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Japanese Era Converter

Converts a Gregorian date to the Japanese era year — Reiwa, Heisei, Shōwa, Taishō or Meiji — including the gannen rule.

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In short Japanese era years count from the accession of an emperor, so Reiwa 1 is 2019, Heisei 1 is 1989 and Shōwa 1 is 1926. The two details converters usually get wrong are both about boundaries. First, an era begins on a specific day, not on 1 January — Reiwa began on 1 May 2019, so 30 April 2019 was Heisei 31 and the next day was Reiwa 1, and any year containing a succession carries two era names. Shōwa 64 lasted seven days. Second, the first year of an era is written 元年, gannen, meaning "origin year", and never 1年; a document dated 令和1年 is being written by software rather than by a person. This tool covers Meiji onwards, from 23 October 1868. Earlier eras changed for reasons other than a succession — a disaster, an auspicious omen, sometimes several times in a decade — and converting those needs a table rather than a rule.

How to use the Japanese Era Converter

  1. Pick the Gregorian date.
  2. Read the era and the era year, with the Japanese form beside it.
  3. Note that a year containing a succession has two era names.

About the Japanese Era Converter

The Japanese Era Converter converts a Gregorian date to the Japanese era year — Reiwa, Heisei, Shōwa, Taishō or Meiji — including the gannen rule. It runs as plain JavaScript inside the page, which means there is no upload step, no queue and no size limit imposed by a server — the only limit is your own device.

What people use it for

  • Reading a date on a Japanese document, licence or certificate.
  • Converting a birth year written in Shōwa or Heisei.
  • Checking which era a date near a succession falls in.

Details

ReiwaFrom 1 May 2019
Heisei8 January 1989 to 30 April 2019
ShōwaFrom 25 December 1926 — and Shōwa 64 lasted seven days
First yearWritten 元年 (gannen), never 1年
CoversMeiji onwards, from 23 October 1868
The era boundaries are days, not years, and that is the whole difficulty. A converter that maps whole years to eras is wrong for every date on the wrong side of a succession — which is a week of 1989 and eight months of 2019.

Where this tool stops

Meiji onwards only. Pre-1868 era changes did not follow successions and cannot be derived from a rule.

Frequently asked questions

What does 元年 mean?
Gannen, "origin year" — the first year of an era. It is written that way rather than as 1年, and a form or a database that prints 令和1年 is a giveaway that no person checked it. This page shows the correct form.
Why does 1989 appear as both Shōwa and Heisei?
Because the Shōwa emperor died on 7 January 1989 and the new era began the next day. So 1 to 7 January 1989 was Shōwa 64 and 8 January onwards was Heisei 1 — the same Gregorian year, two era names, and the shortest era year in modern Japanese history.
How do I convert a Shōwa year to a Western year?
Add 1925. Shōwa 50 is 1975, Shōwa 64 is 1989. For Heisei add 1988, and for Reiwa add 2018 — but only within the era, because the boundaries fall mid-year and the arithmetic breaks across them. That is what this page handles for you.
Does Japan still use era years?
Yes, constantly. Official documents, driving licences, bank forms and newspapers all use them alongside the Gregorian year, which is exactly why converting between the two is an everyday task rather than a historical curiosity.
Is the Japanese Era Converter free?
Free, unlimited, and no email address required. You can use it a hundred times a day and nothing changes.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No. The Japanese Era Converter runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Because the work happens locally, the page also keeps working if your connection drops, and closing the tab is all it takes to discard everything.
What is the Japanese Era Converter used for?
The jobs it is built for: reading a date on a Japanese document, licence or certificate. Converting a birth year written in Shōwa or Heisei. Checking which era a date near a succession falls in. It is built for exactly those cases rather than being a general-purpose tool with this bolted on.
Is there anything the Japanese Era Converter cannot do?
Meiji onwards only. Pre-1868 era changes did not follow successions and cannot be derived from a rule. Knowing where a tool stops being trustworthy matters more than the cases where it works.
What figures does the Japanese Era Converter work from?
Reiwa is From 1 May 2019. Heisei is 8 January 1989 to 30 April 2019. Shōwa is From 25 December 1926 — and Shōwa 64 lasted seven days. These are printed on the page itself, so you do not have to take them on trust.
Will this work on a tablet?
Yes. The page is responsive and the page works in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge and Samsung Internet on both Android and iOS. There is no app to install and nothing to sign into.

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