Gregorian to Japanese era (Reiwa, Heisei) converter
Japanese official documents use era names instead of the Gregorian year; this tool gives the Japanese form of any date.
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How to use it
- Enter gregorian date.
- The result appears straight away and updates as you edit.
- Copy the result, or copy a link that keeps the same values to share it.
How it is calculated
Era year = Gregorian year minus the offset: Meiji 1867, Taisho 1911 (from 30 July 1912), Showa 1925 (from 25 December 1926), Heisei 1988 (from 8 January 1989), Reiwa 2018 (from 1 May 2019). Year 1 is written 元年.
Example
Inputs: Gregorian date = 2026-10-01. Result: Converted date: Reiwa 8; Era: Reiwa; Era year: 8.
Limits and caveats
- It starts on 1 January 1873, when Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar; months were lunisolar before that.
- Future dates assume the Reiwa era continues.
Questions about this tool
When did the Reiwa era begin?
On 1 May 2019, when Emperor Naruhito took the throne, so 2026 is Reiwa 8.
What does 元年 mean in a Japanese date?
It means the first year of an era and replaces the number 1, as in 令和元年 for 2019 from 1 May.
How do I convert a Heisei year?
Add 1988 to the year number, so Heisei 10 is 1998. Heisei ended on 30 April 2019.