Reference - Japanese Calendar
Reference - Japanese Calendar 
|
Period
|
Year
|
Gregorian calendar
|
Period
|
Year
|
Gregorian calendar
|
Period
|
Year
|
Gregorian calendar
|
|
Meiji
|
1
|
1868
|
.
|
5
|
1916
|
.
|
39
|
1964
|
|
.
|
2
|
1869
|
.
|
6
|
1917
|
.
|
40
|
1965
|
|
.
|
3
|
1870
|
.
|
7
|
1918
|
.
|
41
|
1966
|
|
.
|
4
|
1871
|
.
|
8
|
1919
|
.
|
42
|
1967
|
|
.
|
5
|
1872
|
.
|
9
|
1920
|
.
|
43
|
1968
|
|
|
6
|
1873
|
.
|
10
|
1921
|
.
|
44
|
1969
|
|
|
7
|
1874
|
.
|
11
|
1922
|
.
|
45
|
1970
|
|
|
8
|
1875
|
.
|
12
|
1923
|
.
|
46
|
1971
|
|
|
9
|
1876
|
.
|
13
|
1924
|
.
|
47
|
1972
|
|
|
10
|
1877
|
.
|
14
|
1925
|
.
|
48
|
1973
|
|
|
11
|
1878
|
.
|
15
|
12/25/26
|
.
|
49
|
1974
|
|
.
|
12
|
1879
|
Showa
|
1
|
12/25/26
|
.
|
50
|
1975
|
|
|
13
|
1880
|
.
|
2
|
1927
|
.
|
51
|
1976
|
|
|
14
|
1881
|
.
|
3
|
1928
|
.
|
52
|
1977
|
|
|
15
|
1882
|
.
|
4
|
1929
|
.
|
53
|
1978
|
|
|
16
|
1883
|
.
|
5
|
1930
|
.
|
54
|
1979
|
|
|
17
|
1884
|
.
|
6
|
1931
|
.
|
55
|
1980
|
|
|
18
|
1885
|
.
|
7
|
1932
|
.
|
56
|
1981
|
|
|
19
|
1886
|
.
|
8
|
1933
|
.
|
57
|
1982
|
|
|
20
|
1887
|
.
|
9
|
1934
|
.
|
58
|
1983
|
|
|
21
|
1888
|
.
|
10
|
1935
|
.
|
59
|
1984
|
|
|
22
|
1889
|
.
|
11
|
1936
|
.
|
60
|
1985
|
|
|
23
|
1890
|
.
|
12
|
1937
|
.
|
61
|
1986
|
|
|
24
|
1891
|
.
|
13
|
1938
|
.
|
62
|
1987
|
|
|
25
|
1892
|
.
|
14
|
1939
|
.
|
63
|
1988
|
|
|
26
|
1893
|
.
|
15
|
1940
|
.
|
64
|
01/07/89
|
|
|
27
|
1894
|
.
|
16
|
1941
|
Heisei
|
1
|
01/08/89
|
|
|
28
|
1895
|
.
|
17
|
1942
|
.
|
2
|
1990
|
|
|
29
|
1896
|
.
|
18
|
1943
|
.
|
3
|
1991
|
|
|
30
|
1897
|
.
|
19
|
1944
|
.
|
4
|
1992
|
|
|
31
|
1898
|
.
|
20
|
1945
|
.
|
5
|
1993
|
|
|
32
|
1899
|
.
|
21
|
1946
|
.
|
6
|
1994
|
|
|
33
|
1900
|
.
|
22
|
1947
|
.
|
7
|
1995
|
|
|
34
|
1901
|
.
|
23
|
1948
|
.
|
8
|
1996
|
|
|
35
|
1902
|
.
|
24
|
1949
|
.
|
9
|
1997
|
|
|
36
|
1903
|
.
|
25
|
1950
|
.
|
10
|
1998
|
|
|
37
|
1904
|
.
|
26
|
1951
|
.
|
11
|
1999
|
|
|
38
|
1905
|
.
|
27
|
1952
|
.
|
12
|
2000
|
|
|
39
|
1906
|
.
|
28
|
1953
|
.
|
13
|
2001
|
|
|
40
|
1907
|
.
|
29
|
1954
|
.
|
14
|
2002
|
|
|
41
|
1908
|
.
|
30
|
1955
|
.
|
15
|
2003
|
|
|
42
|
1909
|
.
|
31
|
1956
|
.
|
16
|
2004
|
|
|
43
|
1910
|
.
|
32
|
1957
|
.
|
17
|
2005
|
|
|
44
|
1911
|
.
|
33
|
1958
|
.
|
|
|
|
|
45
|
07/30/12
|
|
34
|
1959
|
.
|
|
|
|
Taishou
|
1
|
07/30/12
|
|
35
|
1960
|
.
|
|
.
|
|
|
2
|
1913
|
|
36
|
1961
|
.
|
.
|
|
|
|
3
|
1914
|
|
37
|
1962
|
.
|
.
|
|
|
|
4
|
1915
|
|
38
|
1963
|
.
|
.
|
|
Japan converted over to the Gregorian calendar on January 1st, 1873. However instead of the years being numbered and referenced to the year of the birth of Christ i.e. 2004 AD, the Japanese calendars are numbered and reference to the accession of each emperor - Meiji, Taisho, Showa, and the most recent Heisei.
To use this aid, if you for example find a date reference of Showa 20, all you have to do is to look under Showa 20 and then read across. In this case, it would be equivalent to the Gregorian calendar year 1945.