Events from the year 1966 in Japan. Under the Japanese calendar, this year is known as ShÃ
Âwa 41.
Incumbents
Governors
Events
- January 9 - The Kanai Building fire in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture leaves 12 dead, 14 injured.
- February 4 -All Nippon Airways Flight 60 crashes into Tokyo Bay, killing all 133 people on board.
- March 4 - Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 402 crashes while landing at night with poor visibility at Tokyo International Airport, with 64 out of 72 on board killed.
- March 5 - BOAC Flight 911 crashes while encountering severe Clear-air turbulence over Mount Fuji shortly after taking off from Tokyo International Airport, killing all 124 on board.
- March 11 – A spa hotel caught fire in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, causing 30 deaths, 29 injuries, according to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report.
- March 25 â Hachinohe Rinkai Line was opened.
- April 1 - Japan switches to the Metric system.
- April 26 - Japan's biggest postwar public transportation strike.
- June 28 – Typhoon Kit hit eastern Honshu, kills 83 persons, injures 91 persons, according to Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed reported.
- June 30 &ndashï¼ July 2 &ndashï¼ A first The Beatles concert show in Nippon Budokan, Chiyoda, Tokyo,
- August 22 – Frontier Tea Product Manufacturing, as predecessor of Ito En founded in Shizuoka City.
- September 25 – Two typhoons Helen and Ida landed in Japan on same days, according to Japanese government official confirmed report, total 317 persons were human fatalities with 824 persons were hurt.
- November 11 - All Nippon Airways Flight 533 crashes into the Seto Inland Sea, killing all 50 on board.
- Undated
- Yamanashi Women's Junior College is founded.
- Japanese birth rates plummeted due to the superstition that girls born in the year of the Fire Horse will grow up to kill their husbands.
Births
- January 5 - Yuri Amano, voice actress
- January 17 - Jyoji Morikawa, author and illustrator
- January 17 - Hiroko Mita, actress
- January 28 - Seiji Mizushima, anime director
- January 31 - Nobuyuki Hoshino, former professional baseball pitcher
- February 4 - KyÃ
Âko Koizumi, actress and singer
- February 5 - Maiko Kawakami, actress
- March 7 - Atsushi Sakurai, singer (died 2023)
- April 3 - Mina Tominaga, voice actress
- April 19 - El Samurai, professional wrestler
- April 27 - Yoshihiro Togashi, author and illustrator
- June 26 - YÃ
«ko Minaguchi, voice actress
- July 11 - Kentaro Miura, manga artist (died 2021)
- July 12 - Taiji Sawada, musician (died 2011)
- July 15 - Masatoshi Nagase, actress
- July 25 - Wataru Takagi, voice actor
- July 28 - Shikao Suga, singer
- August 4 - Kensuke Sasaki, professional wrestler
- August 14 - Honami Suzuki, actress
- August 30 - Mikako Kotani, former synchronised swimming athlete
- September 2 - Yu Hayami, singer and actress
- September 11 - Kiko, Crown Princess of Japan, wife of Fumihito, Crown Prince of Japan
- October 8 - , former professional baseball pitcher
- October 27 - Masanobu Takashima, actor
- October 31 - Koji Kanemoto, professional wrestler
- November 2 - Yoshinari Ogawa, professional wrestler
- November 6 - Kae Araki, voice actress
- November 13 - , actor
- November 28 - Narumi Yasuda, actress
- December 12 - ÃÂltimo Dragón, professional wrestler
- December 17 - Yuko Arimori, former marathon runner
- December 22 - Sayuri Kokusho, actress
- December 27 - Masahiro Fukuda, former footballer
Deaths
- January 10 - NishizÃ
 Tsukahara, admiral (b. 1887)
- March 6 - Michitaro Totsuka, admiral (b. 1890)
- April 23 - George Ohsawa, dietist, founder of Macrobiotics (b. 1893)
- June 7 - Yoshishige Abe, philosopher and politician (b. 1883)
- June 15 â Sankichi Takahashi, admiral (b. 1882)
- July 12 - D.T. Suzuki, philosopher (b. 1870)
- September 12 - Aketo Nakamura, general (b. 1889)
- September 13 - Tomoshige Samejima, admiral (b. 1889)
- November 9 - JisaburÃ
 Ozawa, admiral (b. 1886)
- November 14 - Zengo Yoshida, admiral (b. 1885)
See also
References