1954 in Japan

Incumbents

• Emperor: Hirohito
• Prime minister: Shigeru Yoshida until December 10, Ichirō Hatoyama
• Chief Cabinet Secretary: Kenji Fukunaga until December 10, Ryutaro Nemoto
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Kōtarō Tanaka
• President of the House of Representatives: Yasujirō Tsutsumi until December 10, Tō Matsunaga from December 11
• President of the House of Councillors: Yahachi Kawai

  Events

• January 2 - A stampede occur in Nijubashi, Imperial Square, Tokyo, 16 persons fatalities, according to Japan National Police Agency confirmed report.:ja:二重橋事件
• January 18 - Mabuchi Motor was founded in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture.
• February 1 - A first issue of Chūnichi Sports was published in Nagoya.
• April 26 - Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai released in Japan.
• July 1 - The Japanese Self-Defense Forces are established.
• September 26
• * A typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait sinks the ferry Tōya Maru, killing over 1,100 passengers and crew, wrecks at least seven other ships and seriously damages nine more.
• * A massive fire in Iwanai, Hokkaido, affect of Typhoon Marie, total 38 persons lost to lives, 551 persons wounded, 3,299 houres and building 261.4 acre lost to fire, according to Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency official confirmed report.:ja:岩内大火
• October 8 - A sightseeing boat Uchigo Maru capsized by overcrowded in Lake Sagami, Kanagawa Prefecture, 22 junior highschool students were fatalities, according to Japanese government confirmed report.
• November 3 - Godzilla released in Japan.

  Births

• January 6 - Yuji Horii, video game designer
• January 14 - Masanobu Fuchi, professional wrestler
• January 19 -Yumi Matsutoya, singer
• January 28 - Kaneto Shiozawa, voice actor
• January 29 - Yukinobu Hoshino, cartoonist
• February 4 - Shigeru Chiba, Voice actor and actor
• February 11 - Noriyuki Asakura, composer
• February 17 - Yuji Takada, free-style wrestler
• March 2 - Gara Takashima, voice actress
• March 23 - Hideyuki Hori, voice actor
• March 26 - Kazuhiko Inoue, voice actor
• April 2 - Susumu Hirasawa, musician
• April 17 - Norio Imamura, voice actor
• April 22 - Jōji Nakata, voice actor
• April 29 - Kazuko Kurosawa, costume designer
• May 19 - Hōchū Ōtsuka, voice actor
• May 22 - Shuji Nakamura, electronics engineer
• June 2 - Chiyoko Kawashima, voice actress
• June 4 - Kazuhiro Yamaji, actor and voice actor
• July 10 - Yō Yoshimura, voice actor
• July 2 - Saori Minami, idol and singer
• August 1 - Junpei Morita, actor and voice actor
• September 16 - Masahiro Andoh, musician, guitarist of T-Square
• September 21 - Shinzō Abe, incumbent Prime Minister of Japan
• October 18 - Yūji Mitsuya, voice actor
• November 8 - Kazuo Ishiguro, author
• November 20 - Bin Shimada, voice actor

  Deaths

• July 28 - Sōjin Kamiyama, film star during the silent film era
• September 21 - Mikimoto Kōkichi, pearl farm pioneer
• October 6 - Yukio Ozaki, politician