Japanese Era Converter
Converts between the Japanese era calendar (Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei, Reiwa) and the Western year in real time, correctly handling dates around an era transition (e.g. Showa 64 / January 7 → Heisei 1 / January 8). Everything happens in your browser, and nothing you type is ever sent to a server. If you need to calculate an age from a date of birth, check out the Age Calculator as well.
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Western year → Japanese era
Japanese era → Western year
Era reference table
| Era | Start date | Year 1 (Western) |
|---|---|---|
| Reiwa | 2019-05-01 | 2019 |
| Heisei | 1989-01-08 | 1989 |
| Showa | 1926-12-25 | 1926 |
| Taisho | 1912-07-30 | 1912 |
| Meiji | 1868-01-25 | 1868 |
Notes
- Supported range starts at Meiji 1 (January 25, 1868). Dates before that cannot be converted.
- Dates right around an era transition (e.g. Showa 64 / January 7 vs. Heisei 1 / January 8) are especially easy to get wrong, so conversion is determined at the day level.
- The first year of an era is shown as "1 (gannen)" (e.g. Reiwa gannen = Reiwa 1).
Glossary
Gengo (Japanese era name)
A Japanese calendar era, traditionally set at the start of an emperor's reign. The current era is "Reiwa," which began on May 1, 2019.
Wareki (Japanese calendar year)
A way of expressing a year using the era name and era year (e.g. "Reiwa 6"), used alongside the Western (Gregorian) year.
Gannen (first year of an era)
The first year of an era. Rather than being written as "year 1," it is written as "gannen" (e.g. "Reiwa gannen").
FAQ
How are years of an era change shown?
The first year of an era is written "gannen" (元年). For example, 2019 is Heisei 31 until April 30 and Reiwa 1 from May 1. The tool checks era changes at the day level.
Can dates before the Meiji era be converted?
No. Conversion covers dates from Meiji 1 (January 25, 1868) onward.
Are Showa 64 and Heisei 1 the same year?
Yes, both are 1989. Showa 64 ends on January 7, 1989 and Heisei 1 begins on January 8.
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