For Japan, 2018 was the year of Heisei saigo (平成最後), “the last time we’ll do this in the Heisei era” — especially year-end New Year’s events.
December 31,2018, marked the end of an era in Japan as the country celebrated the final New Year’s Eve of Emperor Akihito’s reign.
The Japanese emperor had announced in 2016 that he would abdicate the throne on April 30,2019, succeeded by his son Crown Prince Naruhito, bringing Japan’s 30-year Heisei era to a close. For Japanese people, 2018 was the year of Heisei saigo (平成最後), “the last time we’ll do this in the Heisei era” — especially year-end New Year’s events.
The Emperor made his final public address of 2018 on his birthday, December 23, where he reflected on his hopes for peace for Japan in the future. He also remarked on the price Okinawa people continued to pay in 2018 for the disastrous Pacific War that ended in defeat in 1945, a common theme of his 30-year long reign.
きょうは天皇陛下の８５歳の誕生日。天皇として迎える最後の誕生日です。
事前の記者会見では「支え続けてくれた多くの国民に衷心より感謝する」と涙声で語りました。そして、時間をかけて話されたのが、平和への思いでした。 https://t.co/r48GAJbsYK pic.twitter.com/CMPK4s2ey6
— 朝日新聞(asahi shimbun） (@asahi) December 22,2018
Today (December 23,2018) is Emperor Akihito’s 85th birthday. This will be his last birthday as Emperor of Japan. ‘I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart the many people who accepted and continued to support me,’ stated the Emperor in a teary voice, who then continued his birthday greeting by expressing hopes for peace (in the future).
— Asahi Shimbun
“It gives me deep comfort that the Heisei Era is coming to an end, free of war in Japan,” the Emperor said in his remarks.
It is important not to forget that countless lives were lost in the second world war and that the peace and prosperity of postwar Japan was built upon the numerous sacrifices and tireless efforts made by the Japanese people, and to pass on this history accurately to those born after the war.
Japan’s Heisei era began on January 8,1989, when Emperor Akihito was officially enthroned the day after the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito, known posthumously in Japan as the Showa Emperor (昭和天皇).
