New era will go into effect on 1 May, a day after the emperor, Akihito makes way for his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The reign of Japan’s next emperor will be known as the Reiwa era, after the new imperial name was unveiled before an expectant nation on Monday morning.

People across Japan paused as the name – or gengo – was announced after months of secret deliberations, with the final choice previously known only to a select group of experts and senior politicians.

The new era will begin on 1 May, a day after the emperor, Akihito – whose era is known as Heisei (achieving peace) – makes way for his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, in Japan’s first imperial abdication for more than 200 years.

Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, unveiled the name live on TV, moments after a nine-member panel, which included the Nobel prize-winning stem cell scientist Shinya Yamanaka, agreed on a name from about five options put forward by scholars of classical Chinese and Japanese literature.

“We hope the new era name will be widely accepted by the public and become deeply rooted in the lives of the Japanese people,” Suga said after the announcement, which began several minutes behind schedule.

Japan poised to reveal name of new imperial era as Akihito abdicates Read more

TV commentators struggled to offer a direct translation, but the two characters, Rei and Wa, taken from the eighth-century work Man’yoshu, the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry, can be read as “fortunate” or “auspicious”, and “peace” or “harmony”.

The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said the term “symbolises our nation’s profound public culture and long tradition”.

He added: “Just like amazing plum flowers in full bloom that signal the arrival of spring after bitter cold, each and every Japanese person can hope for the future and make their own flowers blossom.

“Our nation is facing up to a big turning point, but there are lots of Japanese values that shouldn’t fade away. We are very proud of our history, culture and tradition, and this term expresses the Japan of tomorrow, the one we want to build for future generations. That was the most decisive point in making the choice.”

In Tokyo, people watching giant screens greeted the announcement with applause and, in a few cases, tears. “I was surprised by the choice – I didn’t expect those kanji characters, but I’ll have to start getting used to them,” one woman told public broadcaster NHK. “One of them is the character for peace, so there is a serious meaning behind it.”

In the hours before the announcement, TV studio guests discussed the significance of new imperial era name. Updates flashed on the screen on the progress of deliberations and officials were filmed from TV helicopters arriving at the prime minister’s office.

The panel tasked with making the final choice were kept in a room at the prime minister’s office that had been checked for bugs. Everyone involved in the final deliberations was required to hand in their phones and other mobile devices to prevent leaks.

Officials had warned that any names leaked to the media ahead of the announcement would immediately be withdrawn. The chosen name was then approved by the cabinet.

Suga said the government would not reveal the identity of the expert who suggested the new gengo or the other candidate names.

Akihito, 85, hinted at a desire to retire during a rare televised address in 2016, saying he feared his advanced years would inhibit his ability to perform official duties.

His imminent retirement has sparked a wave of nostalgia for his 30-year reign. TV quiz shows have tested guests knowledge of the era, while special dolls were made to mimic the moment when Suga unveiled the new name. Newspaper companies issued special editions, while businesses quickly incorporated the gengo into commemorative goods.

Japanese public bodies and companies now have a month to incorporate the new era’s name into their paperwork and computer systems before Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum throne, becoming the country’s 126th emperor. The new gengo will appear on everything from train tickets and software to official documents and calendars.

“The era names carry this weight with them; they have this sense of defining a period,” Daniel Sneider, a Japan expert at Stanford University, told Associated Press.

“Japanese life is filled with these combinations of tradition and modernity that some people used to find irritating ... but this insistence on sticking to tradition is what distinguishes Japan from other societies.”

Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University in Tokyo, said the new gengo was an opportunity to put the past three decades into context.

“In all nations there are certain rituals of identity and belonging and nationalism that are important to people, and the emperor is a symbol of who the Japanese are as a people,” he said. “Particularly when you’re facing troubled times, that becomes even more important.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.