July 31:

Events

• 781 - The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji (Traditional Japanese date: July 6, 781).
• 1936 - The International Olympic Committee announces that the 1940 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo. However, the games are given back to the IOC after the Second Sino-Japanese War breaks out, and are eventually cancelled altogether because of World War II.
• 1951 - Japan Airlines is established.

Births

• 1143 - Emperor Nijō (d. 1165)
• 1943 - Sab Shimono, Japanese-American actor
• 1953 - Tōru Furuya, voice actor
• 1967 - Minako Honda (d. 2005), singer and actress
• 1967 - Mitsuo Iwata, voice actor
• 1980 - Rina Aiuchi, singer

Deaths

• 1973 - Azumafuji Kin'ichi (b. 1921), sumo wrestler, the 40th Yokozuna
• 1986 - Chiune Sugihara (b. 1900), diplomat