expansionism, World War II

The first video tape recorder, a helical scan recorder, is invented by Norikazu Sawazaki.

Tags: Media, Communication, Electronics

November 3: Godzilla is released in Japan.

Tags: Film, Science Fiction, Cinema, Post-War, Cultural Impact

April 18 – 24: Bandung Conference.

Tags: Decolonization, Cold War, International Relations, Diplomacy, Post-Colonialism

October 12: Inejiro Asanuma, a Japanese socialist politician, is assassinated during a broadcast on TV.

Tags: Assassination, Political Violence, Socialism, Cold War, Post-War

January 1: Premiere of the Astro Boy anime, the first to be broadcast overseas.

Tags: Animation, Television, Children's Entertainment

Shinkansen, the first high-speed rail commercial passenger service.

Tags: Transportation, Railroad, Infrastructure, Economic Development

First high-speed rail introduced in Tokyo.

Tags: Transportation, Infrastructure, Modernization, Economy

The pocket calculator is invented.

Tags: Electronics, Computing, Mathematics, Consumer Goods

The lithium-ion battery is invented by M. Stanley Whittingham, and further developed in the 1980s and 1990s by John B. Goodenough, Rachid Yazami and A...

Tags: Consumer Electronics, Electric Vehicles

September 9: Death of Mao Zedong. Release of VHS (Video Home System) in Japan.

Tags: Communism, Mao Zedong, Consumer Electronics, Post-Mao Era

The first self-driving car that did not rely upon rails or wires under the road is designed by the Tsukuba Mechanical Engineering Laboratory.

Tags: Transportation, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) launched the first cellular network in Japan.

Tags: Telecommunications, Cellular Technology, Mobile Phones, Consumer Electronics

May 22: Release of Pac-Man, the best-selling arcade game.

Tags: Video Games, Arcade Games, Entertainment, Pop Culture, Consumerism

Flash memory (both NOR and NAND types) was invented by Fujio Masuoka while working for Toshiba. It was formally introduced to the public in 1984.

Tags: Memory, Electronics, Computer Science

October 1: Sony releases the world's first commercially sold CD player, the Sony CDP-101.

Tags: Consumer Electronics, Music, Sony, Media

A CD-ROM contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 Yellow Book standard developed by ...

Tags: Data Storage, Digital Media, Sony, Philips

The first laptop computer is launched, the 8/16-bit Epson HX-20.

Tags: Computers, Electronics

July 14: Nintendo releases Mario Bros.

Tags: Video Games, Arcade Games, Entertainment, Gaming Industry, Pop Culture, Software Development

January 7: Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) dies; his son, Akihito (the Emperor Heisei) becomes Emperor of Japan.

Tags: Monarchy, Emperor, Succession, Post-War

The Neo Geo AES becomes the first video game system to launch that used Memory Cards.

Tags: Video Games, Arcade Games, Entertainment

DVD is an optical disc storage format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity tha...

Tags: Digital Media, Consumer Electronics, Entertainment, Philips, Sony

November 1: Release of DVD in Japan.

Tags: Entertainment, Digital Media, Consumer Electronics

NTT DoCoMo launches i-mode, the first integrated Online App store for mobile phones.

Tags: Mobile Technology, Internet, Wireless Communication, Telecommunications

March 4: The Sony PlayStation 2 releases in Japan. The system became the highest-selling video game console in history.

Tags: Video Games, Consumer Electronics, Sony, Entertainment

November 2: International Space Station begins operations; its first crew, composed of three men, arrives.

Tags: Space Exploration, Space Station, International Cooperation, Scientific Advancement, NASA, Astronauts, Orbital Mechanics

Short description is different from Wikidata

Tags: Genetics, Human Genome Project, Biotechnology, Medicine, DNA, Research

Sony develops the first prototypes for the Blu-ray optical disc format. The first prototype player was released in 2004.

Tags: Electronics, Sony, Digital Media, Home Entertainment, Consumer Electronics

August 27 – 29: The first six-party talks, involving South and North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.

Tags: Nuclear Proliferation, Diplomacy, International Relations, Denuclearization, Security

February 16: The Kyoto Protocol comes into effect.

Tags: Environmentalism, Climate Change, International Relations, Treaty, Sustainability, Global Warming, United Nations

Nintendo launches the Wii.

Tags: Video Games, Entertainment, Gaming Industry

The first solar sail based spacecraft, IKAROS.

Tags: Space Exploration, Spacecraft, Aerospace Engineering, Astronomy

Occupy movement inspires worldwide protests.

Tags: Protest, Social Justice, Globalization, Financial Crisis, Activism, Democracy

April 30: Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicates from his throne, the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in almost two centuries. The abdication ends ...

Tags: Monarchy, Emperor, Abdication, Succession, Japanese History

July 8: Assassination of Shinzo Abe.

Tags: Assassination, Political Violence, Prime Minister

January 19: JAXA's first lunar probe, SLIM, lands on moon

Tags: Space Exploration, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Moon Landing

October 27: Shigeru Ishiba becomes Prime Minister of Japan as general election results in historic hung parliament

Tags: Prime Minister, Elections, Political Crisis, Government