Events in the year 1973 in Japan. It corresponds to Shōwa 48 (昭和48年) in the Japanese calendar.
Incumbents
Emperor: Hirohito
Prime minister: Kakuei Tanaka (Liberal Democratic) Chief Cabinet Secretary: Susumu Nikaido Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Kazuto Ishida until May 19, Tomokazu Murakami from May 21 President of the House of Representatives: Umekichi Nakamura until May 29, Shigesaburō Maeo President of the House of Councillors: Kenzō Kōno Diet sessions: 71st (extraordinary session opened on December 22, 1972, to September 27), 72nd (regular, December 1 to June 3, 1974)
Governors
Aichi Prefecture: Mikine Kuwahara
Akita Prefecture: Yūjirō Obata
Aomori Prefecture: Shunkichi Takeuchi
Chiba Prefecture: Taketo Tomonō
Ehime Prefecture: Haruki Shiraishi
Fukui Prefecture: Heidayū Nakagawa
Fukuoka Prefecture: Hikaru Kamei
Fukushima Prefecture: Morie Kimura
Gifu Prefecture: Saburō Hirano
Gunma Prefecture: Konroku Kanda
Hiroshima Prefecture: Iduo Nagano (until 10 November); Hiroshi Miyazawa (starting 16 December) Hokkaido: Naohiro Dōgakinai 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: Issei Sawada Kyoto Prefecture: Torazō Ninagawa Mie Prefecture: Ryōzō Tagawa 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: Masaru Taki Okayama Prefecture: Shiro Nagano Okinawa Prefecture: Chōbyō Yara Osaka Prefecture: Ryōichi Kuroda Saga Prefecture: Sunao Ikeda Saitama Prefecture: Yawara Hata Shiga Prefecture: Kinichiro Nozaki Shiname Prefecture: Seiji Tsunematsu Shizuoka Prefecture: Yūtarō Takeyama Tochigi Prefecture: Nobuo Yokokawa Tokushima Prefecture: Yasunobu Takeichi Tokyo: Ryōkichi Minobe Tottori Prefecture: Jirō Ishiba (until 22 February); Kōzō Hirabayashi (starting 27 March) Toyama Prefecture: Kokichi Nakada Wakayama Prefecture: Masao Ohashi Yamagata Prefecture: Tōkichi Abiko (until 27 September); Seiichirō Itagaki (starting 17 October) Yamaguchi Prefecture: Masayuki Hashimoto Yamanashi Prefecture: Kunio Tanabe
Events
January 1 – Health care for those over 70 years of age is made free of charge
March 8 – According to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report, Yawata General Hospital fire in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, total 13 patients were fatalities. March 19 – Konami is established. July 23 – Nidec was founded, as predecessor name was Nippon Densan (Electric Industry) Corporation. August 17 – Miyama Real Estate, as predecessor of Leopalace founded in Nakano, Tokyo. September 25 – According to Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report, a caught fire at under construction for department store in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, kill six construction workers, in an incident caused bx a security guardman has arson acting. October 27 – A retailer CGC Group founded. November 29 – Fire breaks out in Taiyo department store in Kumamoto City, killing over a hundred.