Knowra Reiwa era Reiwa era The current Japanese era, beginning on May 1, 2019, when Naruhito acceded to the throne. Its name, Reiwa, is drawn from a classical Japanese poetry collection.
Reiwa : The Japanese era name adopted in 2019, conventionally translated as “beautiful harmony.” The era takes its name from this nengō, announced before Naruhito’s accession.
Nengō : A Japanese era name used to identify years, traditionally associated with an emperor’s reign. Reiwa is the nengō governing year numbering since 2019.
Shinzo Abe : Japanese prime minister from 2012 to 2020, who led the government when the Reiwa name was announced. He presented the government’s explanation of the era name in 2019.
Golden Week : A cluster of Japanese public holidays from late April to early May. The 2019 succession and enthronement extended the holiday period surrounding Reiwa’s start.
Man'yōshū : An eighth-century anthology of Japanese poetry and the oldest surviving major collection of Japanese verse. The government said Reiwa’s characters were drawn from a passage in this anthology.
Japanese calendar : Japan’s civil calendar system, which uses the Gregorian calendar together with imperial era-year notation. Dates in Reiwa can be expressed both as Gregorian years and as era years.
Yoshihide Suga : Japanese politician who served as chief cabinet secretary from 2012 to 2020 and prime minister from 2020 to 2021. As chief cabinet secretary, he publicly announced the name Reiwa.
Enthronement of Naruhito : The October 22, 2019 ceremony in which Naruhito formally proclaimed his enthronement as emperor. The ceremony publicly confirmed the reign that had begun with his May accession.
Naruhito : The 126th emperor of Japan, who acceded to the throne on May 1, 2019. His accession began the Reiwa era.
Reiwa 1 : The first calendar year of the Reiwa era, beginning on May 1, 2019, and ending on December 31, 2019. It shows how an era beginning midyear is numbered in practice.
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