What year is it in Japan?

What is the Japanese year for 2023?

What year is it in Japan? Japan uses both the Western year and the Japanese year. The year 2023 is “Reiwa 5” (5th year of Reiwa) in the Japanese year.

Japanese calendar

In Japan, both the Western year (Gregorian Calendar) (e.g., 2023 or 1995) and the Japanese year (e.g. Showa 60 or Reiwa 5) are officially used. The Japanese year consists of the name of the era and the year number. Reiwa 5 is, in other words, the fifth year of the Reiwa Era. Japanese eras, such as Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa, are based on the reign of the Emperor. The era changes when a new Emperor is enthroned. They are also called “regnal eras.”

What is a regnal era name?

A regnal era name is a type of era name that originated in ancient China. It is a title given to a specific era and is basically based on a year but the era name can be changed even in the middle of a year. Some era names have been changed in less than one year.

As of 2023, Japan is the only country in the world that uses eras. The use of the era name in Japan began in 645 A.D. with the Taika Era.

While the Western calendar and the Islamic calendar are infinite systems, the era system is finite. The year is recounted from the first year and renamed according to the accession of emperors.

Do the Japanese use both Western and Japanese calendars?

Because calculating and converting the number of years across the two eras is complicated, “those who use the Western calendar together” and “those who mainly use the Western calendar” have gradually increased. Especially with the spread of the Internet and other factors, the number of “cases in which the western calendar is mainly used rather than the Japanese year” has increased dramatically. The percentage of people who do not know what year it is or who find it difficult to grasp past events in the Japanese year system has also increased.

To calculate the interval between two different eras with different numbers, one must convert them to the Western calendar once. For example, to calculate how many years ago the 60th year of Showa was, one would have to convert both the present year and the Showa 60 to Western years.

・Although the guidelines contain no clear statement about preparing official documents regarding whether the year should be in the Japanese or Western calendar, the Japanese year is used for most official documents (resident certificates, driver’s licenses, and other credentials) issued by the Japanese government and local governments.

・Because passports are used outside Japan, the year of birth of the holder is written according to the Western calendar.

・The use of the Western calendar in Japan increased after the campaign for the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

2023 – the Year of  Rabbit

In Japan, the 12 Chinese zodiac signs are also used. This year, 2023, is the Year of the Rabbit. However, except for New Year’s Holiday season, Japanese people are rarely aware of the Chinese zodiac.

What Japanese year was I born in?