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Japanese Era Names to Western Calendar: A Conversion Guide

Japanese era years, often required on forms like date-of-birth fields, organized by era for easy conversion.

Reiwa (May 1, 2019–)

Reiwa 1 = 2019. To get the Reiwa year from the Western year, subtract 2018; to get the Western year from the Reiwa year, add 2018. Since Reiwa began on May 1, January–April of 2019 is actually Heisei 31, not Reiwa 1.

Heisei (January 8, 1989–April 30, 2019)

Heisei 1 = 1989. To get the Heisei year from the Western year, subtract 1988. Since Heisei ended on April 30 of its 31st year, January 1–7 of 1989 actually falls under Showa 64.

Showa (December 25, 1926–January 7, 1989)

Showa 1 = 1926. To get the Showa year from the Western year, subtract 1925. Showa ran through January 7 of its 64th year — its unusually long span makes it especially relevant for calculating the age of people born during it.

Taisho (July 30, 1912–December 24, 1926)

Taisho 1 = 1912. To get the Taisho year from the Western year, subtract 1911.

Meiji (January 25, 1868–July 29, 1912)

Meiji 1 = 1868. To get the Meiji year from the Western year, subtract 1867.

The term "gannen" (first year)

A year in which a new era begins is typically written as "gannen" (元年, first year) rather than "year 1" — for example, "Reiwa gannen" or "Heisei gannen." This notation is also commonly used on official government forms.

Watch out for years spanning an era change

1989 and 2019, the years an era transition occurred, each contain two different era names within a single calendar year. When handling a date of birth, checking the exact month and day is essential to avoid converting to the wrong era.

Why Japanese era names are still used

Many official Japanese documents — driver's licenses, passports, government application forms — still primarily use era-based dates. Since fields for entering a birth year or acquisition year in era format remain common, the need for conversion isn't likely to disappear anytime soon.

A caution about using quick-reference charts

Online conversion charts and tools are convenient, but years that span an era transition (1989 and 2019) are especially prone to conversion errors. It's worth double-checking the exact date, including month and day, before entering it on an important document.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it known when the next era change will happen?

Since an era change occurs based on imperial succession, there is no predetermined schedule for it.

Is there a simple way to convert an era year to the Western calendar?

The basic approach is to remember what Western year each era's first year corresponds to, then add the era year minus 1. For example, for Reiwa, add the Reiwa year number to 2018 to get the Western year.

What if I'm not sure whether to write the era year or the Western year on a form?

Many forms include a field specifying the era or a filled-in example. If there's no specification, writing the era name or adding "AD"/"Western year" before the year number helps avoid confusion.