1953 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Hirohito
• Prime minister: Shigeru Yoshida
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Taketora Ogata until March 24, Kenji Fukunaga
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Kōtarō Tanaka
• President of the House of Representatives: Banboku Ōno until March 14, Yasujirō Tsutsumi from May 18
• President of the House of Councillors: Naotake Satō until May 19, Yahachi Kawai

  Events

• January 4 - NHK Radio broadcasts its first live marathon coverage.
• June 18 - Tachikawa air disaster - 129 die after a United States Air Force Douglas C-124 Globemaster II crashes shortly after taking off from Tachikawa Airfield.
• June 25 - 1953 North Kyushu flood hit in Chikugo River, Kitakyushu and Kumamoto area, 1013 persons were human fatalities, 2775 persons were hurt, according to Japanese government official confirmed report.
• July 20 - 1953 Kii Peninsula flood, according to Japanese government official confirmed report, 1124 persons were human fatalities, 5819 persons were wounded.
• August 15 - 1953 South Yamashiro flood, 429 person were human fatalities, with 994 person were hurt, according to Japanese government official confirmed report.
• September 23 - 1953 Typhoon Tess, 478 person were human fatalities, with 2559 persons were hurt, Japanese government official confirmed report.
• December 25 - The Amami Islands are returned to Japan from the US military following 8 years of occupation.

  Births

• January 29 - Yorie Terauchi, actress
• February 4 - Kitarō, New Age musician
• February 13 - Kaoru Kurimoto, novelist and writer
• February 28 - Kōzō Murashita, singer and songwriter
• March 18 - Takashi Yoshimatsu, composer
• May 4 - Masashi Ebara, actor and voice actor
• June 4 - Susumu Ojima, entrepreneur
• June 6 - June Yamagishi, Japanese guitarist
• July 19 - Shōichi Nakagawa, politician
• July 31 - Tōru Furuya, actor, voice actor and narrator
• November 28 - Taeko Onuki, singer-songwriter
• December 6 - Masami Kurumada, manga artist and writer
• December 17 - Ikue Mori, drummer, composer, graphic designer
• December 28 - Tatsumi Fujinami, professional wrestler

  Deaths

• January 4 - Yasuhito, Prince Chichibu
• February 19 - Nobutake Kondō, admiral
• May 28 - Tatsuo Hori, writer, poet and translator
• July 7 - Tsumasaburō Bandō, actor
• September 7 - Nobuyuki Abe, politician, military leader, Prime Minister