Western/Japanese Calendar Conversion Chart: Reiwa & Heisei Calculation for Resumes

When filling out a Japanese resume (rirekisho) or official documents, it's common to wonder "Should I use the Western calendar or the Japanese era calendar (Reiwa, Heisei, Showa)?" or "What year is my birth year in Reiwa or Heisei?" This article brings together a chart for quickly converting between the Western and Japanese calendars, and a calculation method you can do in your head without a calculator. You can use it directly for the date of birth and education/work history on your resume, so keep it handy whenever you're unsure about a conversion.

Situations where you need to convert the Western and Japanese calendars

In Japan, two ways of counting years are used together: the Western calendar (e.g., 2026) and the Japanese era calendar (e.g., Reiwa 8). On a resume you may use either, but if they're scattered—Japanese calendar for the birth date, Western calendar for education—it becomes hard to read, so the basic rule is to unify to one throughout the document. Driver's licenses, passports, and certificates often mix Japanese and Western notation, so conversion is needed when transcribing to your resume. First, make sure you can convert accurately.

How to convert between the Japanese and Western calendars (memory tips)

Converting between the Japanese and Western calendars is just a matter of adding or subtracting a fixed number for each era. If you memorize the following three numbers, you can convert in your head without a calculator.

• Reiwa: Western year = Reiwa year + 2018 / Reiwa year = Western year − 2018
• Heisei: Western year = Heisei year + 1988 / Heisei year = Western year − 1988
• Showa: Western year = Showa year + 1925 / Showa year = Western year − 1925

Reiwa → Western is "+2018"

To convert Reiwa to the Western calendar, add 2018 to the Reiwa year. For example, Reiwa 8 is "8 + 2018 = 2026." Conversely, to find Reiwa from the Western year, subtract 2018, so "2026 − 2018 = Reiwa 8."

Heisei → Western is "+1988"

To convert Heisei to the Western calendar, add 1988 to the Heisei year. Heisei 2 is "2 + 1988 = 1990," and Heisei 30 is "30 + 1988 = 2018." To find Heisei from the Western year, subtract 1988.

Showa → Western is "+1925"

To convert Showa to the Western calendar, add 1925 to the Showa year. Showa 60 is "60 + 1925 = 1985." To find Showa from the Western year, subtract 1925. For reference, Taisho is "+1911" and Meiji is "+1867."

Western/Japanese calendar conversion chart

Here is a chart of the correspondence between the Western and Japanese calendars, organized by era. Focusing on the years commonly used on resumes, you can check them in order of Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa. Check your birth year or your school enrollment/graduation years.

Reiwa (2019–)

• 2019 = Reiwa 1 (from May 1)
• 2020 = Reiwa 2
• 2021 = Reiwa 3
• 2022 = Reiwa 4
• 2023 = Reiwa 5
• 2024 = Reiwa 6
• 2025 = Reiwa 7
• 2026 = Reiwa 8
• 2027 = Reiwa 9
• 2028 = Reiwa 10
• 2029 = Reiwa 11
• 2030 = Reiwa 12

Heisei (1989–2019)

• 1989 = Heisei 1 (from January 8)
• 1990 = Heisei 2
• 1991 = Heisei 3
• 1992 = Heisei 4
• 1993 = Heisei 5
• 1994 = Heisei 6
• 1995 = Heisei 7
• 1996 = Heisei 8
• 1997 = Heisei 9
• 1998 = Heisei 10
• 1999 = Heisei 11
• 2000 = Heisei 12
• 2001 = Heisei 13
• 2002 = Heisei 14
• 2003 = Heisei 15
• 2004 = Heisei 16
• 2005 = Heisei 17
• 2006 = Heisei 18
• 2007 = Heisei 19
• 2008 = Heisei 20
• 2009 = Heisei 21
• 2010 = Heisei 22
• 2011 = Heisei 23
• 2012 = Heisei 24
• 2013 = Heisei 25
• 2014 = Heisei 26
• 2015 = Heisei 27
• 2016 = Heisei 28
• 2017 = Heisei 29
• 2018 = Heisei 30
• 2019 = Heisei 31 (until April 30)

Showa (main birth years: 1965–1989)

• 1965 = Showa 40
• 1966 = Showa 41
• 1967 = Showa 42
• 1968 = Showa 43
• 1969 = Showa 44
• 1970 = Showa 45
• 1971 = Showa 46
• 1972 = Showa 47
• 1973 = Showa 48
• 1974 = Showa 49
• 1975 = Showa 50
• 1976 = Showa 51
• 1977 = Showa 52
• 1978 = Showa 53
• 1979 = Showa 54
• 1980 = Showa 55
• 1981 = Showa 56
• 1982 = Showa 57
• 1983 = Showa 58
• 1984 = Showa 59
• 1985 = Showa 60
• 1986 = Showa 61
• 1987 = Showa 62
• 1988 = Showa 63
• 1989 = Showa 64 (until January 7)

If you'd like to check enrollment and graduation years used in the education section based on your birth year, see also the chart in How to Correctly Write Your Education History on a Resume (with Enrollment/Graduation Year Chart).

Cautions for the years the era changes (1989 and 2019)

In a year when the era changed, the same Western year splits into two Japanese-era years. When writing on your resume, check which era the actual date falls under.

• 1989: January 1–7 is "Showa 64," and January 8–December 31 is "Heisei 1."
• 2019: January 1–April 30 is "Heisei 31," and May 1–December 31 is "Reiwa 1."

For example, someone born in March 1989 is "born in Heisei 1," and graduating in March 2019 is "graduated in Heisei 31." If you fall on an era-change year, choose the correct era based on the month and day. Also, the first year of a new era is written as "gannen" (first year) rather than "1," which is the formal style (e.g., Reiwa 1 → Reiwa gannen).

Points for writing the Western/Japanese calendar on a resume

When entering the converted years on your resume, keeping the following three points in mind makes for a readable, accurate document.

Unify to either the Western or Japanese calendar throughout the document

Match the years for date of birth, education, work history, and qualifications all to the Western calendar or all to the Japanese calendar. If you submit a resume and a work-history document (shokumu-keirekisho) together, matching the notation across the two documents makes it easier for the hiring manager to cross-check your background.

Write the Japanese era in full as "Reiwa" or "Heisei"—don't abbreviate

When using the Japanese calendar, avoid alphabetical abbreviations like "R8," "H30," or "S60," and write them in full as "Reiwa 8," "Heisei 30," and "Showa 60." Don't abbreviate the Western calendar either, such as "'26"—write it in full as "2026."

Check the month and day for era-change years

Those born in 1989 or 2019, or who enrolled, graduated, or joined a company in those years, should confirm the boundaries above and write the correct era. When in doubt, unifying to the Western calendar is reassuring because it's unaffected by the era change. For how to write the resume overall, see also The Complete Guide to Writing a Resume: Manners and the Right Answer for Each Field.

Summary

For converting between the Western and Japanese calendars, if you memorize the three numbers—Reiwa "+2018," Heisei "+1988," and Showa "+1925"—you can calculate quickly even in your head. When you want to check years at once, use this article's chart to look up your birth year or enrollment/graduation years. For era-change years like 1989 and 2019, note that the Japanese-era year changes depending on the month and day. On a resume, unify to either the Western or Japanese calendar and write everything in full without abbreviation to produce an accurate, readable document.