Japan likely to announce new era name around April 1 next year

The government is likely to announce the name of the new Japanese era around next April 1

Japan obviously does not have April Fools day!

Keeping it a surprise are they? I bet the calendar-makers are loving this decision.

It's obvious the powers that be are control freaks, by deeming "One month's prior notice is all you need." The more they deviate from common sense, the more they are likely to alienate the average citizen. I hope somebody leaks the new name in advance and posts it on Facebook -- just to rain on their parade.

As always gringos and outsiders making stupid comments showing their low education and disrespect

I can’t remember how irritating it was to not know the gengo when Emperor Showa died. I mean, what could I do without knowing it? Nothing. I had to rely on that pesky western calendar thing a lot of Japanese businesses use. Disrepspectful insiders.

I can’t remember how irritating it was to not know the gengo when Emperor Showa died.

You can't remember because it wasn't. The Emperor died on the 7th January, a Saturday, and by the following Monday morning not only had the new nengo been announced, hundreds of thousands of workers had spent a sleepless weekend making new rubber stamps and changing all the Showas on their official forms to Heisei.

One of the main reasons given for delaying the abdication was to 'give the calendar-makers etc., time to prepare'. So much for that.

To paraphrase the old joke:

"I'm still writing heisei on my checks."

“Era names are traditionally composed of two Chinese characters.”

LoL- why not just use kanji??

The Emperor died on the 7th January, a Saturday

True, and yet my brain tells me it was on the Friday. The reason I say this is that the local video rental stores were stripped of videos as the TV channels all switched to mourning mode. Were we warned of the impending news? There seemed to be a concern about what to wear on the Monday morning trip to work, black tie or regular tie. But NHK saved the day by switching to regular neckties early on Monday morning - a clear signal.

It was a strange weekend.

Were we warned of the impending news?

Well sort of - he'd been ill for months, and at his age the prognosis was never going to be good. It wasn't a question of If he would die, but When, and I'm sure NHK and all the government agencies had the protocol worked out well in advance.

As he sank lower and lower, the telly was dire viewing, hence the rush to video rentals. Folk knew that when he did go there would be nothing on the telly but dirges.

Some in the government have expressed concerns that announcing the name considerably earlier than the new era's actual start on May 1 could lead to a situation of dual authority between the old and new emperors. Japanese emperors have no political power under the postwar Constitution.

If emperors have no power, how can a situation of dual authority arise? Why not name these "some in the government" so that we can recognise them for their stupidity?