1852

(November 3) Emperor Meiji is born, as the second son of Emperor Komei.

1853

Commodore Matthew Perry's "blackships" arrive in Tokyo Bay.

1854

U.S. - Japan Treaty.

1868

Meiji Restoration.

1873

Adoption of the Gregorian calendar, to replace the lunar calendar imported from China.

1879

(August 31) Yoshihito (Emperor Taisho) is born

1889

(February 11) Meiji Constitution promulgated on Kigensetu (National Origin Day).

1890

National Election. Convening of the Diet. Promulgation of the Imperial Rescript on Education.

1894-95

Chinese-Japanese War. Triple Intervention in which Russia, France, and Germany force Japan into returning the Liaotung Peninsula to China.

1900

(May 10) Yoshihito (Emperor Taisho) marries Sadako.

1901

(April 29) Hirohito is born.

1902

Anglo-Japanese Alliance.

1904-05

Russo-Japanese War.

1906

Special kindergarten is set up for Prince Hirohito.

1910

Annexation of Korea.

1911

Revolution in China. So-called "High Treason Incident" in which Kotoku and eleven other anarchists were convicted and executed for Having allegedly conspired to assassinate the emperor.

1912

(July 30) Emperor Meiji dies. (September 30) Funeral service of Emperor Meiji. General and Lady Nogi commit suicide.

1912-13

Taisho Political Crisis.

1913

The Diet resolves to build Meiji Shrine (completed in 1920).

1914

World War I.

1918

(January 17) Princess Nagako, age 14, is chosen as Hirohito's bride.

1921

(March 3) Hirohito sets out from Yokohama to visit Europe.

1921

(September 3) Hirohito returns from Europe. November 4) Prime minister Hara is assassinated by an 18 year old ultranationalist. (November 25) Hirohito is named Prince Regent.

1922

(April 12) Edward, Prince of Wales, comes to Japan for a state visit.

1923

(September 1) The Great Kanto Earthquake (7.9 on the Richter scale), killing 140,000 people and destroying three quarters of the Tokyo-Yokohama megalopolis.

1924

(January 26) Hirohito's marriage with Princess Nagako. ( May 31-June 4) Public reception of the marriage.

1925

(December 6) The first princess, Teru Shigeko, is born.

1926

Chiang Kai-shek begins northern expedition, to unify China under nationalist control. ( December 25, 1:25 AM) Emperor Taisho dies at the age of forty-seven. Hirohito becomes Japan's 124th emperor.

1928

(April) Chiang Kai-shek launches a full-scale assault on the north. (June) Assassination of the Manchurian warlord Chang Tso-lin by Japanese agents. (November 10) Hirohito's formal coronation takes place at the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

1929

Japanese government does not control army plotters. Great Depression begins.

1930

London Naval Treaty controversy.

1931

(September 18) The Manchurian Incident.

1932

Japanese economy on the way to recovery owing to the government's program of industrial rationalization. The erection of Western protectionist barriers prompts urgent calls for regional economic sufficiency in northeast Asia March Manchukuo, the puppet state is established. (May 15) "May 15 Incident": Prime Minister Tsuyoshi Inukai murdered by right wing navy officers and army cadets.

1933

(February) Japan's action in Manchuria condemned at the General Assembly of the League of Nations. (December 23) Birth of Akihito.

1935

Emperor Pu Yi of Manchukuo pays state visit to Japan Attack on Minobe's "theory of the emperor as state organ".

1936

1937

(July 7) "Marco Polo Bridge Incident": Japan's War with China. Experiments in biological warfare by Unit 731. (Dec) "Rape of Nanking"; 200,000 Chinese soldiers and civilians tortured and killed.

1938

(January 11) Imperial conference decides to endorse the policy of a "war of annihilation" against Nationalist China National Mobilization Law.

1939

(May) Clash with the Soviet Union at Nomonhan. Japan becomes a "national defense state".

1940

Imperial Rule Assistance Association organized, absorbing all existing political parties. (September 27) Axis Alliance with Germany and Italy.

