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Japan's Next Era to be Called "Reiwa"

posted by mrpg on Wednesday April 03 2019, @07:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the sayonara-heisei,-youkoso-reiwa dept.

takyon writes:

New Era Name 'Reiwa' Defines Japan As Emperor Akihito Prepares To Abdicate

Japan has revealed the name of its next imperial era to be "Reiwa," set to begin May 1 as Crown Prince Naruhito is expected to take the throne.

Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, announced the name at a press conference Monday morning local time, unveiling a board with the two kanji characters written on it. While there was some deliberation over the exact meaning, the two characters that make up the new name, or the "gengo," translate roughly to "good fortune" and "peace" or "harmony," according to The Japan Times.

"We hope [the era name] will be widely accepted by the people and deeply rooted as part of their daily lives," Suga told reporters.

The announcement comes as the current "Heisei" era draws to a close after three decades, with Emperor Akihito set to step down on April 30 in the first abdication of the throne in over 200 years.

[...]Announcing the name one month in advance gives companies and government entities time to incorporate the name into paperwork and computer systems, The Guardian reports. Even as the Western calendar has become more widespread in Japan, the era name is still used frequently, including on newspapers, coins and official documents like driving licenses. Under the system, 2019 is known as Heisei 31, or the 31st year of Akihito's reign.

Also at BBC.

See also: Japan's New Era Gets a Name, but No One Can Agree What It Means

Previously: MonarchyNews: The King is My Co-Pilot and Japanese Succession "Crisis"
Japan Clears Way for Emperor to Step Down in 1st Abdication in 200 Years
Big Tech Warns of 'Japan's Millennium Bug' Ahead of Akihito's Abdication

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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Wednesday April 03 2019, @01:09PM (2 children)

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday April 03 2019, @01:09PM (#824057) Journal

    The latter possibility has some implications which countries like China just might take the wrong way...

    If they want to. That's the problem with diplomatic games. It's very easy to find things to be offended by.

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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 03 2019, @01:31PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 03 2019, @01:31PM (#824066)

    China is so easy to offend these days. Just stepping foot on an island in the middle of international waters is enough for them to declare war. Heck, just talking about one of the countries they have invaded or taken control of will piss them off.

    • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday April 03 2019, @04:38PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Wednesday April 03 2019, @04:38PM (#824136)

      When the ultimate insult is Winnie The Pooh ...