The [b]Reiwa era[/b] (令和時代 [i]Reiwa jidai[/i], lit. "Age of Sacred Peace") is the official name of the present era of Japanese history, which began on May 1, 2019 following the abdication of [[Emperor Akihito]] and the ascension of Crown Prince Naruhito to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The Reiwa era follows the [[Heisei]] era (1989-2019), the [[Shouwa]] era (1926-1989), the [[Taishou]] era (1912-1926), and the Meiji era (1868-1912). Since the Meiji era, each era has corresponded to the rule of one emperor.

The name of the new era was announced during a press conference in which Chief Cabinet Secretary [[Suga Yoshihide]] [[holding sign|held up a sign]] revealing the new name. This event has revived a minor [[meme]], with many posts parodying the reveal of the new name in a fashion that had been done periodically with Suga's predecessor, [[Obuchi Keizou]].

h4. External links

* "The Japan Times: Japan reveals name of new era ahead of Emperor's abdication":https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/04/01/national/politics-diplomacy/japan-readies-announce-name-new-era/
* "Wikipedia: Reiwa period":https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiwa_period
* "Wikimedia Commons: Yoshihide Suga announcing new imperial era Reiwa":[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yoshihide_Suga_announcing_new_imperial_era_Reiwa_2_(cropped).jpg]
* "Youtube: Official live stream of the announcement":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt40RYc7znc&t=28m23s
令和 新元号