People watch a TV broadcast about Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga holding aloft a framed picture of "Reiwa", the name of Japan's new era, during a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2019. The Japanese government announced Monday that "Reiwa" will be the name of Japan's new era to start on May 1, when Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum throne succeeding his father Emperor Akihito. The new era name, comprised of two Chinese characters, which roughly translate to "orderly" or "auspicious" and "peace" or "harmony," is derived from Man'yoshu, the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry dating back to the eighth century. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)

TOKYO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government announced Monday that "Reiwa" will be the name of Japan's new era to start on May 1, when Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum throne succeeding his father Emperor Akihito.

The new era name, comprised of two Chinese characters, which roughly translate to "orderly" or "auspicious" and "peace" or "harmony," is derived from Man'yoshu, the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry dating back to the eighth century.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a press conference after the announcement was made that the new era name was decided upon as it connotes "people's hearts coming together beautifully to nurture a culture."

"The name Reiwa means that culture is born and grows when people come together and care for each other beautifully," Abe said, adding that he hopes the new era ahead would be one that held great promise for the younger generations.

The announcement of the new era name was officially made by Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga by way of initially holding aloft a framed picture of the two Chinese characters painted in traditional calligraphy.

"We expect the new era to be widely accepted by the public and deeply rooted in the lives of Japanese people," Suga, Japan's top government spokesperson, said.

The new era name, a closely guarded secret that has kept the public here guessing for months, was greeted by a highly expectant nation, including thousands gathering on the streets in front of large screens.

"'Reiwa' sounds really beautiful and it's easy to write in kanji," Haruna Kameda, an elementary school teacher in her 40s told Xinhua.

"I was born in the Showa era, grew up in Heisei and now I'm going to live in Reiwa," Kameda, who works in Tokyo's Meguro ward, said happily.

Era names, or "gengo" as they are known in Japanese, are used in Japan for the length of an emperor's reign.

The new era name is usually announced after the accession of the new monarch, but the government decided to announce the new name in advance of the accession of the new Emperor.

In this way companies and the general public have time to prepare for the change and disruption is kept to a minimum.

Era names in Japan are still used for official documents such as drivers' licenses, as well as for some calendars, newspapers and other documents such as health insurance cards.

They are typically composed of two Chinese characters, or kanji in Japanese, and selected to impart a positive meaning that represents the values and ideals of the people of Japan.

The era names should be distinct from previous ones and be easy to read and write.

Earlier on Monday, Yoshihide Suga, the government's top spokesperson, convened a nine-member panel of representatives at the prime minister's office to present them with a list of proposals for the new era name.

The representatives were from the worlds of academia, media and business.

Thereafter, the opinions on the new era name were sought by both leaders and deputy leaders of both chambers of Japan's bicameral parliament.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet was subsequently charged with approving an ordinance on the new era name to replace Heisei.

Abe said that the government wanted to select a name that conveys the heralding of a "new ear full of hope."

"Heisei," the name of the current era, means "achieving peace" and began on Jan. 8, 1989, the day after Emperor Hirohito died.

Previous era names in modern history have been Meiji (1868-1912), Taisho (1912-1926) and Showa (1926-1989), followed by the current Heisei era.

Japan's imperial era system, however, is not without its critics.

Some maintain the Gregorian calendar should be used as the country's standard, with others stating that the antiquated system no longer reflects modern Japanese society.

"(Society here) is no longer controlled by an emperor," Hiroshi Kozen, a Chinese literature professor emeritus of Kyoto University and a member of the Japan Academy, told Kyodo News.

"The era system should reflect people's desire and we have to start from discussing why we need it," the 82-year-old was quoted as saying.

Others, including legal entities that filed a lawsuit last week at a local district court to try and scrap the "gengo" system, believe it violates the Constitution.

The era name changing with each imperial succession "destroys a sense of time held by each individual and violates Article 13 of the Constitution that guarantees all of the people shall be respected as individuals," the plaintiffs of the suit were quoted as saying.

Emperor Akihito will step down on April 30, marking the first Japanese monarch to abdicate the throne in about 200 years.

The 85-year-old emperor, Japan's 125th according to the traditional order of succession, expressed his desire to step down in a rare video message broadcast in 2016.

During the video message he expressed his concern that owing to his age he might not be able to fulfill his official duties.

A year later, the parliament passed a one-off bill enabling Emperor Akihito to step down.

The government ordinance on the new era name will be promulgated as early as Monday afternoon following its signing by Emperor Akihito. 

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga holds aloft a framed picture of "Reiwa", the name of Japan's new era, during a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2019. The Japanese government announced Monday that "Reiwa" will be the name of Japan's new era to start on May 1, when Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum throne succeeding his father Emperor Akihito. The new era name, comprised of two Chinese characters, which roughly translate to "orderly" or "auspicious" and "peace" or "harmony," is derived from Man'yoshu, the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry dating back to the eighth century. (Xinhua/Pool/Bloomberg)