Heisei

The Heisei period, or Heisei era, (Japanese: 平成時代 Hepburn: Heisei jidai) is the past era in Japan, beginning on January 8, 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito. His son, the 125th Emperor Akihito, acceded to the throne; and in accordance with Japanese customs, Hirohito was posthumously renamed the 124th "Emperor Shōwa." It was preceded by the Shōwa period and followed by Reiwa.

Following Japanese custom, the starting date of the Heisei period corresponds to Heisei 1 (平成元年 = Heisei gannen, where gannen means "first year"). The Heisei period ended on April 30, 2019 (Heisei 31), the date on which Emperor Akihito abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne.