Japanese Era Calculator
Convert a date or a Western year to the Japanese era year (Reiwa, Heisei, Shōwa, Taishō, Meiji) and back, with the kanji and the day each era changed.
Result
Japanese era year: Reiwa 8
Years after today assume the Reiwa era continues. An era changes on the day a new emperor succeeds, not on 1 January.
- Western year
- 2026
- Written in Japanese
- 令和8年
https://calcgallery.com/date-time/japanese-era-calculator/
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How to use the Japanese Era Calculator
- Choose whether you have a date and want its era year, or an era year and want the Western year.
- For a date, pick it in the date box. For an era year, pick the era and enter the year, for example Shōwa 50.
- Read the era year, how it is written in Japanese, and any note about a year two eras share.
Eras on this page
| Era | Kanji | First day | Add to the era year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meiji | 明治 | 1868 (Gregorian dates from 1 January 1873) | 1867 |
| Taishō | 大正 | 30 July 1912 | 1911 |
| Shōwa | 昭和 | 25 December 1926 | 1925 |
| Heisei | 平成 | 8 January 1989 | 1988 |
| Reiwa | 令和 | 1 May 2019 | 2018 |
The page counts an era year as the Western year minus the era’s first Western year, plus one. For a date, it first finds which era was in force on that day from the start dates above, so the days around a change come out right.
era year = Western year − first year of the era + 1Western year = first year of the era + era year − 1Where the dates come from
The Heisei and Reiwa start dates are fixed by cabinet orders, each titled “元号を改める政令” (the order changing the era name), issued in 1989 and 2019. The Taishō and Shōwa dates are the days of the imperial succession in 1912 and 1926. The page reads all of them from its register of sourced constants, so a correction is made in one place.
Future eras can’t be predicted, so for years after today the page assumes Reiwa continues and says so.
With your numbers
- Era year = Western year − the era’s first year + 1, and the first year is called gannen
- A new era starts on the day of the change, so the year an era changes belongs to two eras
Quick reference
Years after today assume the Reiwa era continues. An era changes on the day a new emperor succeeds, not on 1 January.
| Example | Result |
|---|---|
| 4 October 2026 | Japanese era year: Reiwa 8 |
| 1 May 2019 (Reiwa begins) | Japanese era year: Reiwa 1 |
| 30 April 2019 | Japanese era year: Heisei 31 |
| 7 January 1989 | Japanese era year: Shōwa 64 |
| Shōwa 50 | Western year: 1975 |
| Shōwa 64 | Western year: 1989 |
| Heisei 1 | Western year: 1989 |
| Heisei 31 | Western year: 2019 |
Where the numbers come from
The fixed figures this calculator relies on, and the published source each one was checked against. How the calculators are built and checked
5 sources
Daijō-kan Proclamation No. 337 of Meiji 5 (1872), "改暦ノ布告", setting 3 December Meiji 5 as 1 January Meiji 6; National Diet Library, https://www.ndl.go.jp/koyomi/chapter1/s2.html
Used for
- Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar: 1 January Meiji 6 (1873). Era dates before it are lunisolar, so the page starts here.
Imperial Rescript on the change of era, 30 July 1912 (Taishō 1), Official Gazette (官報), read in the National Diet Library Digital Collections scan, info:ndljp/pid/2952093 (doi:10.11501/2952093)
Used for
- First day of the Taishō era.
Imperial Rescript on the change of era, 25 December 1926 (Shōwa 1), Official Gazette (官報), read in the National Diet Library Digital Collections scan, info:ndljp/pid/2956454 (doi:10.11501/2956454)
Used for
- First day of the Shōwa era.
Cabinet Order No. 1 of Shōwa 64 (1989), "元号を改める政令", in force 8 January 1989; e-Gov, https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/364CO0000000001
Used for
- First day of the Heisei era.
Cabinet Order No. 143 of Heisei 31 (2019), "元号を改める政令", in force 1 May 2019; e-Gov, https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/431CO0000000143
Used for
- First day of the Reiwa era.
Common questions about the Japanese Era Calculator
- What is a Japanese era year?
- Japan numbers years from the start of each emperor's reign as well as by the Western calendar. The era name, nengō, is announced when an emperor succeeds, and the year count restarts at 1. Government forms, driving licences, residence cards and bank documents commonly use the era year, written wareki.
- What is gannen?
- The first year of an era is usually written 元年, gannen, meaning the first year, rather than 1年. Reiwa gannen is 2019 from 1 May. The page shows the kanji form so you can match what is printed on a form.
- Why does one year belong to two eras?
- An era changes on the day the new emperor succeeds, not on 1 January. 1989 was Shōwa 64 from 1 to 7 January and Heisei 1 from 8 January, and 2019 was Heisei 31 until 30 April and Reiwa 1 from 1 May. So to convert a specific date, use the date mode, which uses the exact day of the change.
- Is there a quick way to convert in my head?
- Add a fixed number to the era year: 2018 for Reiwa, 1988 for Heisei, 1925 for Shōwa, 1911 for Taishō and 1867 for Meiji. Shōwa 50 is 1925 + 50 = 1975. Subtract the same number to go the other way.
- Why does the page start in 1873?
- Japan used a lunisolar calendar until the end of Meiji 5. The government switched to the Gregorian calendar by making the day after 2 December Meiji 5 into 1 January Meiji 6, which was 1 January 1873. Era years before that can still be converted to Western years, but their months and days are not Gregorian.