Heisei era
Heisei平成 | |||
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8 January 1989 – 30 April 2019 | |||
Location | Japan | ||
Including | Major events
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Monarch(s) | Akihito | ||
Key events |
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Chronology
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Part of a series on the |
History of Japan |
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The Heisei era (平成,
Thus, 1989 corresponds to
History and meaning
On 7 January 1989, at 07:55 AM
According to Obuchi, the name "Heisei" was taken from two Chinese history and philosophy books, namely Records of the Grand Historian (史記) and the Book of Documents (書経). In the Records of the Grand Historian, a sentence appears in a section honoring the wise rule of the legendary Chinese Emperor Shun, reading "内平外成" (Kanbun: 内平かに外成る, Uchi tairaka ni soto naru, "flat inside and outside"). In the Book of Documents, the sentence "地平天成" (Kanbun: 地平かに天成る, Chi tairaka ni ten naru, "the earth is perfect") appears. By combining both meanings, Heisei is intended to mean "peace everywhere".[2] The Heisei era went into effect immediately upon the day after Emperor Akihito's succession to the throne on 7 January 1989.
In August 2016, Emperor Akihito gave a televised address to the nation, in which he expressed concern that his age would one day stop him from fulfilling his official duties. This was an implication of his wish to retire.
Events
1989 marked the culmination of one of the most rapid economic growth spurts in Japanese history. With a dramatically strengthened
The Recruit scandal of 1988 had already eroded public confidence in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which had controlled the Japanese government for 38 years. In 1993, the LDP was ousted by a coalition led by Morihiro Hosokawa. However, the coalition collapsed as parties had gathered only to overthrow LDP, and lacked a unified position on almost every social issue. The LDP returned to the government in 1994, when it helped to elect Japan Socialist (later Social Democrat) Tomiichi Murayama as prime minister.[citation needed]
The 1990s had an "
In 1995, there was a large 6.8
On 11 December 1997, the international treaty called the Kyoto Protocol to regulate greenhouse gas emissions was adopted by 192 parties in Kyoto, Japan.[5]
During this era, Japan reemerged as a military power. In 1991, Japan made a financial contribution of $10 billion and sent military hardware for the
Following the
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the first FIFA World Cup to be held in Asia, the first to be held outside of the Americas or Europe, as well as the first to be jointly-hosted by more than one nation. This world championship for men's national football teams was jointly hosted by Japan and South-Korea to improve relations.[8]
On 23 October 2004, the Heisei 16 an earthquake and aftershocks rocked the Hokuriku region in Niigata Prefecture, killing 52 and injuring hundreds.
In November 2005, The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s robotic spacecraft Hayabusa landed on an asteroid and collected samples in the form of tiny grains of asteroidal material, which were returned to Earth aboard the spacecraft on 13 June 2010. It was the first spacecraft in history designed to deliberately land on an asteroid and then take off again. The Hayabusa mission was the first to return an asteroid sample to Earth for analysis.[9]
After an election defeat, Prime Minister
In 2008, Greater Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world with a total GDP (nominal) of approximately $2 trillion (¥165 trillion).[10] Greater Tokyo also has the largest metropolitan population in the world with an estimated 35 million.
In August 2009, for the first time, the
The population of Japan peaked at 128 million in 2010. This was Japan's biggest population in history.[11] It declined due to a low birthrate in the following years.
In July 2010, The JSDF's first postwar overseas base was established in Djibouti, Somalia.[12]
In December 2010, Japan's 2010 National Defense Program Guidelines changed its defense policy from a focus on the former
In 2011, the economy of China became the second largest in the world. Japan's economy descended to the world's third largest by nominal GDP.[14]
In 2011, a sumo tournament was cancelled for the first time in 65 years over a match fixing scandal.
In March 2011, the
On 11 March 2011 at 2:46 p.m., Japan was hit by the Tōhoku earthquake of a
In August 2011,
In January 2013, Shinzo Abe's government introduced
In the first half of 2014, The Toyota became the biggest automaker in the world selling 5.1 million vehicles in the six months ending 30 June 2014, an increase of 3.8% on the same period the previous year. Volkswagen AG recorded sales of 5.07 million vehicles.[22]
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to end deflation, but Japan entered recession again in 2014 largely due to a rise in sales tax to 8%. Abe called an election in December, and promised to delay further sales tax hikes to 2018. He won the election.
On 18 September 2015, the National Diet enacted the 2015 Japanese military legislation that allows the Japan Self-Defense Forces to collective self-defense of allies in combat for the first time under the 1947 constitution.[23]
In October 2015, The
A United Nations report confirmed that Greater Tokyo is the most populous metropolitan area in the world with an estimated total population of 38,140,000 in 2016.[25]
In 2018, Pokémon became the highest-grossing media franchise of all time with an estimated $90 billion revenue. Pokémon surpassed the number 2 Hello Kitty ($80 billion) and the number 5 Star Wars ($65 billion).
