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TOKYO -- The government decided April 1 that the new era name when Crown Prince Naruhito accedes to the Imperial Throne one month from now will be Reiwa.
The Cabinet approved a government ordinance regarding the change from the current Heisei to Reiwa after hearing opinions on the proposed era name from a panel comprising experts from various fields, the heads and vice heads of both chambers of the Diet, and all Cabinet ministers.
The name is composed of two Chinese characters, or kanji. The first, "rei," has meanings including "good" or "beautiful," as well as "order" or "rule." The meanings of the second character, "wa," include "harmony," "peace," and "Japanese style."
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced on April 1 that the name comes from the "Manyoshu" (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves), the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a news conference the same day, "The era name represents a culture being born and nurtured by people's hearts coming together beautifully." He said that the name "Reiwa" was selected "in the hope that Japan will be a country where each Japanese person can achieve success with hopes for the future like plum flowers that bloom brilliantly after the severe cold."
In the passage of the "Manyoshu" from which the characters were selected -- a prologue to poems on plum blossoms -- the character for "rei" appears in the phrase "reigetsu," meaning "auspicious month," while the one for "wa," which can also be read "yawaragu," comes from the phrase "kaze yawaragu" -- a reference to "gentle" wind.
Japan's next era named Reiwa - The Mainichi
TOKYO -- The government decided April 1 that the new era name when Crown Prince Naruhito accedes to the Imperial Throne one month from now will be Rei
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