Events in the year 1939 in Japan. It corresponds to Shōwa 14 (昭和14年) in the Japanese calendar.
Incumbents Emperor: Hirohito Prime Minister: Fumimaro Konoe: until January 5 Kiichirō Hiranuma: 5 January – 30 August Nobuyuki Abe: from 30 August
Governors Aichi Prefecture: Kotaro Tanaka Akita Prefecture: Kaoru Sasaki (until 11 January); Yukio Tomeoka (starting 11 January) Aomori Prefecture: Masanori Ogawa (until 1 March); Noburo Suzuki (starting 1 March) Ehime Prefecture: Shizuo Furukawa (until 15 July); Yoshio Mochinaga (starting 15 July) Fukui Prefecture: Nakano Yoshiro (until 14 April); Kiyoshi Kimura (starting 14 April) Fukuoka Prefecture: Kyuichi Kodama (starting 1940) Fukushima Prefecture: Seikichi Kimishima (until 5 September); Seikichi Hashimoto (starting 5 September) Gifu Prefecture: Miyano Shozo Gunma Prefecture: Shozo Tsuchiya (until 17 April); Kumano Ei (starting 17 April) Hiroshima Prefecture: Ichisho Inuma (until 5 September); Katsuroku Aikawa (starting 5 September) Ibaraki Prefecture: Shigeru Hamaza (until 11 January); Tokitsugi Yoshinaga (starting 11 January) Ishikawa Prefecture: Masasuke Kodama then Narita Ichiro Iwate Prefecture: Chiyoji Yukizawa Kagawa Prefecture: Nagatoshi Fujioka Kanagawa Prefecture: Seiichi Ōmura then Ichisho Inuma Kumamoto Prefecture: Tomoichi Koyama Kochi Prefecture: Fujioka Nagawa (until 17 April); Shunsuke Kondo (starting 17 April) Kyoto Prefecture: Tota Akamatsuko Mie Prefecture: Masatoshi Sato (until 3 January); Masanari Ogawa (starting 1 March) Miyagi Prefecture: Ryosaku Shimizu Miyazaki Prefecture: until 12 April: Jiro Ino 12 April-7 September: Kyuichiro Totsuka starting 7 September: Ryosaku Shimizu Nagano Prefecture: Tomita Kenji Nagasaki Prefecture: Jitsuzo Kawanishi Niigata Prefecture: Yasujiro Nakamura (until 5 September); Seikichi Kimishima (starting 5 September) Okinawa Prefecture: Fusataro Fuchigami Saga Prefecture: Tomoichi Koyama (until 17 April); Kato (starting 17 April) Saitama Prefecture: Toki Ginjiro Shiname Prefecture: Kyuichi Kodama (until 9 April); ... (starting 9 April) Tochigi Prefecture: Adachi Shuuritsu Tokyo: Okada Shuzo Toyama Prefecture: Kenzo Yano Yamagata Prefecture: Takei Yoshitsugu (until 17 April); Ishiguro Takeshige (starting 17 April)
Events February - Hainan Island Operation March - Battle of Xiushui River March 1 – According to Japanese government official confirmed report, Japanese Imperial Army ammunition dump explode in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, 94 persons were human fatalities, 602 persons were hurt. March 17-May 9 - Battle of Nanchang April 20-May 24 - Battle of Suixian–Zaoyang May 11-September 16 - Battles of Khalkhin Gol June - Swatow Operation June 1 –Nippon Electric Works and Showa Fertilizer were merger, becomes name was Showa Denko. September 13-October 8 - Battle of Changsha (1939) Unknown date – Mukogawa Higher Women's School was founded, as predecessor of Mukogawa Women's University.
Births February 9 – Tadahiro Matsushita, politician (d. 2012) February 17 – Toshihiro Nikai, politician March 2 – Takako, Princess Suga, youngest child of Emperor Shōwa April 9 – Ikuko Tani, actress, voice actress and narrator August 13 – Shijaku Katsura, rakugo performer (d. 1999) September 22 – Junko Tabei, mountaineer, first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest (d. 2016)
Deaths February 18 – Kanoko Okamoto, author, poet, and Buddhist scholar (b. 1889) March 29 – Michizō Tachihara, poet and architect (b. 1914) September 7 – Kyōka Izumi, novelist and Kabuki playwright (b. 1873) November 11 – Kagaku Murakami, painter and illustrator (b. 1888) December 25 – Masao Nakamura, major general (b. 1892)
See also List of Japanese films of the 1930s
References