Looking back on Heisei (1989 to 2019)

Japan uses its imperial eras to bookmark a period in time, and to re ect the zeitgeist and overall spirit of the population. Heisei (achieving peace), which May 31, 2002 April 1, 2019 ends on April 30 when Emperor Akihito abdicates, will be remembered as a World Cup kicks off Reiwa chosen • The World Cup tournament, in as new era name time of economic stagnation and severe disasters, but also a time when Asia for the rst time, is co-hosted • Reiwa (beautiful harmony) is the Japan’s entertainment and sports icons won hearts all over the world. Japan by Japan (eliminated in the Round rst in 248 era names to be drawn of 16) and South Korea (fourth). from a Japanese source instead of Correspondent Walter Sim looks back on some of the highs and lows of Heisei, Brazil were champions. a Chinese literary classic. It as Japan hits the reset button on May 1, when it rings in the Reiwa (beautiful comprises the Chinese kanji harmony) era with Crown Prince Naruhito as the country’s 126th monarch. characters “rei” (auspicious) and “wa” (peaceful), drawn from a passage in the 8th century poetry anthology Manyoshu (Collection Of Ten Thousand Leaves) that is Oct 23, 1992 March 20, 1995 1999 March 11, 2011 Dec 31, 2016 about the resilient plum owers Emperor Akihito, on historic that withstand the harshest of visit to China, says he ‘deeply Sarin gas attack Say to emojis Great East Japan Earthquake Top boyband SMAP disbands winters to bloom in the auspicious deplores’ wartime atrocities on Tokyo Metro • Japanese artist triggers tsunami, nuclear • Popular boyband SMAP, which dawn of spring. • The Aum Shinrikyo doomsday Shigetaka Kurita was meltdown released its rst single in 1991 and • Emperor Akihito, the rst only 27 years old when he whose 2003 smash hit, Sekai ni Japanese monarch to visit China, cult releases deadly sarin gas on • A magnitude-9.0 earthquake - the Tokyo subway during the created the world’s rst set of 176 the strongest in recorded Hitotsu Dake no Hana (Only Flower says he “deeply deplores (the) Japan’s Emperor emojis for a NTT Docomo mobile In The World), was so ubiquitous unfortunate period in which my morning rush hour, killing 13 Japanese history - strikes the Akihito, people and injuring 6,300 others. phone. His invention of the visual Tohoku region, unleashing monster that it has been cited by Prime country inicted great suffering language has revolutionised how Minister Abe, breaks up. Another on the people of China”. accompanied by The 13 cultists found to be most waves as high as 16m that trigger Empress Michiko, culpable were executed in 2018. people text all around the world. nuclear meltdowns at the coastal Heisei music icon, J-pop queen Namie Amuro, retired on Sept 16, waving to Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Dec 8, 2005 Plant. A total of 19,630 people 2018, while boyband Arashi, Jan 8, 1989 April 21, 1989 well-wishers Birth of the AKB48 died, including those from formed in 1999, has said it will go The dawn of Heisei Nintendo launches Game Boy before leaving phenomenon disaster-related illnesses. Japan on an inde nite hiatus from Dec Ujiyamada continues to wage a public 31, 2020. • Heisei begins a day after Crown • Game Boy, the 8-bit handheld • The AKB48 girl group, formed Station after based on the concept of “idols you relations war on the “toxic Prince Akihito becomes monarch console, quickly becomes a rumours” over the safety of eating following the death of his father worldwide sensation for its their visit to can meet”, has its own theatre in Ise Jingu Tokyo’s geek district of Akihabara Fukushima produce and visiting Hirohito, known posthumously as cartridge games like Super Mario the prefecture, which it labels as Emperor Showa. The photo shows Land and Tetris, and later shrine in from which its name is derived. Jan 28, 2019 The kawaii pop phenomenon is the fourth disaster. Emperor Akihito at a Shinto Pokemon. Later editions included Ise, Japan, Naomi Osaka becomes World No. 1 sanctuary in the Imperial Palace the Game Boy Colour (1998) and one of Japan’s top-selling music on April 17. artists and has spawned sister • Naomi Osaka, 21, whose victory over on the day of his enthronement, Game Boy Advance (2001). 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Nov 12, 1990. groups across Japan and Asia, including in Shanghai (SNH48) and Dec 26, 2012 Williams at the US Open in 2018 caught Jakarta (JKT48). global attention, is the rst Asian tennis Nov 23, 1996 July 20, 2001 PM Abe’s second coming singles player, male or female, to be Aug 4, 1993 Jan 19, 1994 Jan 17, 1995 Tamagotchi hatches Moviegoers get • Mr Shinzo Abe becomes Japan’s crowned world Dec 29, 1989 Japan recognises ‘comfort Detective Conan franchise Great Hanshin-Awaji a global virtual pet craze Spirited Away Prime Minister for a second time No 1. As a haafu Nikkei 225 hits record high, women’ for the rst time begins Earthquake • The Tamagotchi, housed in a • The coming-of-age lm, Spirited after his short-lived stint (half-Japanese), before burst of asset bubble • In the landmark Kono Statement, • The teen sleuth in the body of • A pre-dawn small egg-sized console, eats, Away by director Hayao Miyazaki Aug 20, 2009 from 2006 to 2007. she has pushed Japan recognises for the rst time a young boy is now a beloved magnitude-7.3 quake Today, he is on the cusp Japan to The Nikkei 225 index hits an all-time sleeps, falls ill and poops, of the acclaimed Studio Ghibli, is • that its military forced women to cult phenomenon over 96 devastates the city demanding attention from owners released to universal acclaim. It Liberal Democratic Party of becoming the reassess what it means to be Japanese. high of 38,957, before falling to work in brothels during World War volumes of manga comics, 27 of Kobe and its (LDP) loses power country’s Another rising star is gure skater Yuzuru 15,000 in 1992 with the burst of the who fawn over its cuteness. remains the only hand-drawn, II. Many of the women were seasons of television anime and surrounding regions, non-English lm to win an Oscar • Voters demand change after longest-serving Hanyu, 24, who was the rst to win two asset bubble that sparked two lost Korean, shown here in a protest in 23 lms. The latest movie, The killing more than a revolving door of three LDP Premier of all time, straight Olympic golds in gure skating decades of economic stagnation. The for the Best Animated Feature. It Tokyo in 1995. Fist Of Blue Sapphire, set in 6,400 people. was Japan’s top grossing lm prime ministers in as many a feat he will since 1952. But bowing out is baseball index plunged to 7,055 in 2009 with Singapore, is the rst lm to be years, with the opposition achieve if he legend Ichiro Suzuki, 45, who announced the Lehman crisis, but has recovered worldwide until it was usurped by set outside Japan. It will open Your Name (2016), a romance Democratic Party of Japan remains in power his retirement on March 21, 2019 before an to hover around 22,000 today. The in Singapore on June 13. elected in a landslide. on Nov 20, 2019. emotional home crowd. photo shows dealers at the Tokyo fantasy anime by Makoto Shinkai. Stock Exchange in the 1980s. PHOTOS: REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, EPA, WONG POK SEE, BUENA VISTA, ZUMA WIRE SUNDAY TIMES GRAPHICS