Telegraph and Telephone Day

What Is Telegraph and Telephone Day?

October 23rd is "Telegraph and Telephone Day" in Japan. It commemorates October 23, 1869 (the 19th day of the 9th month of Meiji 2 in the old calendar), when construction began on Japan's first public telegraph line between Tokyo and Yokohama. It was established in May 1950 by the then Ministry of Telecommunications (later Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation, today's NTT).

Japanese Telecommunications Began with a Tokyo-Yokohama Line

Telegraph and Telephone Day marks the starting point of modern electrical communications in Japan.

• Origin: Construction of the Tokyo-Yokohama telegraph line began on October 23, 1869
• Established: In May 1950 by the Ministry of Telecommunications
• Original name: "Telecommunications Day," matching the ministry's name
• Renamed: Became "Telegraph and Telephone Day" in 1956, keeping the same date

A Day Born from the Split of the Communications Ministry

The predecessor Ministry of Communications originally had its own "Communications Day." When it split into the Ministry of Posts and the Ministry of Telecommunications in 1949, Communications Day on April 20th was inherited by the Ministry of Posts as "Postal Day." The Ministry of Telecommunications wanted a day of its own, and Telegraph and Telephone Day was born. That is why Japan's postal and telecommunications anniversaries fall on different dates.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Look back on how communication tools have changed: telegrams, landlines, mobile phones, smartphones
• Call someone you haven't been in touch with for a while
• Ask people around you whether they've ever sent a telegram
• Review your home internet or smartphone plan

A Single Telegraph Line, the Origin of Our Connected Society

The telegraph line linking Tokyo and Yokohama in the early Meiji era eventually led to the telephone, the internet and the smartphone. October 23rd is a day to appreciate how easily we can now connect with one another.