A record number of 31,191,929 foreign tourists visited Japan in 2018. This is a 33% increase over 2015 (19.73 million).[26] In 2017, 3 out of 4 foreign tourists came from South Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.[27]
Japan activated the
Japan was the world's largest creditor nation since 1990 and for 22 years straight.[29] By 2018, Japan regained the leading position as the predominant source of saving and investments. Japan owned net global assets of ¥328 trillion, Germany (¥262 trillion), China (¥205 trillion).[30]
In September 2018, Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese woman to contest a Grand Slam singles final and the first Japanese Grand Slam singles champion. Naomi Osaka was the winner of the 2018 US Open Women's Singles.[31][32]
In 2018, extraordinarily heavy rainfall in Western Japan led to many deaths in Hiroshima and Okayama. Also, an earthquake struck Hokkaido, killing 41 and causing a region-wide blackout.[33]
The first
The Nobel Prize
In the 30 years of the Heisei era, a total of 18 Japanese (including 3 Japanese-born naturalized foreigners) won the Nobel Prize.
- 1994 – Kenzaburo Oe, Literature
- 2000 – Hideki Shirakawa, Chemistry
- 2001 – Ryoji Noyori, Chemistry
- 2002 – Koichi Tanaka, Chemistry
- 2008 – Yoichiro Nambu, Physics
- 2008 – Makoto Kobayashi, Physics
- 2008 – Toshihide Maskawa, Physics
- 2008 – Osamu Shimomura, Chemistry
- 2010 – Eiichi Negishi, Chemistry
- 2010 – Akira Suzuki, Chemistry
- 2012 – Shinya Yamanaka, Physiology or Medicine
- 2014 – Isamu Akasaki, Physics
- 2014 – Hiroshi Amano, Physics
- 2014 – Shuji Nakamura, Physics
- 2015 – Takaaki Kajita, Physics
- 2015 – Satoshi Omura, Physiology or Medicine
- 2017 – Kazuo Ishiguro, Literature
- 2018 – Tasuku Honjo, Physiology or Medicine
Economy
The bubble economy having continued from around the end of the Shōwa era collapsed.
- Top 10 by market capitalization[35]
Rank | First year of Heisei (1989) | Last year of Heisei (2019) |
---|---|---|
1 | NTT US$163.8 billion |
Microsoft US$940.8 billion |
2 | Industrial Bank of Japan US$71.5 billion |
Apple Inc. US$895.6 billion |
3 | The Sumitomo Bank US$69.5 billion |
Amazon.com US$874.7 billion |
4 | Fuji Bank US$67.0 billion |
Alphabet Inc. US$818.1 billion |
5 | Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank US$66.0 billion |
Berkshire Hathaway US$493.7 billion |
6 | IBM US$64.6 billion |
Facebook US$475.7 billion |
7 | Mitsubishi Bank US$59.2 billion |
Alibaba Group US$472.9 billion |
8 | Exxon US$54.9 billion |
Tencent US$440.9 billion |
9 | Tokyo Electric Power Company US$54.4 billion |
Johnson & Johnson US$372.2 billion |
10 | Royal Dutch Shell US$54.3 billion |
ExxonMobil US$342.1 billion |
Conversion table
To convert any Gregorian calendar year between 1989 and 2019 to Japanese calendar year in Heisei era, 1988 needs to be subtracted from the year in question.
Heisei | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | |
AD | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
MCMLXXXIX | MCMXC | MCMXCI | MCMXCII | MCMXCIII | MCMXCIV | MCMXCV | MCMXCVI | |
Heisei | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
IX | X | XI | XII | XIII | XIV | XV | XVI | |
AD | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
MCMXCVII | MCMXCVIII | MCMXCIX | MM | MMI | MMII | MMIII | MMIV | |
Heisei | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
XVII | XVIII | XIX | XX | XXI | XXII | XXIII | XXIV | |
AD | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
MMV | MMVI | MMVII | MMVIII | MMIX | MMX | MMXI | MMXII | |
Heisei | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
XXV | XXVI | XXVII | XXVIII | XXIX | XXX | XXXI | ||
AD | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
MMXIII | MMXIV | MMXV | MMXVI | MMXVII | MMXVIII | MMXIX |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Japan's emperor to abdicate on April 30, 2019: gov't source". english.kyodonews.net. Kyodo News. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- ^ 「明治」の由来は何ですか? (in Japanese). Meiji Shrine. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ Kyodo, Jiji (3 December 2017). "Japan's publishers wait in suspense for next era name". The Japan Times. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-880656-53-2.
