1911 in Japan

← 1910 1909 1908 1911 in Japan → 1912 1913 1914
Decades:	1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s
See also:	Other events of 1911 History of Japan  • Timeline  • Years

Events in the year 1911 in Japan. It corresponds to Meiji 44 (明治44年) in the Japanese calendar.

Incumbents

• Emperor: Emperor Meiji
• Prime Minister:
  • Katsura Tarō (until August 30)
  • Saionji Kinmochi (starting August 30)

Events

• February 1 – Regulations for postal special delivery are passed. Service begins on February 11.
• February 22 – One of Japan's most well-known authors, Natsume Sōseki, sends a letter to the Ministry of Education, refusing the title of professor of literature. He explains that he just wants to go on living his life as "Natsume so-and-so."
• March 1 – The Imperial Theater is completed, but is later lost to fire during the Great Kanto earthquake.
• March 29 – Japan passes its first labor law.
• April 23 – Yoshitoshi Tokugawa sets a Japanese record with a Blériot Aéronautique, flying 48 miles in 1 hour 9 minutes 30 seconds.
• May Unknown date – Tamura Fishery Association, as predecessor of Nissui, founded in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
• June 20 – Idemitsu Shokai, as predecessor of Idemitsu Showa Shell Petroleum, founded in Moji, now part of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture.
• August 30 – Saionji Kinmochi is appointed Prime Minister of Japan.
• September – Five women: Hiratsuka Raichō, Yasumochi Yoshiko, Mozume Kazuko, Kiuchi Teiko, and Nakano Hatsuko begin publishing the literary magazine Seitosha to promote the equal rights of women through literature and education.

Births

• January 11 – Zenko Suzuki, politician, 70th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2004)
• January 13 – Masayuki Mori, actor (d. 1973)
• February 5 – Mitsuo Nakamura, writer (d. 1988)
• February 7 – Takako Irie, film actress (d. 1995)
• February 15 – Kimiyoshi Yasuda, film director (d. 1983)
• February 26 – Tarō Okamoto, artist (d. 1996)
• April 8 – Ichirō Fujiyama, composer and singer (d. 1993)
• May 7 – Ishirō Honda, film director (d. 1993)
• May 21 – Tanie Kitabayashi, actress (d. 2010)
• October 4 – Shigeaki Hinohara, physician (d. 2017)
• October 21 – Yoshinori Yagi, author (d. 1999)
• November 30 – Tamura Taijiro, novelist (d. 1983)
• December 10 – Tatsugo Kawaishi, swimmer (d. 1945)
• December 26 – Kikuko Tokugawa, later "Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu", wife of Prince Nobuhito (d. 2004)

Deaths

• January 19 – Chizuko Mifune, clairvoyant (b. 1886)
• January 24:
  • Uchiyama Gudō, Zen Buddhist priest and anarcho-socialist (executed) (b. 1874)
  • Shūsui Kōtoku, journalist and anarchist (executed) (b. 1871)
  • Kanno Sugako, journalist, feminist and anarchist (executed) (b. 1881)
• March 25 – Shigeru Aoki, painter (b.1882)
• June 15 – Ōtori Keisuke, diplomat (b. 1833)
• September 16 – Hishida Shunsō, painter (b. 1874)
• November 11 – Otojirō Kawakami, actor and comedian (b. 1864)
• November 25 – Komura Jutarō, politician (b. 1855)