1981 in Japan

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Decades: 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s See also: Other events of 1981 List of years in Japan

Events in the year 1981 in Japan.

Incumbents

• Emperor: Hirohito (Emperor Shōwa)
• Prime Minister: Zenko Suzuki (L–Iwate)
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Kiichi Miyazawa (L–Hiroshima) until November 27, Masaharu Gotōda (L–Tokushima)
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Takaaki Hattori
• President of the House of Representatives: Hajime Fukuda (L–Fukui)
• President of the House of Councillors: Masatoshi Tokunaga (L–national)
• Diet sessions: 94th (regular session opened in December 1980, to June 6), 95th (extraordinary, September 24 to November 28), 96th (regular, December 21 to 1982, August 21)

Events

This section requires expansion.

Popular culture

Arts and entertainment

In film, Station by Yasuo Furuhata won the Best film award at the Japan Academy Prize, Enrai by Kichitaro Negishi won Best film at the Hochi Film Awards, Muddy River by Kôhei Oguri won Best film at the Blue Ribbon Awards and Something Like It by Yoshimitsu Morita won Best film at the Yokohama Film Festival. For a list of Japanese films released in 1981 see Japanese films of 1981.

In manga, the winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award were Sunset on Third Street by Ryōhei Saigan (general), Dr. Slump by Akira Toriyama (shōnen or shōjo) and Doraemon by Fujiko Fujio (children).^[1] Sanshirō of 1, 2 by Makoto Kobayashi (shōnen) and Ohayō! Spank by Shun'ichi Yukimuro and Shizue Takanashi (shōjo) won the Kodansha Manga Award. Kibun wa mou sensou by Katsuhiro Otomo won the Seiun Award for Best Comic of the Year. For a list of manga released in 1981 see Category:Manga of 1981.

In music, the 32nd Kōhaku Uta Gassen was won by the White Team (men). Akira Terao won the FNS Music Festival.

In television, see: 1981 in Japanese television.

Sports

In athletics, Japan hosted the 1981 Asian Athletics Championships where it ranked 1st with 18 gold medals.

In football (soccer), Japan hosted the 1981 Intercontinental Cup. Fujita Engineering won the Japan Soccer League. For the champions of the regional leagues see: 1981 Japanese Regional Leagues.

In tennis, Japan hosted the Federation Cup, won by the United States.

Births

• January 4: Hitomi Sakamoto, wrestler
• January 10: Kumiko Ikeda, long jumper
• January 18: Naoyuki Daigo, athlete
• February 2: Milk Ichigo, AV actress
• February 10: Yasuyuki Muneta, judoka
• February 12: Takashi Takusagawa, football player
• February 18: Ami Ayukawa, AV idol
• February 21: Jun Kaname, actor
• March 6: Masakazu Fujiwara, long-distance runner
• March 6: Mizuki Watanabe, J-pop and rock singer
• March 23: Takeshi Honda, figure skater
• March 31: Ryōko Shintani, voice actress and singer
• April 7: Kazuki Watanabe, musician (d. 2000)
• April 15: Kyoko Ayana, AV idol
• April 18: Mai Hoshimura, musician
• April 19: Kazuhiro Maeda, long-distance runner
• April 23: Megu Hirose, softball player
• May 8: Yasuko Tajima, medley swimmer
• May 12: Naohiro Ishikawa, footballer
• May 13: Hidenori Kato, footballer
• May 22: Fumina Hara, actress and idol
• May 23: Ema Tōyama, manga artist
• May 24: Sayaka Ando, gravure idol
• June 6: Daisuke Miyazaki, handball player
• July 27: Mari Hoshino, actress and singer
• August 4: Ayumi Tanimoto, judoka
• August 5: Kou Shibasaki, singer and actress
• August 10: Natsumi Abe, singer and actress
• August 15: Yoshiko Fujinaga, long-distance runner
• August 28: Aira Yuhki, J-pop singer
• August 31: Yuria Kato, actress, AV idol, and photo model
• September 1: Chisato Morishita, idol, tarento, actress, and former race queen
• September 22: Hiromitsu Miura, Boxer and former mixed martial artist
• September 23: Hiroka Yaginuma, wrestler
• October 6: Chiharu Icho, wrestler
• October 17: Tsubasa Imai, singer, actor, and dancer
• October 30: Ayaka Kimura, actress and J-pop singer
• October 30: Eri Sendai, voice actress
• November 3: Ayako Shoda, wrestler
• November 7: Nana Katase, actress
• November 7: Rina Uchiyama, actress and idol
• November 11: Manami Yoshii, adult film actress
• December 8: Naoyuki Kotani, mixed martial artist
• December 19: Eriko Sato, actress and model
• December 29: Shizuka Arakawa, figure skater

Deaths

• January 8: Shigeru Egami, master of Shotokan karate
• February 11: Fusae Ichikawa, feminist, politician and women's suffrage leader
• February 25: Gunichi Mikawa, Vice-Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy
• April 9: Ichiro Nakayama, economist
• April 12: Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, founder of a collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family
• April 27: Koji Sone, judoka
• May 7: Hiromichi Yahara, senior staff officer
• July 4: Isao Kimura, actor
• July 19: Daisuke Itō, film director and screenwriter
• July 23: Kazuo Taoka, one of the yakuza Godfathers
• September 8: Hideki Yukawa, physicist
• September 14: Yasuji Kiyose, composer
• September 16: Akira Iwasaki, film critic, historian, and producer
• December 28: Seishi Yokomizo, author

References