Japanese Era Converter & Year Table

Japanese Era ⇄ Western Year Table

A year-by-year table built on the same assumption as the converter above: eras are matched by their start year, and the exact day of an era change is not taken into account. Years with an era change are listed under the new era, so 1 – 7 January 1989 is Showa 64 and 1 January – 30 April 2019 is Heisei 31. The day-level boundaries are worked through in the era-boundary article.

Reiwa (2019– )

Heisei (1989–2018)

Showa (1926–1988)

The zodiac sign comes from (year − 4) mod 12, the same formula the converter uses.

How to Use the Japanese Era Converter

New here? Start by clicking one of the Examples (click to try) chips above the input (Year 2024 → Reiwa, Reiwa 6 → year, and so on). The year and direction are set for you and the result appears instantly.

Once you're comfortable, just pick a direction and type a year. The tool converts live as you type, so there's no button to press. Handy for reading documents, certificates, or resumes that use Japanese era years.

1. Use the buttons at the top to choose Gregorian → Era or Era → Gregorian.
2. For Gregorian → Era, enter the Gregorian year (e.g. 2025). The era name and zodiac sign appear.
3. For Era → Gregorian, choose the era and enter the year (e.g. Reiwa 7). The Gregorian year appears.
4. Use Copy Result to paste the conversion wherever you need it.

Worked Example

For instance, choose Gregorian → Era and type 2024 — you'll get Reiwa 6 (zodiac: Dragon). Switch to Era → Gregorian and enter Reiwa 6, and you'll get 2024 back.

What Are Japanese Eras (Wareki)?

Japan counts years using era names (wareki) tied to each emperor's reign, alongside the Gregorian calendar. The current era is Reiwa (令和), which began in 2019, so 2019 is Reiwa 1. It follows Heisei (平成, from 1989), Shōwa (昭和, from 1926), Taishō (大正, from 1912), and Meiji (明治, from 1868). Each era restarts the count at year 1, and "year 1" of an era is often written as gannen (元年).

Era Starting Years

• Meiji: Meiji 1 = 1868
• Taishō: Taishō 1 = 1912
• Shōwa: Shōwa 1 = 1926
• Heisei: Heisei 1 = 1989
• Reiwa: Reiwa 1 = 2019

This is a year-level approximation. Because an era can change partway through a year, please check an actual calendar for dates around a transition. Also note that every year from 2019 onward is shown as Reiwa — if a new era is proclaimed in the future, results will keep showing Reiwa until this tool is updated.

Handy When You Need To

• Fill in a birth year in Japanese era format on a form or resume.
• Work out how long ago a Heisei or Shōwa year was.
• Read an older certificate or contract that uses a Japanese era year.
• Look up the zodiac animal for a given year.

Frequently Asked Questions