1941

(July) Japanese forces occupy southern as well as northern Indo-China.
(July 25) United States freezes Japanese assets in the U.S. (August 1) U.S. places an embargo on oil exports to Japan. (December 7) Attack on Pearl Harbor.

1942

(June) Battle of Midway: The tide of the Pacific War turns against Japan.

1944

(July) Battle of Saipan: Air raids over Japan become regular.

1945

(March 10) Bombing of Tokyo. (June) Fall of Okinawa. (July 26) Potsdam Declaration, outlining what the U.S., England, and China intended to do with Japan after the war. (August 6) Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima. (August 9) Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki. The Soviet Union enters the war against Japan. (August 15) Japan's unconditional surrender. (September 11) Tojo and 38 people arrested as war criminals. (September 27) Emperor Hirohito visits MacArthur. (October) GHQ orders the disestablishment of State Shinto.

1946

(January 1) Emperor Hirohito's Proclamation of His Humanity. (January 4) Purge of public officeholders. (February) Hirohito begins a tour of Japan. (May) International Military Tribunal of the Far East begin trials of war. criminals. The U.S. decides not to prosecute Hirohito. (November 3) New Constitution approved by the Imperial Diet "Symbolic Emperor".

1947

(May 3) New Constitution put into effect Occupation begins so-called "reverse course".

1948

Australia, New Zealand, and Russia express concern about the revival of the "emperor system". SCAP suspends Hirohito's tour of Japan (to be resumed in 1949).

1950

(June 25) Korean War.

1951

(September) Peace Treaty signed in San Francisco. U.S.-Japan Security Treaty signed.

1952

(April 28) Official termination of military occupation of Japan. (November 10) Prince Akihito comes of age and is installed as crown prince.

1954

(July) Self Defense Forces created.

1955

Liberal Democratic Party is formed to hold power for the rest of the Showa period.

1956

Japan becomes a member of the United Nations.

1958

Akihito's engagement announced. The last U.S. ground troops leave Japan.

1959

(April 10) Akihito's marries with Michiko. "Michi-Boom" (public fascination with the new bride) begins.

1960

Protest against the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. President Eisenhower's visit cancelled.

1964

Tokyo Olympics.

1966

Restoration of the old Kigensetsu (National Origin Day) under a new name Kenkoku Kinenbi (National Founding Day).

1968

Ogasawara Islands returned to Japanese control.

1971

Hirohito visits England, Belgium and West Germany.

1972

Okinawa returned to Japanese control.

1975

Akihito visits Okinawa to attend the opening ceremonies for the Okinawa Oceanic Exposition Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip pay a return visit to Japan Hirohito pays a much publicized and highly "successful" state visit to the United States Hirohito calls the Pacific War "unavoidable" in a press conference.

1976

(November) Ceremony commemorating Hirohito's fifty years on the throne.

1977

Hirohito's remark on the renunciation of divinity at a press conference reveals his lack of understanding of the world around him; Continued existence of so-called "Chrysanthemum curtain" revealed.

1979

Legalization of the customary use of "gengo" (imperial reign names).

1982

Nakasone becomes the first LDP prime minister to visit Yasukuni shrine officially.

1986

(November) Ceremony commemorating Hirohito's sixty years on the throne.

1987

(April 29) Hirohito's eighty-sixth birthday. His condition declines, leading to a major surgical operation.

1988

(September 8) Hirohito is reported to be gravely ill. Start of the Public's "self-restraint" for the next 111 days until his death. (September 22) "Registry books" provided for citizens to sign wishing Hirohito a speedy recovery.

1989

(January 7) Hirohito is pronounced dead. (February 24) Funeral ceremonies for Hirohito take place, attended by 163 heads of state and government, and consisting of civil and Shintoist rites with the latter held behind an opaque black curtain and attended by the late emperor's family, palace officials and Shinto priests.

1990

Ministry of Education makes it mandatory to display "Hi no Maru" flag and sing "Kimi ga yo" on national days in the school calendar. (November) Emperor Akihito's enthronement ceremony.