Japan unveils the name of the era of Japan's soon-to-be-emperor Naruhito as "Reiwa"

The name of the era of Japan's soon-to-be-emperor Naruhito will be "Reiwa," or ordering harmony, the government announced Monday April 01,2019

Emperor Akihito is stepping down on April 30 — the first abdication in 200 years — bringing his era of "Heisei" to an end.

The new era takes effect May01,2019

The name draws from Japan's 7th century poetry collection "Manyoshu," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after the announcement by the chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga.

Abe, who said the two letters were taken from a poem about blooming plum blossoms, said the era name means that culture is born and nurtured as the people "beautifully care about each other."

The letters taken from the 1,200-year-old Japanese poetry book portrays "Japan's unique national identity, such as everlasting history, its fragrant culture and four seasons that bring beautiful nature, and firmly hands them down to the next generation," Abe said. He said the government chose the name Reiwa "with hopes of making Japan a nation where every person can achieve dreams, like the plum flowers that bloom beautifully after the severe winter to signal the start of the spring."