Japanese Era Converter (令和 / 平成 / 昭和)
Convert between Japanese era years (wareki) and Western years (seireki) instantly. Type any year in Reiwa, Heisei, Showa, Taisho, or Meiji — or any Western year from 1868 onwards — and get the matching value, plus zodiac animal and age-if-born-then.
Japanese Era Reference Table
| Era | Kanji | Western range | Span | Notable events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reiwa | 令和 | 2019 – present | Ongoing | COVID-19 pandemic response, Tokyo 2020 Olympics held in 2021, Osaka Expo 2025. |
| Heisei | 平成 | 1989 – 2019 | 30 years | Bubble economy collapse, Lost Decades, 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and Fukushima disaster. |
| Showa | 昭和 | 1926 – 1989 | 63 years | World War II, post-war Allied occupation, the high-growth and bubble economies. |
| Taisho | 大正 | 1912 – 1926 | 14 years | World War I, Taishō democracy movement, 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. |
| Meiji | 明治 | 1868 – 1912 | 44 years | End of feudal Japan, Meiji Restoration, rapid industrialisation and constitution of 1889. |
Understanding Japanese Era Years
How wareki works
Each modern Japanese era starts at the beginning of an emperor's reign and continues until that reign ends. The current era is Reiwa (令和), which began on May 1, 2019. Year 1 of an era starts on day one of the new reign, regardless of where that falls in the calendar year, so 2019 contains both Heisei 31 (January 1 – April 30) and Reiwa 1 (May 1 – December 31).
When you'll need this
Wareki appears on residency cards (在留カード), driver's licences, family registers (戸籍), tax forms, university entrance applications, employment contracts, and most government paperwork in Japan. Even when forms accept Western years, the Japanese-language version is usually printed in wareki and you'll need to convert your birth year quickly.
Boundary years (era transitions)
When an emperor's reign ends, the era changes mid-year. The four modern transitions are: Meiji → Taisho on 1912-07-30, Taisho → Showa on 1926-12-25, Showa → Heisei on 1989-01-08, and Heisei → Reiwa on 2019-05-01. On these transition years two era names are valid for the same Western year — this converter shows both with the exact date split.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is wareki / Japanese era year?
Wareki (和暦) is the Japanese calendar system that counts years from the start of each emperor's reign rather than from a fixed point like 1 AD. The current era is Reiwa (令和), which began on May 1, 2019. Year 1 of Reiwa was 2019, year 2 was 2020, and so on. Japan also uses the Western (Gregorian) calendar — called seireki (西暦) — but wareki is still required on most official forms, residency cards, university applications, and government documents.
What is the current Japanese era?
The current era is Reiwa (令和), which began on May 1, 2019, when Emperor Naruhito ascended the throne. The previous era was Heisei (平成, 1989–2019). Reiwa year is calculated as Western year − 2018, so 2024 is Reiwa 6 and 2025 is Reiwa 7.
How do I convert Reiwa to Western year?
Add 2018 to the Reiwa year. Reiwa 1 = 2019, Reiwa 2 = 2020, Reiwa 5 = 2023, Reiwa 6 = 2024, Reiwa 7 = 2025. The same shortcut works for the other modern eras with different offsets: Heisei + 1988, Showa + 1925, Taisho + 1911, Meiji + 1867. Note that the very first and last year of each era can overlap with a neighbouring era, because eras change mid-year on the day a new emperor takes the throne.
What year is Reiwa 5 / Reiwa 6 / Reiwa 7?
Reiwa 5 is 2023. Reiwa 6 is 2024. Reiwa 7 is 2025. The pattern continues year by year — Reiwa year + 2018 = Western year. This converter shows the result instantly, plus the equivalent year in older eras for historical reference.
When did Showa end?
The Showa era ended on January 7, 1989, the day Emperor Hirohito (posthumously known as Emperor Shōwa) died. The Heisei era began the following day, January 8, 1989. This is why 1989 is both Showa 64 (Jan 1–7) and Heisei 1 (Jan 8 onwards). When you enter 1989 in this converter, it shows both eras with the exact date split.
What was the year before Reiwa?
The year before Reiwa was Heisei 31, which corresponds to January 1 – April 30, 2019. Heisei ran from 1989 to 2019, ending when Emperor Akihito abdicated — the first abdication in over 200 years. The Reiwa era began on May 1, 2019. So 2019 has two era names: Heisei 31 for the first four months and Reiwa 1 for the rest.
Why does Japan still use era years?
Era years are deeply embedded in Japanese administrative culture, paper forms, family registers (koseki), driver's licences, residency cards, and historical records. Even though everyone in Japan also knows the Western year, government and corporate forms typically ask for wareki. Foreigners filling out a 在留カード application, a university entrance form, or a tax document will almost always need to convert their Western birth year into the matching wareki year — which is exactly the friction this tool solves.
Is Reiwa year the same as the emperor's reign?
Yes. Each modern Japanese era corresponds to the reign of one emperor, and the year-in-era counts the years of that reign. Reiwa 1 is the year Emperor Naruhito ascended (2019), Reiwa 2 is his second year (2020), and so on. The era name itself is chosen separately from the emperor's personal name — Reiwa (令和) means roughly "beautiful harmony" and was selected from a passage in the Man'yōshū, the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry.
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