Calendar, diary and fortune-telling businesses are anxiously awaiting the announcement of the name of Japan’s next Imperial era, which the government said
Calendar, diary and fortune-telling businesses are anxiously awaiting the announcement of the name of Japan’s next Imperial era, which the government said Friday will begin on May 1,2019, the day after the Emperor abdicates.
In modern Japan, a gengō era name lasts for the length of an emperor’s reign and is widely used in calendars and official documents along with the standard Gregorian calendar. The government is expected to announce the new era name sometime in 2018 to minimize disruption to people’s lives.
Ryusho Takashima, chairman of the Tokyo-based fortune calendar company Takashima Ekidan, expressed concern about whether his company will be able to publish its products for 2019 on time.
The company publishes four fortune calendars, selling around 200,000 copies. Because it prints new calendars in April for released around August, a late announcement could affect production, he said.
Takahashi Shoten Co., a major diary company in Tokyo, omitted the era name in most of its mainstay items for 2018. As for products for 2019, it plans to print the new era name if an announcement is made by January, when it begins production.
“Our priority is to avert any confusion,” said company executive Takashi Okubo.
Calendar makers are especially paying attention to changes in holidays, including the Emperor’s birthday, currently on Dec. 23. The difference in calendars of weekdays, written in black, and holidays in red is important, a senior official of the calendar maker Todan Co. said. The birthday of Crown Prince Naruhito is Feb. 23.
“We want necessary information at an early stage,” said an official of JMA Management Center Inc., known for its Nolty diary products.
