Japanese Era Converter (Meiji–Reiwa)｜CE ⇔ Wareki Chart & Age Calculator

Convert instantly between CE years and Japanese era names (Reiwa, Heisei, Showa, Taisho, Meiji) with a full chart covering every era from Meiji to Reiwa, including exact start and end dates. Enter your birth year to auto-calculate your current age — handy for official documents, ID forms, and confirming your Japanese era birthdate.

Era Name Start Date End Date
令和 (Reiwa) 2019-05-01
平成 (Heisei) 1989-01-08 2019-04-30
昭和 (Shōwa) 1926-12-25 1989-01-07
大正 (Taishō) 1912-07-30 1926-12-25
明治 (Meiji) 1868-01-25 1912-07-30

※ Meiji and Taishō, and Taishō and Shōwa, share an overlapping end/start date, reflecting that era transition rules at those times differed from modern practice.


CE Year Japanese Era Age
2026 令和8年 0
2025 令和7年 1
2024 令和6年 2
2023 令和5年 3
2022 令和4年 4
2021 令和3年 5
2020 令和2年 6
2019 令和元年 / 平成31年 7
2018 平成30年 8
2017 平成29年 9
2016 平成28年 10
2015 平成27年 11
2014 平成26年 12
2013 平成25年 13
2012 平成24年 14
2011 平成23年 15
2010 平成22年 16
2009 平成21年 17
2008 平成20年 18
2007 平成19年 19
2006 平成18年 20
2005 平成17年 21
2004 平成16年 22
2003 平成15年 23
2002 平成14年 24
2001 平成13年 25
2000 平成12年 26
1999 平成11年 27
1998 平成10年 28
1997 平成9年 29
1996 平成8年 30
1995 平成7年 31
1994 平成6年 32
1993 平成5年 33
1992 平成4年 34
1991 平成3年 35
1990 平成2年 36
1989 平成元年 / 昭和64年 37
1988 昭和63年 38
1987 昭和62年 39
1986 昭和61年 40
1985 昭和60年 41
1984 昭和59年 42
1983 昭和58年 43
1982 昭和57年 44
1981 昭和56年 45
1980 昭和55年 46
1979 昭和54年 47
1978 昭和53年 48
1977 昭和52年 49
1976 昭和51年 50
1975 昭和50年 51
1974 昭和49年 52
1973 昭和48年 53
1972 昭和47年 54
1971 昭和46年 55
1970 昭和45年 56
1969 昭和44年 57
1968 昭和43年 58
1967 昭和42年 59
1966 昭和41年 60
1965 昭和40年 61
1964 昭和39年 62
1963 昭和38年 63
1962 昭和37年 64
1961 昭和36年 65
1960 昭和35年 66
1959 昭和34年 67
1958 昭和33年 68
1957 昭和32年 69
1956 昭和31年 70
1955 昭和30年 71
1954 昭和29年 72
1953 昭和28年 73
1952 昭和27年 74
1951 昭和26年 75
1950 昭和25年 76
1949 昭和24年 77
1948 昭和23年 78
1947 昭和22年 79
1946 昭和21年 80
1945 昭和20年 81
1944 昭和19年 82
1943 昭和18年 83
1942 昭和17年 84
1941 昭和16年 85
1940 昭和15年 86
1939 昭和14年 87
1938 昭和13年 88
1937 昭和12年 89
1936 昭和11年 90
1935 昭和10年 91
1934 昭和9年 92
1933 昭和8年 93
1932 昭和7年 94
1931 昭和6年 95
1930 昭和5年 96
1929 昭和4年 97
1928 昭和3年 98
1927 昭和2年 99
1926 昭和元年 / 大正15年 100
1925 大正14年 101
1924 大正13年 102
1923 大正12年 103
1922 大正11年 104
1921 大正10年 105
1920 大正9年 106
1919 大正8年 107
1918 大正7年 108
1917 大正6年 109
1916 大正5年 110
1915 大正4年 111
1914 大正3年 112
1913 大正2年 113
1912 大正元年 / 明治45年 114
1911 明治44年 115
1910 明治43年 116
1909 明治42年 117
1908 明治41年 118
1907 明治40年 119
1906 明治39年 120
1905 明治38年 121
1904 明治37年 122
1903 明治36年 123
1902 明治35年 124
1901 明治34年 125
1900 明治33年 126
1899 明治32年 127
1898 明治31年 128
1897 明治30年 129
1896 明治29年 130
1895 明治28年 131
1894 明治27年 132
1893 明治26年 133
1892 明治25年 134
1891 明治24年 135
1890 明治23年 136
1889 明治22年 137
1888 明治21年 138
1887 明治20年 139
1886 明治19年 140
1885 明治18年 141
1884 明治17年 142
1883 明治16年 143
1882 明治15年 144
1881 明治14年 145
1880 明治13年 146
1879 明治12年 147
1878 明治11年 148
1877 明治10年 149
1876 明治9年 150
1875 明治8年 151
1874 明治7年 152
1873 明治6年 153
1872 明治5年 154
1871 明治4年 155
1870 明治3年 156
1869 明治2年 157
1868 明治元年 158

