Emperor’s exit resets Japan calendar

Guessing game: A shop worker arranging dolls depicting Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga (left) and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe holding the new era names speculated by the public at Kyugetsu, a traditional doll company, in Tokyo. — AP

Tokyo: The abdication of Japan’s Emperor Akihito on April 30 will quite literally mark the end of an era, the Heisei era of his rule, and highly secretive talks have been going on for months on what to call the next one.

This is anything but a procedural issue, as the name of the era has a tangible effect on the daily lives of the Japanese as well as a psychological impact on the nation.