Japanese era converter
Enter a date to see which Japanese era it is in and the year number, or choose an era and year to get the Gregorian dates. Years in which the era changed are handled exactly, so Heisei 31 and Reiwa 1 are both 2019.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Choose date to era year, or era year to date.
- For the first, pick a date. For the second, choose the era and enter the year number.
- Read the era and year, or the first and last Gregorian day of that era year.
How it works
Each era starts on a known Gregorian date: Reiwa 1 May 2019, Heisei 8 January 1989, Showa 25 December 1926, Taisho 30 July 1912. The era year is the Gregorian year minus the year the era began, plus 1. For the reverse direction the year is turned back into a Gregorian year the same way, and the dates are cut to the days the era really lasted.
Worked examples
- 1 May 2019 is Reiwa 1, and 30 April 2019 is Heisei 31 (2019 − 1989 + 1).
- 7 January 1989 is Showa 64, the last day of Showa.
- 29 July 1912 is Meiji 45 and the next day is Taisho 1.
- 2026 is Reiwa 8.
Good to know
Official documents in Japan often use era years, so converting a birth date or a contract date is a common need. The Gregorian year of an era year depends on which part of the year you mean in a changeover year, which is why the tool returns a first and last day.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Reiwa era begin?
Reiwa began on 1 May 2019, when Emperor Naruhito acceded to the throne after the abdication of his father. 2019 is therefore both Heisei 31 (1 January to 30 April) and Reiwa 1 (from 1 May). 2026 is Reiwa 8.
Why is the first year of an era sometimes called gannen?
Japan counts the year in which an era begins as year 1, called gannen, even if it is only a few days or months long. Showa 1 lasted from 25 December to 31 December 1926, and Showa 64 only from 1 to 7 January 1989.
What are the Japanese eras and their dates?
Meiji ended on 29 July 1912, Taisho ran from 30 July 1912 to 24 December 1926, Showa from 25 December 1926 to 7 January 1989, Heisei from 8 January 1989 to 30 April 2019, and Reiwa started on 1 May 2019.
Why does the tool start in 1873?
Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar on 1 January 1873, which was Meiji 6. Earlier Meiji years followed the old lunisolar calendar, which does not map one to one onto Gregorian dates, so they are not converted.