Japanese Era Converter和暦 ⇄ 西暦 — Reiwa, Heisei, Showa and more

Convert between the Japanese era calendar and the Western year in both directions. Type a year on either side to see the result instantly.

Why this matters on a resume

Japanese forms use two calendars: the Western year (西暦) and the era year (和暦). On a rirekisho you may use either, but you must use the same one everywhere — mixing 令和 and 西暦 across your birth date, school dates, and work history is a classic mistake that makes an application look careless. This tool helps you line every date up in one system.

How the eras line up

• 令和 (Reiwa) began in 2019 — Reiwa 1 = 2019, Reiwa 8 = 2026.
• 平成 (Heisei): 1989–2019. Heisei 1 = 1989.
• 昭和 (Showa): 1926–1989.
• 大正 (Taisho): 1912–1926.
• 明治 (Meiji): 1868–1912.

In years when an era changed (1989, 2019), this converter uses the newer era, which is the usual convention on resumes. For more on choosing a system, read 令和 vs Western dates on your resume.

How to use it, step by step

1. Type a Western year (for example 2026) to see the Japanese era year, or choose an era and type its year to get the Western year.
2. Watch the transition years: 1989 and 2019 each belong to two eras depending on the month.
3. Write the first year of an era as 元年 (for example 令和元年) on formal documents.
4. Convert every date on the resume the same way: birth date, education, work history, and the date at the top.

Frequently asked questions

Build the whole resume

ResumeJP keeps your chosen date format consistent across the entire sheet automatically. Once your dates are sorted, fill in the rest in the free editor and download a print-ready PDF, or browse more resume tools.