When Japanese Eras Changed and How They Map to CE Years

This page summarizes exactly when each Japanese era (元号, gengō) since the Meiji era began and ended, in a quick-reference chart that includes precise start and end dates. Alongside the CE-to-era correspondence, you can also check the current age of someone born in a given year. It is useful whenever a form asks you to write a year using the Japanese era name, or when you need to convert a date recorded only in the Japanese era system back into a CE year.

One thing to watch for is that in the year an era transition (改元, kaigen) occurs, two era names apply to the same CE year. In 1989, the days up to January 7 belonged to Shōwa 64, while January 8 onward belonged to Heisei 1. Likewise in 2019, the days up to April 30 belonged to Heisei 31, while May 1 onward belonged to Reiwa 1. Because the CE year alone does not uniquely determine the era, always check the exact date before filling in an era-based year, especially on official paperwork where the wrong era-year can cause a document to be rejected or sent back for correction.

How to Look Up CE Years and Japanese Eras

  1. Check each era's date range in the chart The start and end dates of every era are listed in order. Find which range the date you are looking up falls into.
  2. Check the exact date for transition years 1989 and 2019 are the years in which an era transition took place. For records from those years, the era depends on whether the date falls before or after the transition day.
  3. Read off the age for a given birth year The age is shown alongside the matching CE-year and era row. Because age changes by one around a birthday, treat the displayed value as an approximation and factor in the actual birthday for a precise figure.
  4. Double-check era-year numbering against Gannen Era years are counted from "Gannen" (year 1), not from zero, so the first year of Heisei is written as Heisei 1 or Heisei Gannen rather than Heisei 0.

Tips for getting more out of it

  • Useful for converting era years when filling in official forms. Government offices and financial institutions often require the Japanese era notation.
  • Reiwa began on May 1, 2019 (Heisei 31). Both "Heisei 31" and "Reiwa 1" coexist within the same year.
  • In years when an era change occurs (e.g. 1989, 2019), two era names are valid, so take care when entering or verifying year values.
  • Age calculations depend on whether the birthday has passed. Please verify exact ages by taking the birthday into account.

When You Need to Convert Between CE Years and Japanese Eras

Filling out forms at government offices or banks

Many official documents still have a field for writing a birth date using the Japanese era name. If you only remember the CE year, you can look up the matching era and era-year on the spot.

Reading old records or certificates

Family registers, property records, and diplomas that are written only in the Japanese era system can be converted back to CE years, which also helps when sorting out the chronological order of older documents.

Verifying year notation across a transition year

Events from 1989 or 2019 may be recorded under either era depending on the exact date, so this chart is a handy reference when checking whether a source's year notation is correct.

Working out age or years of service

When a hire date or qualification date is recorded only as a Japanese era year, converting it to a CE year first makes it much easier to calculate how many years have passed since then.

Key Terms Related to Japanese Eras

Era name (元号, gengō)
A title attached to a span of years, also called nengō. Japan's era name system began with Taika in 645 CE and has continued ever since — Japan is the only country that still uses one today.
Era transition (改元, kaigen)
The act of replacing the current era name with a new one. Under the present-day system, a transition happens only when a new Emperor succeeds to the throne.
Gannen (元年, "year one")
The term used for the first year of an era. "Reiwa Gannen" is the same as "Reiwa 1," and "Heisei Gannen" is the same as "Heisei 1."
Wareki (和暦, Japanese calendar year)
A way of expressing a year as an era name plus an era-year number. Unlike the CE calendar, the count restarts from 1 every time an era transition occurs.
Seireki (西暦, CE / Common Era year)
The internationally used way of numbering years. Unlike wareki, seireki years run continuously, which makes calculating or comparing dates across long spans much simpler.
Imperial passing (崩御, hōgyo)
A formal term for the death of a reigning Emperor. Historically this event triggered an era transition, as it did when Shōwa gave way to Heisei.

