Japan will usher in a new era and a

new emperor on May 1

By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.25.19
Word Count 650
Level 1080L

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga unveils the name of the new era "Reiwa" at the prime minister's office in Tokyo,
Japan. The country's government says the translation of the era name for the new emperor is “Beautiful Harmony.” Crown
Prince Naruhito will take the throne May 1. Photo: Eugene Hoshiko/AP

At the end of April, Japan's 85-year-old Emperor Akihito will step down from the
throne and turn it over to his elder son. A day later, on May 1, a new era will
begin in Japan. It will officially be known as "Reiwa."

Japan's government said April 16 that the official translation of the era name for
the new emperor will be "Beautiful Harmony." This set off confusion while offices
rushed to make changes before Crown Prince Naruhito takes the throne.

The imperial family is very important culturally in Japan. The secretive naming
process of the era created a frenzy of attention for the announcement of the era's
name.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that, for the first time, the name was taken from
an ancient Japanese book instead of from classic Chinese texts. He said it comes
from a section about plum blossoms in "Manyoshu," a poetry anthology from the
seventh and eighth centuries. It suggests that "culture is born and nurtured as the
people's hearts are beautifully drawn together."

Plenty Of Debate Over Two Characters

The name is composed of two Chinese characters. Abe did not say which of a
range of meanings for each of the two characters applied to the era name.

Experts had a variety of interpretations of the meaning, and initial reports

generally settled on "pursuing harmony." The first character can also mean order,
rule, good or favorable. The second can mean peace, reconciliation or soft.

A Foreign Ministry government official gave the official translation on April 16.

"'Reiwa' is best interpreted as 'beautiful harmony,'" Masaru Sato said. He is the

deputy consul general and director of the Japan Information Center in New York.
"'Reiwa' refers to the beauty of plum blossoms after a tough winter, and is taken
to mean the beauty of people when they bring their hearts together to cultivate a
culture."

However, some experts said the first Chinese character, "Rei," today is most
widely thought to mean "order," ''command" and "dictate." They said it carries the
tone of an authoritarian or strict ruler.

Historians and experts on the monarchy noted that an 1864-era name proposal
was "Reitoku." It used the same first character as the newest era name and was
rejected by the Tokugawa Shogunate, the ruling group back then. It said the word
sounded like the emperor was commanding Tokugawa.

"The name sounds as if we are ordered to achieve peace, rather than doing so
proactively," Kazuto Hongo, a University of Tokyo historian, said on TV in Japan.

The New Era Has People Talking And Buying

Yoshinori Kobayashi is a cartoonist who has written books on Japanese emperors

and is conservative, believing in the traditional ways of things. He said the
character "Rei" portrays "the people kneeling down under the crown. Its meaning,
after all, is a command of a monarch or a ruler. It is inevitable that 'Reiwa' gives a
somewhat cold impression."

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2

Discussions of the era name dominated Japanese newspapers and television talk
shows. Soon, stores began selling Reiwa goods.

A bakery in Tokyo sold cupcakes decorated with Reiwa toppings. Sweet bean
cakes carrying Reiwa logos quickly sold out at a souvenir shop inside Japan's
parliament building. Some bookstores set up "Manyoshu" sections, and many
editions of the anthology were out of stock on Amazon. Department stores were
planning to sell gold coins emblazoned with Reiwa.

The announcement gives the government, businesses and people only a month to
adjust to a change that affects many parts of Japanese society. However, the
emperor has no political power under Japan's postwar constitution. Era names are
still widely used in government and business documents and on calendars. Many
people use them to identify generations and historical periods.

Discussing an era change in advance was not considered to be a taboo this time
because Akihito is giving up the throne. This is a highly unusual step for an
emperor in Japan.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3