ColumnAsia-Pacific

What’s in a Name? With a New Emperor, Japan Prepares for a New Era

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga unveils the name of the new era, “Reiwa,” at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, April 1, 2019 (AP photo by Eugene Hoshiko).
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga unveils the name of the new era, “Reiwa,” at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo, April 1, 2019 (AP photo by Eugene Hoshiko).
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“Eras” in a country’s history are usually determined in retrospect, or labeled metaphorically after a seminal event. But in Japan, the term is quite literal, corresponding to the reign of a new emperor. A new era is about to begin there, and it has a name already. For the first time in more than 200 years, Japan’s emperor is abdicating. On April 1, exactly one month before the coronation of the emperor’s son, Crown Prince Naruhito, on the Chrysanthemum Throne, the chief cabinet secretary unveiled the name that had been the subject of feverish speculation across Japan. Yoshihide Suga held […]

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