New Era in 2019

Newspapers reported on Wednesday that Shinzo Abe administration was considering the abdication of Emperor Akihito at the end of 2018 and starting new era of current Prince Naruhito on January 1^st of 2019 with new era name. The administration interpreted the words of Akihito last summer, “Passing seventieth anniversary from the end of World War II, my era goes to Heisei 30^th,” as Emperor’s intention to pass his throne over then. Starting new era on the first day of the year is thought to contain the impact on people’s ordinary life.

There are three patterns of succeeding era name, immediate change, changing next day and waiting for next year with mourning for passed Emperor. Although it had been usual to change era name in the next year when throne was succeeded before Meiji Era, current Heisei was applied the next day of previous Emperor Hirohito died on January 7^th in 1989.

So, it was Showa between January 1^st and 7^th in 1989 and the rest of the year was named Heisei. The people born in the first seven days of 1989 were recognized as born in Showa 63^rd and on January 8^th or thereafter as in Heisei 1^st. If new era starts on the first day of the year, all the people born in the year would be called with the same era name. Calendar with new era name will be prepared, if new name is decided before.

Ritual event for succession will be finished within a short period. In the succession from Showa to Heisei, Akihito received two of Three Sacred Treasures on the day of enthronement and met with the heads of three governmental branches two days after. The event of praying for prosperity, Daijo-sai, was held one year and ten months after the enthronement. Official declaration of enthronement was done one month after Daijo-sai. Ritual events continued about two years in the beginning of Heisei Era. The time period for those events can be shortened with planned succession of the throne.

Experts’ meeting for Emperor’s abdication will report their conclusion this spring. It is expected that they will recommend legislating special law for Akihito. Abe administration assumes that the discussion on this issue in the Diet will start in May and special law will be passed in the summer. New era name can be determined within 2018.

However, there still is an argument whether legislating special law only applied to one Emperor is the best way. One argues that Imperial Household Council will be meaningless for succeeding throne, if the Diet could decide Emperor’s abdication. The impact of new system on traditional imperial system has not been thoroughly considered.