Pages

▼

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

New Name for New Era in Japan - Reiwa


Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga with calligraphy of the two kanji characters that make up the new name, Reiwa


The name for the new Era in Japan, which officially begins at midnight on May 1st, has been announced.  The new name is Reiwa, written in Japanese as 令和, meaning peace or harmony. For the first time the name is taken from an old anthology of Japanese poems, known as the Manyoshu, instead of a Chinese one. 

Emperor Akihito will abdicate his position on April 30th, which marks the end of the Heisei era, which began when he became emperor in 1989. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito will become Japan's new emperor.



In the past the new era name was only announced when one emperor had died and his successor had taken the throne.  This time is different due to the abdication. The announcement was made a month in advance to allow government offices and companies to prepare for the transition and update computer software.



at

6 comments:

  1. JeanieApril 2, 2019 at 5:26 AM

    This is fascinating. I had no idea this was how it was done.

    ReplyDelete
  2. QueeniepatchApril 2, 2019 at 7:04 AM

    A good choice, and easy to both read and write. Let's hope the new era will bring harmony and peace.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MiaApril 2, 2019 at 7:17 AM

    It is really a new era. I hope a good era. Kisses!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AntheaApril 2, 2019 at 3:34 PM

    Peace & harmony... well, wherever we live in the world, I think we could all do with more of that in our lives & daily efforts.
    Thank you Pamela for sharing that, so interesting x

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnnApril 3, 2019 at 5:28 AM

    This will be something interesting to see. I look forward to reading more details in your blog. How fortunate you will experience it in person.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Leonore WintererApril 16, 2019 at 11:15 PM

    I think it's a great choice, and hopefully will be a great era. I bet both of them are getting a little nervous about now!

    ReplyDelete