Shōwa period facts for kids

History of Japan

Paleolithic 35000–10000 BCE Jōmon period 10000–300 BCE Yayoi period 300 BCE–250 CE Kofun period 250–538 Asuka period 538–710 Nara period 710–794 Heian period 794–1185 Kamakura period 1185–1333 Kemmu restoration 1333–1336 Muromachi period 1333–1573 Nanboku-chō period 1336–1392 Sengoku period Azuchi-Momoyama period 1568–1603 Nanban trade Edo period 1603–1868 Late Tokugawa shogunate Meiji period 1868–1912 Meiji Restoration Taishō period 1912–1926 Japan in WWI Shōwa period 1926–1989 Japanese expansionism Occupied Japan Post-Occupation Japan Heisei period 1989-present

The Shōwa period (昭和時代, Shōwa jidai), also known as the Shōwa era, was a Japanese era name (年号,, nengō,, lit. "year name") that came after the Taishō period and before the Heisei period. This important time in Japanese history began on December 25, 1926, and ended on January 7, 1989. During these years, the emperor of Japan was Shōwa-tennō ((昭和天皇), also known as Hirohito (裕仁).

The word Shōwa for this era means "Brilliant Harmony." It was the longest period in Japan's modern history.

Key Events of the Shōwa Period

This period covers all the years when Emperor Shōwa was the monarch of Japan. Many important things happened during this time.

World War II was a very big part of the Shōwa era. Japan was involved in this global conflict.

• 1979 (Shōwa 54): The 5th G7 summit was held in Tokyo. This was a meeting of leaders from the world's biggest economies.
• 1986 (Shōwa 61): The 12th G7 summit also took place in Tokyo.

Leaders and Politics in Shōwa Japan

During the Shōwa period, many different people served as the Prime Minister of Japan. The Prime Minister is the head of the government. Here is a list of some of the Prime Ministers during this long era:

• 1926 (Shōwa 1): Emperor Taishō passed away. Wakatsuki Reijirō was the Prime Minister during this change.
• 1927 (Shōwa 2): Tanaka Giichi became the 26th Prime Minister.
• 1929 (Shōwa 4): Osachi Hamaguchi became the 27th Prime Minister.
• 1931 (Shōwa 6): Wakatsuki became the 28th Prime Minister again.
• 1931 (Shōwa 6): Inukai Tsuyoshi became the 29th Prime Minister.
• 1932 (Shōwa 7): Saitō Makoto became the 30th Prime Minister.
• 1934 (Shōwa 9): Keisuke Okada became the 31st Prime Minister.
• 1936 (Shōwa 11): Koki Hirota became the 32nd Prime Minister.
• 1937 (Shōwa 12): Senjuro Hayashi became the 33rd Prime Minister.
• 1937 (Shōwa 12): Fumimaro Konoe became the 34th Prime Minister.
• 1939 (Shōwa 14): Hiranuma Kiichirō became the 35th Prime Minister.
• 1939 (Shōwa 14): Nobuyuki Abe became the 36th Prime Minister.
• 1940 (Shōwa 15): Mitsumasa Yonai became the 37th Prime Minister.
• 1940 (Shōwa 15): Konoe became the 38th Prime Minister again.
• 1941 (Shōwa 16): Konoe became the 39th Prime Minister for a third time.
• 1941 (Shōwa 16): Hideki Tōjō became the 40th Prime Minister.
• 1944 (Shōwa 19): Kuniaki Koiso became the 41st Prime Minister.
• 1945 (Shōwa 20): Kantaro Suzuki became the 42nd Prime Minister.
• 1945 (Shōwa 21): Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni became the 43rd Prime Minister.
• 1945 (Shōwa 21): Kijuro Shidehara became the 44th Prime Minister.
• 1946 (Shōwa 22): Shigeru Yoshida became the 45th Prime Minister.
• 1947 (Shōwa 23): Tetsu Katayama became the 46th Prime Minister.
• 1948 (Shōwa 24): Hitoshi Ashida became the 47th Prime Minister.
• 1948 (Shōwa 24): Yoshida became the 48th Prime Minister again.
• 1949 (Shōwa 25): Yoshida became the 49th Prime Minister.
• 1952 (Shōwa 27): Yoshida became the 50th Prime Minister.
• 1953 (Shōwa 28): Yoshida became the 51st Prime Minister.
• 1954 (Shōwa 29): Ichirō Hatoyama became the 52nd Prime Minister.
• 1955 (Shōwa 30): Hatoyama became the 53rd Prime Minister.
• 1955 (Shōwa 30): Hatoyama became the 54th Prime Minister.
• 1956 (Shōwa 31): Tanzan Ishibashi became the 55th Prime Minister.
• 1957 (Shōwa 32): Nobusuke Kishi became the 56th Prime Minister.
• 1958 (Shōwa 33): Kishi became the 57th Prime Minister.
• 1960 (Shōwa 35): Hayato Ikeda became the 58th Prime Minister.
• 1960 (Shōwa 35): Ikeda became the 59th Prime Minister.
• 1963 (Shōwa 38): Ikeda became the 60th Prime Minister.
• 1964 (Shōwa 39): Eisaku Satō became the 61st Prime Minister.
• 1967 (Shōwa 42): Sato became the 62nd Prime Minister.
• 1970 (Shōwa 45): Sato became the 63rd Prime Minister.
• 1972 (Shōwa 47): Kakuei Tanaka became the 64th Prime Minister.
• 1972 (Shōwa 47): Tanaka became the 65th Prime Minister.
• 1974 (Shōwa 49): Takeo Miki became the 66th Prime Minister.
• 1976 (Shōwa 51): Takeo Fukuda became the 67th Prime Minister.
• 1978 (Shōwa 53): Masayoshi Ōhira became the 68th Prime Minister.
• 1979 (Shōwa 54): Ohira became the 69th Prime Minister.
• 1980 (Shōwa 55): Zenkō Suzuki became the 70th Prime Minister.
• 1982 (Shōwa 57): Yasuhiro Nakasone became the 71st Prime Minister.
• 1983 (Shōwa 58): Nakasone became the 72nd Prime Minister.
• 1986 (Shōwa 61): Nakasone became the 73rd Prime Minister.
• 1987 (Shōwa 62): Noboru Takeshita became the 74th Prime Minister.

Related Pages

• 100 Landscapes of Japan (Shōwa period)
• List of Emperors of Japan
• Japanese era name

Images for kids

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  The National Diet Building, where Japan's government meets, was finished in 1936 during the early Shōwa era.

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  This map shows how large the Japanese colonial empire was at its biggest.

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  Japanese Emperor Hirohito leading a meeting of the Imperial General Headquarters on April 29, 1943.

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  A map showing Japan's advance in Asia from 1937 to 1942 during World War II.

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  Hideki Tōjō (on the right) and Nobusuke Kishi in October 1943.

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  Japanese Emperor Hirohito with U.S. President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy Reagan.

See also

A friendly robot icon

In Spanish: Era Shōwa para niños