Japanese Era Converter
Convert complete dates between the Western calendar and Japanese eras (Reiwa, Heisei, Showa, Taisho and Meiji), including transition dates and short forms.
Your entries are processed in this browser and are not sent to our server.
Western date to Japanese era
Choose a full date so transition years are handled correctly.
Japanese era to Western date
Use 1 for gannen, the first year of an era.
How to use it
- For Western to Japanese conversion, choose the complete Gregorian date.
- For Japanese to Western conversion, select the era and enter its year, month and day.
- Copy the full Japanese notation or the R/H/S/T/M short form into your draft.
- Before submitting a form, confirm whether its year field asks for 和暦 or 西暦.
How it works
The calculator compares the complete Gregorian date with the era boundaries stored in this tool. It then counts the era year from that era's first calendar year.
The supported boundaries are Meiji from January 25, 1868; Taisho from July 30, 1912; Showa from December 25, 1926; Heisei from January 8, 1989; and Reiwa from May 1, 2019. Meiji's earliest input is a calculation boundary, not its historical proclamation date. Historical lunisolar month/day conversion is not supported; see the examples below.
Japanese residence, tax, school and employment paperwork may label a year field as 元号, 和暦 or 西暦. Treat this result as a transcription aid and follow the form issuer's directions.
Check the day, not just the year
Enter each Gregorian date below in the Western-date field. These fixed examples are checked against the conversion function also used by the Japanese tool. In the reverse direction, Heisei 31, May 1 is rejected because that day belongs to Reiwa. A rejected date does not determine whether an old certificate is legally valid.
The earliest accepted input, 1868-01-25, is an implementation boundary, not the date on which Meiji was proclaimed. Before 1873, results keep the Gregorian month and day you entered and attach an era-year label. They do not reconstruct an old-calendar date. Do not paste a historical lunisolar date into either input direction.
| Input date | Expected output |
|---|---|
| 1989-01-07 | 昭和64年1月7日 |
| 1989-01-08 | 平成元年1月8日 |
| 2019-04-30 | 平成31年4月30日 |
| 2019-05-01 | 令和元年5月1日 |
Sources and what they support
Sources checked: . These references do not certify a result for your individual application.
- Cabinet Office: Japanese eras (Japanese)
The Heisei and Reiwa decrees and their effective dates. This is not a rule for every form or a source for the Meiji calendar conversion.
- National Archives: the Taisho change (Japanese)
The archived proclamation specifies July 30, 1912 as the start of Taisho.
- National Archives: the Showa change (Japanese)
The archived proclamation specifies December 25, 1926 as the start of Showa.
- National Diet Library: calendar reform (Japanese)
Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1873. Earlier historical month/day labels need a separate calendar conversion.
Frequently asked questions
What Japanese era is 2026?
2026 is Reiwa 8, written 令和8年. Reiwa year numbers are converted to Western years by adding 2018, as long as the date is on or after the start of Reiwa.
Why does the converter ask for a full date?
An era can change during a calendar year. In 2019, dates through April 30 were Heisei 31, while dates from May 1 were Reiwa 1. A year alone cannot resolve that boundary.
What does gannen mean?
Gannen (元年) is the first year of an era. Select or enter year 1 in the calculator; the Japanese result uses 元年, the usual printed form.
What do R, H, S, T and M mean on Japanese forms?
They are common short forms for Reiwa, Heisei, Showa, Taisho and Meiji. For example, R8.8.31 means August 31, 2026.
Should I use a Japanese era on an immigration or city-hall form?
Follow the labels and instructions on that specific form. If it asks for 元号 or 和暦, use the era; if it asks for 西暦, use the four-digit Western year.