Japanese Era Converter: Gregorian Years and Reiwa, Heisei, Showa
Japanese government forms and bank paperwork still use era years. The hard part is not the arithmetic — it is the day an era changes, because an emperor's death and the next accession share a date, so being one day out changes what you write.
Enter a Gregorian year or date and get the era and year within it; enter something like Reiwa 8 and get the Gregorian year back.
Japanese visa applications, residence cards, bank account forms and property contracts all have an era field. Filling it in with a Gregorian year is a common reason for a form to come back.
Eras share their boundary day
The day an emperor dies and the day the next one accedes are the same date. So 7 January 1989 is the last day of Showa 64, and 8 January is the first day of Heisei 1. One day apart, and both the era and the year change.
2019 was the exception: an abdication rather than a death, arranged in advance. Heisei 31 runs to 30 April and Reiwa 1 begins on 1 May. Only the notice differed — the boundary is still a single day.
This tool handles all five transitions on that basis, checked against the ten dates either side of them.
The eras
| Era | From | To | Gregorian |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reiwa 令和 | 2019-05-01 | present | 2019– |
| Heisei 平成 | 1989-01-08 | 2019-04-30 | 1989–2019 |
| Showa 昭和 | 1926-12-25 | 1989-01-07 | 1926–1989 |
| Taisho 大正 | 1912-07-30 | 1926-12-25 | 1912–1926 |
| Meiji 明治 | 1868-10-23 | 1912-07-30 | 1868–1912 |
The first year is 元年, not year 1
The year an era begins is written 元年 — "origin year" — rather than with the numeral 1. From 1 May to 31 December 2019 is Reiwa 元年; 1 January 2020 begins Reiwa 2.
This is where people slip. The year count advances on 1 January, not on the era's anniversary. Reiwa 元年 lasted eight months, and Showa 64 lasted a week.
Forms normally expect 元年. Writing 1 is usually accepted, but printed forms sometimes have 元 pre-printed in the box.
Converting back to Gregorian
The arithmetic is easy: add 2018 for Reiwa, 1988 for Heisei, 1925 for Showa. Reiwa 8 is 2018 + 8, so 2026.
That addition only settles the year, though. Heisei 31 is 2019, but most of 2019 was Reiwa 元年. The two answers coexist because the transition falls mid-year.
So for anything where the date matters — a date of birth especially — enter the full date rather than converting the year in your head.
Common uses
- •Writing a date of birth in era form on Japanese visa or residence paperwork.
- •Filling in bank and municipal office forms.
- •Working out which year a Showa date in a Japanese document refers to.
- •Reading certificates and contracts issued in Japan.
- •Decoding a manufacturing year given in era form on second-hand goods.
Extended FAQ
Is 1989 Showa or Heisei?
Both. 1–7 January is Showa 64; 8 January to 31 December is Heisei 元年. People born in 1989 fall on either side depending on their birthday.
Should I write 元年 or 1?
元年 is the correct form. The numeral is usually accepted, though official forms sometimes have 元 already printed.
Why does it not go back before Meiji?
This covers Meiji (1868) onward. Before that, eras were often changed several times within one reign for reasons unrelated to succession, which makes the rules far more involved — and such dates almost never appear on paperwork.
When does the next era begin?
Unknowable. An era name is announced with the accession, so there is nothing to compute. Future dates are calculated on the assumption that Reiwa continues.
Is anything I enter stored?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser.