If you’ve ever lived in Japan and handled paperwork in the city hall, you might have stumbled across a date that made you pause. Instead of 2025, you see something like 令和7年 (Reiwa 7). This isn’t a typo. It’s Japan’s unique calendar system (和暦, wareki), where years are tied to the reign of each emperor.
Although most people in Japan use the Western calendar (seireki), the traditional Japanese calendar is still required for many official documents. You might still need to provide your birth year in this format, whether at city hall applying for a juuminhyou (proof of residence), or when opening a bank account. What should be a simple task quickly turns into a headache: looking up conversion charts, figuring out the exact era, double-checking the year, and making sure you don’t accidentally write yourself into being born decades earlier than you actually were.
So how do you actually convert a Western year into a Japanese year? In this guide, we’ll walk you through what the Japanese era calendar is, how it works, why it’s still in use today, and the simplest ways to convert Western years (seireki) into Japanese era years (wareki).
The basics of calendar systems in Japan
Today, Japan uses two parallel calendar systems. On many official forms — such as those you submit at city hall — you’ll often be asked to write the year in either the Japanese era calendar or the Gregorian calendar (the Western calendar most people are familiar with).
1. Gregorian calendar, or 西暦 (seireki): This is the international standard (e.g., 2025). This is the typical Western year we are all familiar with, based on AD years.
2. Japanese era calendar, or 和暦 (wareki): The Japanese calendar standard based on the reign of the emperor, where each reign begins a new era called 元号 (gengou).
Check out our chart for the Western to Japanese year converter that you can download and save on your phone, for the next time you need to fill out information that requires the traditional Japanese calendar.
How wareki (Japanese era calendar) works
The Japanese era calendar, or wareki, is a system that counts years based on the reign of the current emperor. Each emperor’s reign gets a unique era name (gengou), and the year count starts over at 1 whenever a new emperor takes the throne. The first year of an era is often written as gannen (元年), which literally means “first year.”
For example, Emperor Hirohito’s reign from 1926 to 1989 was called Showa, so 1926 was Showa 1, 1927 was Showa 2, and so on. When Emperor Akihito came to the throne in 1989, the era changed to Heisei, starting again at Heisei 1. The Reiwa period began in 2019 with Emperor Naruhito.
The era year resets immediately when a new emperor ascends the throne, regardless of what month it is.
For example:
- Emperor Akihito’s reign (Heisei) ended on April 30, 2019.
- Emperor Naruhito’s reign (Reiwa) began May 1, 2019, and that day became Reiwa 1.
So any date before May 1, 2019, is still Heisei 31, and any date on or after May 1, 2019, is Reiwa 1. The era doesn’t start at the beginning of a month or year. Instead, it starts the exact day the emperor changes.
For example, the year 2025 is 令和7年 (Reiwa 7 nen) in Japanese era years. The number “7” represents the number of years into the current emperor’s reign after which 令和(Reiwa) is named.
| 令和 | 7 | 年 | |
| Furigana | れいわ | なな | ねん |
| Romaji/Pronunciation | Reiwa | nana | nen |
| Meaning | era name | seven | year |
This also means that choosing the wrong era can throw off your birth year by decades, depending on how long an emperor’s reign lasts. One small mistake, like writing Heisei instead of Reiwa, can make you appear 20 or 30 years older (or younger) than you actually are.
List of Japanese era names
Here are the most recent eras and the years they took place:
| Era | Years (Gregorian) | Years (Japanese Era) | Meaning / Notes |
| 明治 (Meiji) | 1868 – 1912 | Meiji 1 – Meiji 45 | “Enlightened rule.” Beginning of modern Japan. |
| 大正 (Taisho) | 1912 – 1926 | Taisho 1 – Taisho 15 | “Great righteousness.” Short era with cultural change. |
| 昭和 (Showa) | 1926 – 1989 | Showa 1 – Showa 64 | “Bright harmony.” Longest era (63 years). WWII and Japan’s recovery. |
| 平成 (Heisei) | 1989–2019 | Heisei 1 – Heisei 21 | “Achieving peace.” Known for stability and natural disasters. |
| 令和 (Reiwa) | 2019–present | Reiwa 1 – Present | “Beautiful harmony.” Current era under Emperor Naruhito. |
Year-by-year traditional Japanese converter
We’ve created a conversion chart below for a straightforward, year-by-year comparison.
