Abe Meets with Crown Prince before New Era Name Release

March 30, 2019

Tokyo- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Crown Prince Naruhito on Friday, ahead of the announcement of the country's new era name on Monday.

Abe is believed to have given the Crown Prince an explanation about Monday's procedures related to the release of the era name and draft candidates for it, informed sources said. The meeting was held at the Togu Palace, the residence of the Crown Prince, in Tokyo's Minato Ward.

Earlier on Friday, Abe visited the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda Ward to brief Emperor Akihito on recent developments in and outside Japan, in an event called "naiso."

The government will not disclose what was said during the meetings.

The government plans to inform the Emperor and the Crown Prince of the formalized name of the country's next era right before it is announced to the public around 11:30 a.m. Monday (2:30 a.m. GMT).

At a press conference on Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that the government "will work with a sense of tension so that the new era name will be announced smoothly."

At a meeting on Friday, the government confirmed Monday's procedures to select and announce the name of the next era to succeed the current Heisei.

From 9:30 a.m., the government will solicit opinions from member experts of a relevant panel and from the heads and deputy heads of both chambers of the Diet, the country's parliament.

The new era name will be decided at a cabinet meeting later on Monday morning and announced by Suga at a press conference around 11:30 a.m. Abe is slated to release a statement around noon on the day.

On Monday, Emperor Akihito will sign a government ordinance to change the era.

The new era is set to start on May 1, in line with Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the throne on the day, following the abdication of Emperor Akihito on April 30, the final day of the Heisei era. Jiji Press