- ^ "7 .a Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change". UN Treaty Database. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
- ^ Freedman, Lawrence, and Efraim Karsh. The Gulf Conflict 1990–1991: Diplomacy and War in the New World Order. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1993. Print.
- ^ a b "Two Decades of International Cooperation: A Look Back on 20 Years of JSDF Activities Abroad". Japan Ministry of Defense. 24 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018.
- ^ Jones, Grahame L. (1 June 1996). "A Political Football Lands in Japan and South Korea". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ "Hayabusa Landed on and Took Off from Itokawa successfully – Detailed Analysis Revealed / Topics". ISAS. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- ^ 平成19年度県民経済計算 Archived 20 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Population Projections for Japan (January 2012): 2011 to 2060 Archived 19 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine, table 1-1 (National Institute of Population and Social Security Research. Retrieved 13 January 2016).
- ^ Narusawa, Muneo (28 July 2014). "The Overseas Dispatch of Japan's Self-Defense Forces and U.S. War Preparations 自衛隊海外派遣と米国の戦争準備". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018.
- ^ Fackler, Martin (16 December 2010). "Japan Announces Defense Policy to Counter China". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
- ^ "United Nations Statistics Division - National Accounts". unstats.un.org.
- ^ "Japan Finishes World's Tallest Communications Tower". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. 1 March 2012. Archived from the original on 19 June 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Tokyo Sky Tree". Emporis. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ Martin Fackler, Kevin Drew: Devastation as Tsunami Crashes Into Japan. The New York Times, 11 March 2011
- ^ "USGS analysis as of 12 March 2011". U.S. Geological Survey. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ Massive tsunami caused by quake’s shallow focus Archived 8 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. The Hamilton Spectator, 12 March 2011
- ^ Japan's catastrophes—Nature strikes back—Can fragile Japan endure this hydra-headed disaster? The Economist, 17 March 2011
- ^ K.N.C., H.T., A.N.: Containing the nuclear crisis
- ^ "World biggest carmaker tag retained by Toyota". The Japan News. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ Slavin, Erik (18 September 2015). "Japan enacts major changes to its self-defense laws". Stars and Stripes. Tokyo. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018.
- ^ O’Sullivan, Michael; Subramanian, Krithika (17 October 2015). The End of Globalization or a more Multipolar World? (Report). Credit Suisse AG. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ United Nations (12 March 2017). "The World's Cities in 2016" (PDF). United Nations.
- ^ "Tourism Statistics". JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co.
- ^ "Japan Tourism Agency aims to draw more Western tourists amid boom in Asian visitors". Japan National Tourism Organization. 6 February 2018. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019.
- ^ Kubo, Nobuhiro Japan activates first marines since WW2 to bolster defenses against China. 7 April 2018. Reuters. Retrieved 2 August 2018
- ^ Obe, Mitsuru (28 May 2013). "Japan World's Largest Creditor Nation for 22nd Straight Year". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
- ^ "Japan, savings superpower of the world". The Japan Times. 2 September 2018. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ Newman, Paul (7 September 2018). "Naomi Osaka becomes first Japanese woman to reach a Grand Slam final". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ Kane, David. "Osaka stuns Serena, captures first Grand Slam title at US Open". WTA Tennis. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ 平成30年北海道胆振東部地震による被害及び消防機関等の対応状況(第25報) (PDF) (in Japanese). Fire and Disaster Management Agency. 14 September 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ "Japan approves plan to send JSDF officers to Sinai, on first non-U.N. peacekeeping mission". The Mainichi. 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- ^ "新経済連盟:仮想通貨・ブロックチェーンの「規制明確化」求める". Bitt Times. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
Further reading
- Flath, David. The Japanese Economy (2nd ed. 2005) excerpt and text search
- Hanson, Marta E. The Routledge Handbook of Japanese Politics (2011) excerpt and text search
- Kitaoka Shinichi, Kokubun Ryosei, Nakanishi Hiroshi, Shiraishi Takashi, and Tanaka Akihiko. Examining Heisei Japan, Vol. I: Diplomacy and Security (2021) [1]
- Kitaoka Shinichi, Komine Takao (ed), et al. Examining Heisei Japan, Vol. III: Economy (2023) [2]
- Koo, Richard C. The Holy Grail of Macroeconomics: Lessons from Japan's Great Recession (2nd ed. 2009) excerpt and text search
- Pascua, Arthur. Devastation in Japan: An Economic Analysis (2012) excerpt and text search, on 2011 Tsunami
- Schoppa, Leonard J. The Evolution of Japan's Party System: Politics and Policy in an Era of Institutional Change (University of Toronto Press; 2012) 232 pages; Argues that changes starting in the 1990s set the stage for the 2009 victory of the Democratic Party