FAQ

Reiwa 1 corresponds to 2019 CE. Because Reiwa began on May 1, 2019, the year 2019 contains both "Heisei 31" (January 1–April 30) and "Reiwa 1" (May 1–December 31).

It depends on the birthday. Births before the transition date use the old era (Shōwa 64 or Heisei 31), while births on or after the transition date use the new era (Heisei 1 from January 8, 1989; Reiwa 1 from May 1, 2019).

"Gannen" (元年) means year 1 — the first year of a new era. For example, Reiwa Gannen = Reiwa 1, and Heisei Gannen = Heisei 1.

On January 8, 1989. Emperor Shōwa passed away the previous day, January 7, and the new era "Heisei" began the following day. Shōwa 64 therefore lasted only 7 days, from January 1 to January 7.

On May 1, 2019. Emperor Akihito (now Emperor Emeritus) abdicated the previous day, April 30, and the new era "Reiwa" began with the enthronement of the new Emperor on May 1.
Tool-kun

Side Note — History of Japanese Era Names — A 1,400-Year Tradition Unique to Japan

Japan's era name system began with Taika (大化, 645 CE) and has a history of nearly 1,400 years. A total of 248 era names have been established, and Japan is now the only country in the world that continues to use era names. China, Korea, Vietnam, and others once had similar systems, but all have since abolished them.

The longest-running era was "Shōwa" (1926–1989, 62 years), followed by "Meiji" (1868–1912, 44 years). The third-longest era in history was "Ōei" (1394–1428, 34 years) from the Muromachi period; among modern eras (Meiji onward), "Heisei" (1989–2019, 30 years) ranks third. Historically, era changes were also declared in response to epidemics, major earthquakes, and other calamities as a way to reset fortune. Under the current system, era changes occur only upon imperial succession (Shōwa 64 → Heisei 1, Heisei 31 → Reiwa 1).

The name "Reiwa" was drawn from Man'yōshū (Volume 5, preface to the 32 plum-blossom poems), marking the first time an era name had been sourced from a Japanese classic rather than a Chinese one — a fact that attracted considerable attention. In the lead-up to the announcement, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga (at the time), holding up the new era name placard, became widely known as "Reiwa-ojisan," echoing the fame of Chief Cabinet Secretary Keizō Obuchi ("Heisei-ojisan") before him.

Read related trivia

Browse all trivia

People who viewed this tool also viewed

Japan Holiday Calendar — Is This Date a Holiday? Plus Streak Ranking

Instantly check whether any date in :year — including New Year's Eve or other notable days — is a Japanese public holiday, including substitute and citizens' holidays — plus the longest holiday streaks and the story behi...

Holiday Checker (Is This Day a Holiday?)

Select a single date to instantly check whether it is a Japanese public holiday or substitute holiday. The day of the week is also shown at the same time.

Rokuyou Calendar (Auspicious & Inauspicious Days at a Glance)

A free calendar showing the Rokuyou (先勝・友引・先負・仏滅・大安・赤口) for each day of :year. Auspicious (Taian) and inauspicious (Butsumetsu) days are color-coded, making it easy to plan weddings and events.

Japanese Era Names (Gengō) — Full List, Taika to Reiwa

An easy-to-read, complete list of all 247 Japanese era names (nengō/gengō) from Taika (645 CE) to Reiwa, one row per year — including the longest era, Shōwa (62 years). Covers Northern and Southern Court eras of the Nanb...

Japanese Era & Zodiac Lookup

Enter a Gregorian year, or how many years ago, to instantly find the matching Japanese era name, Japanese calendar year, zodiac sign, and historical period.

Chinese Zodiac (Eto) Lookup

Enter a birth year to instantly find its Chinese zodiac animal — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog or Boar. Handy for New Year cards or age-guessing quizzes.