December 16:

Events

• 1392 - Nanboku-chō - Emperor Go-Kameyama abdicates in favor of rival claimant Go-Komatsu.
• 1598 - Seven Year War: Battle of Noryang Point - The final battle of the Seven Year War is fought between the Korean and Japanese navies, resulting in a decisive Korean victory.
• 1707 - Last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan.
• 1941 - World War II: Japanese occupy Miri, Sarawak

Births

• 1884 - Seibo Kitamura (d. 1987), sculptor
• 1938 - Liv Ullmann, Japanese-Norwegian actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1945 - Yukio Hattori, television host
• 1951 - Shinji Yamashita, actor
• 1955 - Chiharu Matsuyama, singer-songwriter
• 1971 - Shigeki Hosokawa, actor
• 1975 - Nao Kawakita, drummer
• 1976 - Emiri Henmi, actress and singer
• 1978 - Satoshi Matsuda, actor
• 1983 - Mika Kikuchi, actress and voice actress
• 1985 - Keita Tachibana, singer and dancer
• 1989 - Mirei Kiritani, actress, model, and news anchor
• 1992 - Moe Miura, model, actress, and singer
• 1993 - Rikako Sakata, model and actress

Deaths

• 1945 - Fumimaro Konoe (b. 1891), politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Japan
• 1993 - Kakuei Tanaka (b. 1918), soldier and politician, 64th Prime Minister of Japan