Reiwa Era (2019 – Present)
| Western Year | Japanese Era | Kanji |
| 2025 | Reiwa 7 | 令和7年 |
| 2024 | Reiwa 6 | 令和6年 |
| 2023 | Reiwa 5 | 令和5年 |
| 2022 | Reiwa 4 | 令和4年 |
| 2021 | Reiwa 3 | 令和3年 |
| 2020 | Reiwa 2 | 令和2年 |
| 2019 | Reiwa 1 | 令和元年 |
Heisei Era (1989 – 2019)
Keep in mind that the Heisei ends on April 30, 2019. Any date after that will be categorized as Reiwa 1.
| Western Year | Japanese Era | Kanji |
| 2019 | Heisei 31 | 平成31年 |
| 2018 | Heisei 30 | 平成30年 |
| 2017 | Heisei 29 | 平成29年 |
| 2016 | Heisei 28 | 平成28年 |
| 2015 | Heisei 27 | 平成27年 |
| 2014 | Heisei 26 | 平成26年 |
| 2013 | Heisei 25 | 平成25年 |
| 2012 | Heisei 24 | 平成24年 |
| 2011 | Heisei 23 | 平成23年 |
| 2010 | Heisei 22 | 平成22年 |
| 2009 | Heisei 21 | 平成21年 |
| 2008 | Heisei 20 | 平成20年 |
| 2007 | Heisei 19 | 平成19年 |
| 2006 | Heisei 18 | 平成18年 |
| 2005 | Heisei 17 | 平成17年 |
| 2004 | Heisei 16 | 平成16年 |
| 2003 | Heisei 15 | 平成15年 |
| 2002 | Heisei 14 | 平成14年 |
| 2001 | Heisei 13 | 平成13年 |
| 2000 | Heisei 12 | 平成12年 |
| 1999 | Heisei 11 | 平成11年 |
| 1998 | Heisei 10 | 平成10年 |
| 1997 | Heisei 9 | 平成9年 |
| 1996 | Heisei 8 | 平成8年 |
| 1995 | Heisei 7 | 平成7年 |
| 1994 | Heisei 6 | 平成6年 |
| 1993 | Heisei 5 | 平成5年 |
| 1992 | Heisei 4 | 平成4年 |
| 1991 | Heisei 3 | 平成3年 |
| 1990 | Heisei 2 | 平成2年 |
| 1989 | Heisei 1 | 平成元年 |
Showa Era (1926 – 1989)
The Showa era in Japan ended on January 7, 1989, with the death of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito). From January 8, 1989, onward, dates are considered part of the Heisei era.
| Western Year | Japanese Era | Kanji |
| 1988 | Showa 63 | 昭和63年 |
| 1987 | Showa 62 | 昭和62年 |
| 1986 | Showa 61 | 昭和61年 |
| 1985 | Showa 60 | 昭和60年 |
| 1984 | Showa 59 | 昭和59年 |
| 1983 | Showa 58 | 昭和58年 |
| 1982 | Showa 57 | 昭和57年 |
| 1981 | Showa 56 | 昭和56年 |
| 1980 | Showa 55 | 昭和55年 |
| 1979 | Showa 54 | 昭和54年 |
| 1978 | Showa 53 | 昭和53年 |
| 1977 | Showa 52 | 昭和52年 |
| 1976 | Showa 51 | 昭和51年 |
| 1975 | Showa 50 | 昭和50年 |
| 1974 | Showa 49 | 昭和49年 |
| 1973 | Showa 48 | 昭和48年 |
| 1972 | Showa 47 | 昭和47年 |
| 1971 | Showa 46 | 昭和46年 |
| 1970 | Showa 45 | 昭和45年 |
| 1969 | Showa 44 | 昭和44年 |
| 1968 | Showa 43 | 昭和43年 |
| 1967 | Showa 42 | 昭和42年 |
| 1966 | Showa 41 | 昭和41年 |
| 1965 | Showa 40 | 昭和40年 |
| 1964 | Showa 39 | 昭和39年 |
| 1963 | Showa 38 | 昭和38年 |
| 1962 | Showa 37 | 昭和37年 |
| 1961 | Showa 36 | 昭和36年 |
| 1960 | Showa 35 | 昭和35年 |
| 1959 | Showa 34 | 昭和34年 |
| 1958 | Showa 33 | 昭和33年 |
| 1957 | Showa 32 | 昭和32年 |
| 1956 | Showa 31 | 昭和31年 |
| 1955 | Showa 30 | 昭和30年 |
| 1954 | Showa 29 | 昭和29年 |
| 1953 | Showa 28 | 昭和28年 |
| 1952 | Showa 27 | 昭和27年 |
| 1951 | Showa 26 | 昭和26年 |
| 1950 | Showa 25 | 昭和25年 |
History of the Japanese Calendar
Before Japan adopted the Western calendar, the country followed a lunar calendar system similar to China’s. This meant months were based on moon cycles, and an extra “leap month” was sometimes added to align with the solar year. This made dates complicated and inconsistent across different regions.
