Coping with abdication-linked changes

December 2, 2017

Tokyo- Japanese companies are poised to accelerate work to cope with changes associated with Emperor Akihito's abdication and Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the throne in 2019, including the introduction of the country's new era name.

Some companies, including calendar and diary makers, use the Japanese era name in their products or services, or their systems.

The Imperial House Council agreed Friday that Emperor Akihito will step down on April 30, 2019, in the country's first Imperial abdication in about 200 years, and Crown Prince Naruhito will accede to the throne on May 1, 2019, when the era name is also set to change from the current "Heisei." The abdication and succession dates will be formalized at a cabinet meeting Dec. 8.

Calendar and diary makers have called for early announcements on a new era name and related information. Work to print 2019 calendars would normally start this month. If the start is delayed, calendar makers may fail to meet delivery deadlines or orders, said an official of an association of calendar makers.

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 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 brand diary products.

Japan Railways Group companies use the calendar system based on the Japanese era name for train tickets and other systems.

An official of Central Japan Railway Co., better known as JR Tokai, said the company is holding discussions, including on whether to continue using the Japanese system.

Japan Post Co. is concerned about the schedule for printing its New Year's greeting cards.

Meanwhile, electronics makers, automakers, and information and communications companies are unlikely to be affected greatly by such changes, because many of them use the Western calendar year for their products and services.

"Many of our products and services are based on the Western calendar year system," an official of electronics giant Sony Corp. said. "We don't expect major impacts because our system uses the Western calendar year," said an official of major mobile phone carrier Softbank Corp.

"The schedule was tight for the previous era name change from Showa to Heisei" nearly 30 years ago, an official at a major bank said. "This time, we'll have sufficient preparation time," the official added.

The era name of Heisei was introduced on Jan. 8, 1989, on which Emperor Akihito took to the throne following the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito, posthumously called Emperor Showa, on Jan. 7 that year, when the Showa era ended.

At retailers, there have been no plans to hold special sales campaigns relating to Emperor Akihito's abdication and Crown Prince Naruhito's succession.

"It would be impolite to do business by taking advantage of such events," a senior official of a department store operator said, noting, "For department stores, the Imperial Family is a customer." Jiji Press