English-Friendly Hospitals in Japan

年 is year, 月 is month, 日 is date

When you are filling out forms in Japan, you may notice that the year is not the normal (Gregorian / A.D.) calendar year, like 2019. The Japanese still use their imperial calendar year, which coinsides with the emperor’s reign. The current era is Heisei (平成), which started on January 8th, 1989. So 1989 was the year 1 of Heisei, and 2019 is year 31 of Heisei.

In modern Japan, the era lasted until the emporer’s death. However, the current Heisei Emporer expressed his wish to abdicate due to health concerns. He will be stepping down on April 30, 2019. The new era name starting on May 1st has not been announced yet, and is expected to be announced on April 1st.

Anyways, you have to know your years in two ways in Japan. You will probably have the option to select one of the following for the year (年):

• 明治 / 明 / Meiji / M for the Meiji era
• 大正 / 大 / Taisho / T for the Taisho era
• 昭和 / 昭 / Showa / S for the Showa era
• 平成 / 平 / Heisei / H for the Heisei era
• And if you’re lucky, 西暦 / 西 / A.D. for the Gregorian calendar

Converting Japanese Imperial Calendar Years

Here is a quick guide on converting between the years.

Convert between A.D. and Meiji

The Meiji (明治) era started on October 23, 1868, up until July 30, 1912. So between those dates, get the Meiji year by subtracting 1867.
The Taisho (大正) era started on July 30, 1912, up until December 25, 1926. So between those dates, get the Tasho year by subtracting 1911.
You probably won’t have to worry about these two unless you’re talking about Japanese history, or your great-grandparents. 🙂

Convert between A.D. and Showa

The Showa (昭和) era started on December 25, 1926, up until January 7, 1989. So between those dates, get the Showa year by subtracting 1925. You can just subtract 25 from the year without the century for shorthand calculations. To reverse, just add 25 to the Showa year to get the Gregorian calendar year.

Convert between A.D. and Heisei

The Heisei (平成) era started on January 8, 1989, and will end on April 30, 2019. So between those dates, get the Heisei year by subtracting 1988. You can just add 12 from the year without the century for shorthand calculations. To reverse, just subtract 12 to the Showa year to get the Gregorian calendar year.

The new era will start on May 1, 2019. So between those dates, get the imperial year by subtracting 2018. You can just subtract 18 from the year without the century for shorthand calculations. To reverse, just add 18 to the year to get the Gregorian calendar year.

Japanese Imperial Calendar Years Table

Here are some tables in case you don’t want to do the calculations.

平成 Heisei conversion table (1/8/1989 – 4/30/2019)

昭和 Showa conversion table (12/25/1926 – 1/7/1989)

大正 Taisho conversion table (7/30/1912 – 12/25/1926)

Convert between A.D. and Taisho

明治 Meiji conversion table (10/23/1868 – 7/30/1912)