Events in the year 1896 in Japan. It corresponds to Meiji 29 (明治29年) in the Japanese calendar.

Incumbents

Governors

Events

  • June 15 – Sanriku earthquake: One of the most destructive seismic events in Japanese history. The 8.5 magnitude earthquake occurred at 19:32 (local time), approximately 166 kilometres (103 mi) off the coast of Iwate Prefecture, Honshu. It resulted in two tsunamis which destroyed about 9,000 homes and caused at least 22,000 deaths. The waves reached a record height of 38.2 metres (125 ft); more than a meter lower than those created after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake which triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
  • December 28 – Nippon Flower Mills (Nipun) was founded.[citation needed]
  • Unknown date – Penta-Ocean construction company founded
  • Unknown date – Kotaro Mikamo reports the first results of a double-eyelid procedure for aesthetic purposes.

Births

Deaths