Japanese Era (Wareki) Converter

Convert Japanese era years (令和 Reiwa, 平成 Heisei, 昭和 Showa, 大正 Taisho, 明治 Meiji) to Western calendar years and back. Era-change dates are handled exactly — useful for reading Japanese documents, filling in forms, and checking birth dates. Everything runs in your browser.

This year 2026 = Reiwa 8 (令和8年)

AWestern year → Japanese era

Western year
Month (optional)
Day (optional)
Japanese era —

For era-change years (1989, 2019, …) enter the month and day to get the exact era.

BJapanese era → Western year

Year (1 = gannen)
Month (optional)
Day (optional)
Western year —

The first year of an era is called gannen (元年) and written 令和元年 rather than 令和1年 — enter 1 for it here. Reiwa 1 = 2019.

CJapanese era reference chart (Meiji → Reiwa)

Era Kanji Start date End date Western years Conversion
Reiwa 令和 May 1, 2019 present 2019– Reiwa N = 2018 + N
Heisei 平成 January 8, 1989 April 30, 2019 1989–2019 Heisei N = 1988 + N
Showa 昭和 December 25, 1926 January 7, 1989 1926–1989 Showa N = 1925 + N
Taisho 大正 July 30, 1912 December 24, 1926 1912–1926 Taisho N = 1911 + N
Meiji 明治 January 25, 1868 July 29, 1912 1868–1912 Meiji N = 1867 + N

Eras change on an exact date, so the change-over years (1912, 1926, 1989, 2019) belong to two eras.

How to use this converter

  1. Western year → Japanese era (A): type a year such as 1985 to see the era year (Showa 60). For era-change years like 1989 or 2019, add the month and day and the converter picks the correct era down to the day.
  2. Japanese era → Western year (B): pick the era you see on a document (e.g. 令和 = Reiwa) and type the number after it. Impossible years such as Showa 65 are flagged instead of silently converted.
  3. Copy the result: each result comes with a ready-to-paste line like "令和8年 / Reiwa 8" — handy when filling in Japanese forms.

Quick mental math

  • Reiwa: Western year − 2018 (2026 → Reiwa 8). Or: last two digits − 18.
  • Heisei: Western year − 1988 (1995 → Heisei 7).
  • Showa: Western year − 1925 (1980 → Showa 55). Or: last two digits − 25.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Japanese era system?

Japan uses era names (nengō, 年号) alongside the Western calendar. Each era begins when a new emperor accedes to the throne, and years are counted from 1 within that era. The current era is Reiwa (令和), which began on May 1, 2019 — so 2026 is Reiwa 8. Official documents such as driver’s licenses, tax forms, residence records and health insurance cards very often use era years instead of Western years.

When did the Reiwa era start?

Reiwa (令和) began on May 1, 2019, when Emperor Naruhito acceded to the throne. That means 2019 is split: January 1 to April 30, 2019 is Heisei 31, and May 1 to December 31, 2019 is Reiwa 1. The first year of an era is called "gannen" (元年), so Reiwa 1 is written 令和元年 on documents.

How do I read 令和8年 on a Japanese document?

令和 is the era name (Reiwa), 8 is the year within the era, and 年 means "year". So 令和8年 is Reiwa 8, which is 2026 in the Western calendar. A quick trick: for Reiwa, add 2018 to the era year (8 + 2018 = 2026). You may also see the era abbreviated to a single letter: R8 = Reiwa 8, H31 = Heisei 31, S64 = Showa 64.

What happens in a year when the era changes?

The era changes on an exact date, not at New Year, so the change-over year belongs to two eras. For example, in 1989 the Showa era ended on January 7 (Showa 64) and Heisei began on January 8 (Heisei 1). In 2019, Heisei ended on April 30 (Heisei 31) and Reiwa began on May 1 (Reiwa 1). For birth dates in those years, you need the month and day to know the correct era — this converter handles that automatically.

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