Japan announces the name of the new era !

Today, April the 1st, the japanese government has officially announced the name of the new era in which is going to enter. 2019 will be the first year of the Reiwa 令和 era !

This name has been carefully selected among other candidates. It has to be easy to read, composed with 2 calligraphy characters and being in harmony with the present nation ideals.  This is a specific case : the announcement of  the name of a new era traditionally takes place after the accession of the new emperor, but prime minister Abe Shinzo said that it could be better that the transition takes place softly. The abdication of the emperor Akihito, 85 years old, is scheduled on April the 30th. It will be the end of Heisei era, that began in 1989. He is the second emperor in Japanese history to renounce his title during his lifetime. The Heisei era, whose name literally means "accomplishing peace," has lasted 31 years.

Japan has had a total of 250 eras. It is more than the number of emperors who ruled the country: it was indeed also customary to change era to symbolize a new beginning, after a major natural disaster for example. The longest known in the country so far is that of Emperor Hirohito: the Showa era (the "enlightened era of peace") that lasted 69 years. This subdivision of the calendar into eras is a system from the Chinese empire, and according to historians, only Japan still practices it.

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