Kiss Day

What Is Kiss Day?

Every May 23rd is "Kiss Day" (キスの日, Kisu no Hi) in Japan. The date commemorates May 23, 1946, when the Japanese film "Hatachi no Seishun" (はたちの青春, "Youth at Twenty") was released — featuring what is considered Japan's first on-screen kiss. In a country where public displays of affection had been taboo and censored under prewar moral codes, the appearance of a kissing scene in a mainstream film was a genuinely revolutionary cultural event, signaling the dawn of a new era of personal freedom in postwar Japan.

Japan's First On-Screen Kiss

"Hatachi no Seishun" was directed by Yasuki Chiba and starred Fujita Susumu and Akiko. The kiss scene — brief and modest by later standards — was nonetheless so scandalous that the actors reportedly performed it hidden behind an umbrella, and cinema audiences were reportedly both shocked and delighted. Under the Occupation authorities' policy of encouraging democratic values and individual expression, the film passed censorship that would have been inconceivable under prewar Japanese standards.

Changing Attitudes Toward Public Affection

The 1946 film kiss was a small but symbolically large step in Japan's postwar cultural transformation. In the decades that followed, physical affection between couples has become increasingly visible in Japanese films, television dramas, and public life — though Japan remains more reserved about public displays of affection than many Western societies. The "first kiss" (初キス, hatsu kisu) remains a significant narrative moment in Japanese romantic drama, invested with a particular cultural weight.

Kiss Day Today

Kiss Day in Japan has evolved from its cinematic origins into a general celebration of romantic affection — a day when couples exchange cards, chocolates, or small gifts, and express appreciation for the people they love. It has something in common with Valentine's Day and White Day in its role as a designated occasion for romantic expression in Japanese culture.

Fun Facts

• International Kiss Day: July 6th is recognized internationally as "International Kissing Day" or "World Kiss Day," a separate observance from Japan's May 23rd Kiss Day.
• Japanese film censorship: Under the prewar Production Code (映画法, 1939), romantic scenes in Japanese films were heavily restricted. The postwar liberalization of censorship, guided by the U.S. Occupation authorities, dramatically transformed the content of Japanese cinema.