JAPAN – Order and harmony signify the new imperial era of Japan named “Reiwa” which is about to set foot on May 1 replacing the country’s current era, Heisei with Emperor Akihito. Each Japanese emperor’s reign, or “gengo”, is given a name which is then used alongside the Western calendar to mark the years.
The term Reiwa comes from the two characters Rei and Wa meaning “order” or “command”, and “peace” or “harmony”. “Our nation is facing up to a big turning point, but there are lots of Japanese values that shouldn’t fade away,” Mr Abe told reporters. There have been only four eras in Japan’s modern history: Emperor Akihito’s current Heisei preceded by the Showa era (1926-1989), Taisho era (1912-1926) and the Meiji gengo (1868-1912).
Each gengo name remains to be significant to most Japanese in their daily lives. Although still widely used, the gengo calendar is declining in popularity as Japan opens up to global influence.
Since both calendars use Western months, many people simply use them alongside each other. (BBC)
