May 1, 2019

Crown Prince Naruhito at midnight on May 1 became the new emperor following the abdication of Emperor Akihito. Accordingly, the imperial era name transited to Reiwa from Heisei. Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo, upon the enthronement of the new emperor, issued a comment as follows:

I'd like to express my congratulations on the ascension of Emperor Naruhito. I hope that the new emperor as "the symbol of the State" will respect the spirit of and defend the Japanese Constitution.

Past related article:
> What are ‘gengo (era names)’ anyway? [April 2, 2019]