Events in the year 1901 in Japan. It corresponds to Meiji 34 (明治34年) in the Japanese calendar.

• Emperor: Emperor Meiji^[1]
• Prime Minister:
  • Itō Hirobumi: until May 10
  • Saionji Kinmochi: (Acting) May 10 – June 2
  • Katsura Tarō: from June 2

• February 5 – Japan fires up the furnace at its first modern ironworks.
• April 20 – Japan Women's University is established.
• September 7 – The Boxer Protocol is signed between the Qing Empire of China and the Eight-Nation Alliance. Japan is represented by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Komura Jutarō.
• Unknown date – Imabari Shipbuilding was founded, as predecessor name was Higaki Shipbuilding in Ehime Prefecture.^{[citation needed]}

• February 15 – Minoru Inuzuka, film director and screenwriter (2007)
• February 16 – Koji Shima, film director, actor, and screenwriter (1986)
• February 17 – Motojirō Kajii, writer (d. 1932)
• March 10 – Mushitaro Oguri, novelist (1946)
• March 27 – Eisaku Satō, Prime Minister of Japan, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1975)^[2]
• April 19 – Kiyoshi Oka, mathematician (d. 1978)
• April 29
  • Hotsumi Ozaki, journalist and soviet spy (d. 1944)
  • Hirohito, 124th Emperor of Japan (d. 1989)^[3]
• June 21 – Mitsuko Yoshikawa, FILM actress (d. 1991)
• July 10 – Eiji Tsuburaya, Japanese film director and special effects designer (d. 1970)
• September 9 – Hideo Oguma, poet (d. 1940)
• November 4 – Princess Masako Nashimoto, consort of Crown Prince Euimin of Korea (d. 1989)
• November 5 – Chōgorō Kaionji, writer (1976)
• December 12 – Ihei Kimura, photographer (d. 1974)

• January 20 – Keisuke Ito, physician and biologist (b. 1803)
• February 3 – Fukuzawa Yukichi, writer and educator (b. 1835)
• March 29 – Ōshima Takatō, engineer (b. 1826)
• June 6 – Oda Nobutoshi, former daimyō (b. 1853)
• June 21 – Hoshi Tōru, politician and cabinet minister (b. 1850)
• August 19 – Shō Tai, last king of the Ryukyu Kingdom (b. 1843)
• December 13 – Nakae Chōmin, philosopher and journalist (b. 1847)