1958 in Japan

Events in the year 1958 in Japan. It corresponds to Shōwa 33 (昭和33年) in the Japanese calendar.

← 1957 1956 1955 1958 in Japan → 1959 1960 1961
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	Other events of 1958 History of Japan  • Timeline  • Years

Incumbents

• Emperor: Hirohito[1]
• Prime minister: Nobusuke Kishi[2]
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Kiichi Aichi until June 12, Munenori Akagi
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Kōtarō Tanaka
• President of the House of Representatives: Shūji Masutani until April 25, Nirō Hoshijima from June 11 until December 13, Ryōgorō Katō
• President of the House of Councillors: Tsuruhei Matsuno

Events

Tokyo Tower is opened to the public for the first time.

• January 26 - According to Japan Coast Guard official confirmed report, a passenger ferry Nankai Maru capsized Kii Channel, between Wakayama City to Tokushima City, total 167 persons drowned.[3]
• March 9 - The Kanmon Tunnel opens, connecting Honshu and Kyushu by road for the first time.
• April Unknown date – Ohyama Blow Manufacturing, as predecessor of Iris Ohyama was founded.
• May 2 - Nagasaki Flag incident - Ultra-nationalists pull down a Chinese flag hanging outside an exhibition of postage stamps in Nagasaki, freezing relations between China and Japan.[4]
• May 22 - General election of 1958 - The Liberal Democratic Party win 298 out of 467 seats.
• June 24 - According to official Japanese government confirmed report, a large scale eruption in Mount Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, killed a total of twelve persons, and wounded 28.
• August 2 - An All Nippon Airways Douglas DC-3 plunges in the sea close to the Izu Islands, killing all 33 occupants of the aircraft.[5]
• September 27 - Typhoon Ida kills at least 1,269 in Honshu.
• October 14 - Construction of Tokyo Tower is completed.
• November 10 - According to Japan Meteorological Agency official confirmed report, a large scale erupted in Mount Asama, Gunma Prefecture, ash height maximum 8,000 meters.
• December 23 - Tokyo Tower is opened to the public for the first time, at a final cost of ¥2.8 billion ($8.4 million in 1958).[6][7]
• December 27 - National Health Care Act of 1958.

Births

• January 20 - Masuo Amada, voice actor
• January 30 - Sayuri Ishikawa, enka singer
• February 1 - Ryō Horikawa, voice actor
• March 10 - Hiroshi Yanaka, voice actor
• April 1 - Hiromi Kawakami, author and writer
• April 7 - Shinobu Adachi, voice actress
• April 12 - Hyōichi Kōno, adventurer (d. 2001)
• April 14 - Junko Sakurada, actress and singer
• April 21 - Yoshito Usui, manga artist, creator of Crayon Shin-chan (d. 2009)
• May 2 - Yasushi Akimoto, record producer, lyricist and television writer
• June 14 - Masami Yoshida, javelin thrower (d. 2000)
• June 20 - Teiyū Ichiryūsai, voice actress
• July 5 - Kyoko Terase, voice actress
• July 22 - Tatsunori Hara, professional-baseball coach and player
• August 2 - Shō Hayami, voice actor and singer
• August 15 - Chiharu Suzuka, voice actress
• September 8
  • Mitsuru Miyamoto, voice actor
  • Reiko Terashima, manga artist and illustrator
• October 15 - Masako Katsuki, voice actress
• October 23 - Hiroyuki Kinoshita, actor and voice actor
• November 12 - Hiromi Iwasaki, singer
• November 27 - Tetsuya Komuro, music producer and songwriter
• December 2 - Mina Asami, actress
• December 26 - Mieko Harada, actress

Date unknown

• Yoshiteru Otani, cartoonist

Deaths

• April 2 - Jōsei Toda, educator and peace activist (b. 1900)
• September 20 - Ogasawara Naganari, admiral and naval strategist (b. 1867)

See also

• List of Japanese films of 1958

References

1. "Hirohito | Biography, Accomplishments, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
2. Helms, Ludger (2012). Poor Leadership and Bad Governance: Reassessing Presidents and Prime Ministers in North America, Europe and Japan. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-85793-273-0.
3. [:ja:南海丸遭難事故] (Japanese language edition) Retrieved date 7 January 2019.
4. Ward, Rowena (July 2006). "Japanese government policy and the reality of the lives of the zanryū fujin". PORTAL: Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies. 3 (2): 1. doi:10.5130/portal.v3i2.142. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
5. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
6. Fackler, Martin (30 December 2008). "Tokyo Tower goes from futuristic hope to symbol of the good old days". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
7. "Tokyo Tower vs. Super Tower: Crossed Signals?" (PDF). Colliers International. October 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2009.