Incumbents

• Emperor: Hirohito^[1]
• Prime Minister: Shigeru Yoshida
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Kaneshichi Masuda until May 6, Katsuo Okazaki
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Tadahiko Mibuchi until March 2, Kōtarō Tanaka from March 3
• President of the House of Representatives: Kijūrō Shidehara
• President of the House of Councillors: Naotake Satō

Events

• January 1: The old practice of advancing one's age every New Year's Day (regardless of one's date of birth) is replaced by the western style of advancing one's age on each anniversary of one's date of birth. Under the old system, someone born on November 1, for example, would turn one on January 1, two months later.
• February 11: According to Japan National Police Agency official confirmed report, a regular route bus plunge into ravine in Hōtaku District, Kumamoto Prefecture, (now Kumamoto City), Kyushu Island, 22 persons were lost to lives, 31 persons were hurt.
• July 5: Bandaiya, later Bandai Namco Holdings founded in Asakusa, Tokyo.
• July 7: Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto is burned to the ground by a 22-year-old novice monk.
• September 4: Typhoon Jane, tidal wave and flash flood hit around Osaka Bay, official death toll was 539 persons, with 26,062 persons were wounded, according to Japanese government official confirmed report.
• September 14: Typhoon Kezia, tidal wave hit around Island Sea of Seto, with lost Kintai Bridge and Miyajima Torii gate. According to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report, 49 persons were fatalities, 35 persons were hurt.
• November 7: According to JNPA official confirmed report, a regular route bus plunge into Monobe River, Mirabu, (now Kami, Kochi), Shikoku Island, 34 persons were human fatalities and 29 persons were wounded.
• December 12: Hayato Ikeda, future Prime Minister of Japan, remarks in the National Diet that "the poor should eat barley".
• December 20: A dormitory of Okayama Prfectural Deaf School fire, according to JFDMA official announced, 16 persons were lost to lives in Okayama City.^[2]
• Undated:
  • Tenshi Junior College is founded in Sapporo.

Births

• February 20 - Ken Shimura, television performer and actor (d. 2020)
• March 31 - Yoshifumi Kondō, animator (d. 1998)
• April 5 - Toshiko Fujita, voice actress (d. 2018)
• April 21 - Tatsumi Kimishima, businessman
• August 10 - Tetsuo Gotō, voice actor (d. 2018)
• September 8 - Naoki Tatsuta, voice actor
• September 14 - Masami Kuwashima, race car driver
• September 27 - Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, actor
• October 2 - Tetsuo Gotō, politician (d. 2018)
• October 12 - Kaga Takeshi, actor
• October 16 – Yasunori Oshima, former professional baseball player and coach (d. 2021)
• November 12 - Hideyuki Tanaka, voice actor and narrator

Deaths

• January 17 - Seiichi Hatano, philosopher
• July 23 - Shigenori Tōgō
• November 3 - Kuniaki Koiso, Prime minister

See also

• List of Japanese films of 1950

References