January 7
1906 Prince Saionji Kimmochi became Prime Minister of Japan.
1924 Kiyoura Keigo took over as Japanese prime minister.
1954 United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61) declared "We shall maintain indefinitely our bases in Okinawa [Japan]." This pledge was made during the president's state of the union address. The United States maintained complete control over the island until 1972 and continues to operate several bases on the island. Okinawa: The American Years is a site which includes brief biographical entries, photographs, a chronology, suggestions for further reading a more.
1972 U.S. President Richard M. Nixon (1969-74) and Japanese Prime Minister Sato Eisaku met at the "Western White House" in San Clemente, California to determine the date when sovereignty over Okinawa would be returned to the Japanese. They decided on May 15, 1972.
1989 The Showa emperor of Japan, Hirohito, died and was succeeded by his son, the Heisei emperor, Akihito. Hirohito became emperor in 1926, though he previously served as regent for the Taisho emperor.
The Teaching about Japan website is
edited by Clayton Dube.
He welcomes your comments and suggestions.
© 2001 UCLA Center for East Asian Studies