“ReiWa” – Good fortune + Harmony (Peace) – 10 Points you must know !

10 Points you must know about the new Era !

ABOUT THE NAME: (1 to 4)

• Abe explained the government chose the kanji characters because they signify “a culture being born and nurtured by people coming together beautifully.”
• The arrival of Reiwa will in turn end a 30-year run of the Heisei (“achieving peace”) Era, which began in Jan. 8, 1989.
• This was the first time that the characters chosen were taken from Japanese classical literature. Prior era names had used kanji from Chinese literature.
• The name was formulated based on a poem from 7th century “Manyoshu,” the oldest existing compilation of Japanese poetry. The poem in question described an ume Japanese apricot flower in full bloom in early spring after surviving a cold winter.

WHY IS IT DIFFERENT THIS TIME ? (5)

• The new era will be the 248th in the history of Japan, which has used the Chinese-style calendar system since 645. In modern times, each era has run the length of an emperor’s reign. What differentiated the arrival of the latest era from its past four predecessors — Heisei, Showa, Taisho and Meiji — is that the government announced its name while the reigning Emperor is still alive.

THE TRIGGER : (6)

1. This is because Emperor Akihito — in a rare address to the nation in August 2016 — hinted at his desire to abdicate due to his advanced age, as opposed to his immediate predecessors who reigned until their deaths. His unprecedented address soon kicked off preparations for what will be the first abdication by a sitting Japanese monarch in around 200 years.

IMPORTANCE OF ERA NAME & Impact: (7 to 9)

• The naming of a new Imperial era is a significant event here. Gengo plays an integral role — both practically and psychologically — to the lives of Japanese people.
• The announcement allows only a month ahead of the switch for government, businesses and other sectors to adjust to the change that still affects many parts of Japan’s society, even though the system is not compulsory and the emperor has no political power under Japan’s postwar constitution.
• While a growing number of Japanese prefer the Western calendar over the Japanese system in a highly digitalized and globalized society, the era name is still widely used in government and business documents. Elders often use it to identify their generations.

HOW HEISEI (The past Era) is remembered ? (10)

• Akihito’s era of Heisei, which means “achieving peace,” was the first without a war in Japan’s modern history, but is also remembered as lost years of economic deflation and natural disasters.

japantoday.com

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