1871 in Japan
Incumbents
=Governors=
- Aomori Prefecture: Hiromichi Noda (September 7-November 5), J. Hishida (starting November 7)
- Fukui Prefecture: Kotobuki Murata
- Fukushima Prefecture: Tomoharu Kiyooka
- Gifu Prefecture: Joren Hasegawa
- Gunma Prefecture: Sada Aoyama
- Hiroshima Prefecture: Kono Toshikama (August 15-November 15), Senbon Hisanobu (November 15-November 27), Kono Toshikama (November 27-December 26), Date Muneoki (starting December 26)
- Ibaraki Prefecture:
- July 13-December 9: Tesshu Yamaoka
- starting December 9: Yamaguchi (starting November 2)
- Iwate Prefecture: Korekiyo Shima (starting November 2)
- Kagawa Prefecture: Mohei Hayashi (starting November 15)
- Kochi Prefecture: Yuzo Hayashi (starting November 15)
- Kyoto Prefecture: Nobuatsu
- Nagano Prefecture: Takaishi Wado (until 1871), Tachiki Kenzen (starting November 20)
- Niigata Prefecture: Hirimatsu (starting November 20)
- Oita Prefecture: Kei Morishita (starting November 14)
- Osaka Prefecture: Yotsutsuji Nishi
- Saga Prefecture: Sadao Koga (starting November 14)
- Saitama Prefecture: Morihide Nomura (starting November 13)
- Shiname Prefecture: Masami Terada (starting November 14)
- Tochigi Prefecture: Miki Nabeshima (starting November 13)
- Tokyo: Osamu Mibo (until September 7), Yuri Kousei (starting September 7)
- Toyama Prefecture:
- until August: Earl Maeda
- August-December: Obata Nobutomo
- Yamagata Prefecture: ......
Events
- January 28 - Japan's first Japanese-language daily newspaper, the Yokohama Mainichi Shinbun, is printed in Yokohama. (Traditional Japanese Date: Eighth Day of the Twelfth Month, 1870)
- The Yen was introduced on June 27