Events in the year 1971 in Japan. It corresponds to Shōwa 46 (昭和46年) in the Japanese calendar.
Incumbents
Emperor: Hirohito
Prime minister: Eisaku Satō (Liberal Democratic) Chief Cabinet Secretary: Shigeru Hori until July 5, Noboru Takeshita Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Kazuto Ishida President of the House of Representatives: Naka Funada President of the House of Councillors: Yūzō Shigemune until July 17, Kenzō Kōno
Governors
Aichi Prefecture: Mikine Kuwahara
Akita Prefecture: Yūjirō Obata
Aomori Prefecture: Shunkichi Takeuchi
Chiba Prefecture: Taketo Tomonō
Ehime Prefecture: Sadatake Hisamatsu (until 27 January); Haruki Shiraishi (starting 28 January) Fukui Prefecture: Heidayū Nakagawa Fukuoka Prefecture: Hikaru Kamei Fukushima Prefecture: Morie Kimura Gifu Prefecture: Saburō Hirano Gunma Prefecture: Konroku Kanda Hiroshima Prefecture: Iduo Nagano Hokkaido: Kingo Machimura (until 23 April); Naohiro Dōgakinai (starting 23 April) Hyogo Prefecture: Tokitada Sakai Ibaraki Prefecture: Nirō Iwakami Ishikawa Prefecture: Yōichi Nakanishi Iwate Prefecture: Tadashi Chida Kagawa Prefecture: Masanori Kaneko Kagoshima Prefecture: Saburō Kanemaru Kanagawa Prefecture: Bunwa Tsuda Kochi Prefecture: Masumi Mizobuchi Kumamoto Prefecture: Kōsaku Teramoto (until 10 February); Issei Sawada (starting 11 February) Kyoto Prefecture: Torazō Ninagawa Mie Prefecture: Satoru Tanaka Miyagi Prefecture: Sōichirō Yamamoto Miyazaki Prefecture: Hiroshi Kuroki Nagano Prefecture: Gon'ichirō Nishizawa Nagasaki Prefecture: Kan'ichi Kubo Nara Prefecture: Ryozo Okuda Niigata Prefecture: Shiro Watari Oita Prefecture: Kaoru Kinoshita (until 27 April); Masaru Taki (starting 28 April) Okayama Prefecture: Takenori Kato Osaka Prefecture: Gisen Satō (until 22 April); Ryōichi Kuroda (starting 23 April) Saga Prefecture: Sunao Ikeda Saitama Prefecture: Hiroshi Kurihara Shiga Prefecture: Kinichiro Nozaki Shiname Prefecture: Choemon Tanabe (until 29 April); Seiji Tsunematsu (starting 30 April) Shizuoka Prefecture: Yūtarō Takeyama Tochigi Prefecture: Nobuo Yokokawa Tokushima Prefecture: Yasunobu Takeichi Tokyo: Ryōkichi Minobe Tottori Prefecture: Jirō Ishiba Toyama Prefecture: Kokichi Nakada Wakayama Prefecture: Masao Ohashi Yamagata Prefecture: Tōkichi Abiko Yamaguchi Prefecture: Masayuki Hashimoto Yamanashi Prefecture: Kunio Tanabe
Events
January 2 - A ryokan fire in Wakayama kills 16 people and injures 15. March Unknown date – Nagase Upbright Cram School, as predecessor of Nagase Brothers Group was founded in Mitaka, Tokyo. March 4 - A Lake Kawaguchi to Otsuki local train collision with truck in Fujikyu Line, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, according to Japan Transport Ministry official confirmed report, 17 person were lost to lives, with 69 person were wounded. April 1 – Apa Group founded, as predecessor name was Shinkin Developer in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture. April 27 - A massive forest fire in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, according to Fire and Disaster Management Agency confirmed report, 18 firefighter were lost their lives. July 3 - Toa Domestic Airlines Flight 63 crash into Mount Yokotsu, Hakodate, Hokkaido, according to Japan Transport Ministry official confirmed report, all 68 person were lost to lives. July 18 - A heavy torrential rain, wide range affective landslide, debris flow, bridge collapse around Aioi and Sayo, Hyogo Prefecture, 19 person were lost to lives, 26 persons were wounded, according to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report. July 20 - A first McDonald's fast food outlet open in Japan at Ginza, Tokyo. July 30 - An All Nippon Airways Boeing 727 collides with a Japanese fighter jet, resulting in a loss of 162 lives. October 25 - Collision of two limited express trains on the Kintetsu Osaka Line in Hakusan (now Tsu) in Mie Prefecture. Casualties include 25 dead and 227 wounded. November 11 - A slope failure field site collapsed during an experiment in Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. According to a Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency confirmed report, 15 persons lost their lives, 10 persons were wounded.