1988 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Shōwa
• Prime Minister: Noboru Takeshita
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Keizo Obuchi
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Kōichi Yaguchi
• President of the House of Representatives: Kenzaburō Hara
• President of the House of Councillors: Masaaki Fujita until September 30, Yoshihiko Tsuchiya
• Diet sessions: 112th, 113th, 114th

  Events

• March 13: Seikan Tunnel opens, connecting Hokkaido and Honshu by rail for the first time.
• March 17: Tokyo Dome completed.
• April 4 and 5: Rock band Boøwy hold their last concert in Tokyo Dome and break up.
• April 10: Great Seto Bridge opens.
• April 16: Studio Ghibli films My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies are released simultaneously.
• June 18: Asahi Shimbun breaks the Recruit scandal.
• July 16: The anime film Akira is released.
• July 21: A heavy torrential rain with debris flow in Kake, Hiroshima Prefecture and Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, According to Fire and Disaster Management Agency of Japan official confirmed report, 27 persons lost their lives, 45 were wounded.
• July 23: A sports fishing boat, Fuji Maru No. 1, collides with a submarine, Nadashio, in Tokyo Bay, resulting in the former sinking and 30 deaths as well as 17 injuries.
• September 14: Daiei purchases the Nankai Hawks baseball team: they become the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.
• October 3: Anpanman premieres on Nippon TV.
• October 19: Orix purchases the Hankyu Braves baseball team: they become the Orix Braves.
• October 23: Super Mario Bros. 3 is released for the Famicom, a slightly modified version is released for the NES in February 1990.
• December 9: Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa resigns amid the Recruit scandal.
• December 27: Takeshita announces a realigned cabinet.
• December 30: According to Japan National Police Agency official confirmed report, an armored car with a cash of 222.5 million yen and a 170 million yen of check was robbed in Suma-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. The suspect is escape continue, and still not detained, according to JNPA official.

  Births

January

• January 1: Saori Hara, AV idol, model, and actress
• January 8: Ryuichi Dogaki, football player
• January 28: Seiya Sanada, wrestler

  February

• February 7: Ai Kago, performer
• February 8: Nozomi Sasaki, glamour model
• February 12: Nana Eikura, model, actress, and occasional radio show host
• February 19: Miyu Irino, voice actor
• February 26: Hitomi Niiya, long-distance runner

  March

• March 11: Katsuhiko Nakajima, professional wrestler
• March 22: Noriko Kijima, gravure idol and actress
• March 27: Atsuto Uchida, footballer

  April

• April 5: Asumi Nakata, child model and voice actress
• April 13: Tsubasa Aizawa, professional baseball player
• April 16: Shogo Akiyama, professional baseball player
• April 19: Haruna Kojima, singer, actress and idol

  May

• May 1: Takeshi Suzuki, alpine skier
• May 18: Tatsuma Ito, tennis player
• May 26: Akito Watabe, Nordic combined skier
• May 28: Meisa Kuroki, actress, model, and singer

  June

• June 1: Nami Tamaki, singer
• June 11
• *Yui Aragaki, model, actress and singer
• *Ayako Kimura, sprinter
• June 22: Miliyah Kato, pop and urban singer-songwriter
• June 27: Chisato Fukushima, track and field sprint athlete
• June 28
• *Gaku Hamada, film and television actor
• *Kanon Wakeshima, singer and cellist

  July

• July 15: Maiko Kano, volleyball player
• July 26: Sayaka Akimoto, singer, actress and idol

  August

• August 17: Erika Toda, actress

  September

• September 2: Keisuke Kato, actor and entertainer
• September 7: Daiki Sato, footballer
• September 8: Rie Kaneto, Olympic swimmer
• September 13: Nobuyuki Tsujii, pianist and composer
• September 18: Yuichi Sugita, tennis player
• September 20
• *Arisa Sato, model and weather-caster
• *Chiaki Satō, actress
• *Ayano Ōmoto, singer and dancer
• September 23: Kairi Sane, professional wrestler and actress
• September 25: Mariya Ise, voice actress
• September 26: Yūdai Ōno, professional baseball player
• September 29: Osama Elsamni, football player

  October

• October 6: Maki Horikita, actress and endorser
• October 17: Yuko Oshima, idol, singer and actress
• October 20: Risa Niigaki, J-pop singer

  November

• November 1: Ai Fukuhara, table tennis player
• November 7: Kim Chae-Hwa, figure skater
• November 8: Honami Tajima, actress
• November 14: Takurō Ōno, actor
• November 26: Yumi Kobayashi, fashion model

  December

• December 4: Miki Kanie, archer
• December 14: Hayato Sakamoto, professional baseball player
• December 19: Mami Matsuyama, idol
• December 23: Eri Kamei, J-pop singer
• December 26: Kayo Satoh, model and television personality

  Deaths

• January 2: Yukio Kasahara, general
• March 1: Yoshi Katō, actor
• April 10: Shigeo Sugiura, freestyle swimmer and Olympic gold medalist
• April 23: Eitaro Ozawa, actor
• May 23: Aya Kitō, writer
• June 14: Prince Kan'in Haruhito, career officer
• August 4: Toshio Doko, business leader
• November 4: Takeo Miki, former prime minister
• November 23: Kenzō Masaoka, anime creator
• December 25 - Shōhei Ōoka, writer
• December 30: Takeo Fujisawa, businessman, co-founder of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

  Statistics

• Yen value: US$1 = ¥122 to ¥135