In 1873 (Meiji 6), during the Meiji Restoration, Japan officially switched to the Gregorian calendar (西暦, seireki), the international calendar still used today. This reform was part of Japan’s push to modernize and align with Western nations.
However, the era name system (元号, gengo) didn’t disappear. Instead, it was simplified. Previously, eras could change multiple times during one emperor’s reign due to disasters or political events.
After the Meiji era, the rule became “one emperor = one era.” This is why the Meiji (1868–1912) era marks a turning point. Every emperor since then has had exactly one era name: Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei, and now Reiwa.
Why does Japan still use an era-based calendar?
Despite adopting the Gregorian calendar for global standardization, the era calendar remains deeply woven into Japanese society. Here’s why:
1. Legal and government use
Official documents like birth certificates, driver’s licenses, pension forms, and tax papers almost always use the Japanese calendar. If you’re living in Japan long-term, you’ll need to know your wareki birth year.
For example if your birth year is 1990:
- Calculation: 1990 – 1989 (Heisei start date) + 1 = Heisei 2
- Japanese: 平成2年
- Furigana: へいせいにねん
- Romaji: heisei ni nen
- English: Heisei 2
2. Cultural identity and symbolism
Each era name represents more than just a year; it reflects the hopes, spirit, and character of the time. For example:
- Showa is tied to war, rebuilding, and economic growth.
- Heisei is remembered for peace but also for natural disasters.
- Reiwa was chosen to symbolize “beautiful harmony.”
Because of this, Japanese people often identify life events with era years, like “I graduated in Heisei 18” rather than “2006.”
3. Historical context
The wareki calendar provides cultural continuity. It connects modern life to centuries of Japanese history, giving a uniquely Japanese framework for looking back at the past.
Why knowing the Japanese calendar system matters
If you plan to live in Japan, you’ll run into the Japanese calendar often, especially for formal and official procedures. When you need to fill out official paperwork such as legal documents, check expiration dates, or read history books, you will run into wareki or the Japanese era years. Understanding it not only helps with practical daily life but also connects you to Japan’s cultural timeline.
For more on how to write and say the date in Japanese, check out our blog breaking it down: Complete Guide to Dates in Japanese: Days, Months, and Years.
Embrace Japan’s calendar system and learn Japanese with Coto Academy!
Japan’s dual-calendar system might seem confusing at first, but it’s actually a fascinating mix of tradition and modernization
If you’re learning Japanese or planning to live in Japan, understanding the era system will help you read documents, navigate forms, and better connect with how Japanese people talk about history and everyday life.
Get more Japanese practice for navigating official procedures, including how to say dates with the Japanese calendar year, with Coto Academy’s in-person or online Japanese classes!. Here, you can receive professional coaching and instruction in practical Japanese conversation, reading, and writing!
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FAQ
When did Japan adopt the Gregorian calendar?
Japan officially adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1873 (Meiji 6) as part of the Meiji government’s modernization reforms.
Why does Japan still use the era calendar?
It’s deeply tied to legal documents, cultural identity, and historical continuity. Each era reflects the values and spirit of the emperor’s reign, which keeps the system relevant today.
Do Japanese people use both calendars?
Yes. In casual situations, many people use the Gregorian year. For official forms, licenses, and legal documents, the era year is standard.
How do I find out my birth year in the Japanese calendar?
Feel free to check the era chart provided above. For example, someone born in 1988 would be Showa 63, and someone born in 1995 would be Heisei 7.
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