Sasuke -- Heisei Owarutte yo（平成終わるってよ）

I remember when the Showa Emperor, Hirohito, passed away on January 7th 1989. I was in the last few months of my time at University of Toronto as an undergrad, and perhaps it was very close to the interview stage of the JET Programme application process which I would pass and then head over in July to start my very first post-graduation full-time job. The contents of the above scene have become very famous for everyone living and/or interested in Japan. Then-Chief Cabinet Secretary (later Prime Minister) Obuchi went to the desk and announced the name of the new reign period several hours after the passing of the emperor: Heisei, which officially began at midnight, January 8th.

Now, a little over 30 years later, the announcement will be made at 11:30 am Monday April 1st, Japan Standard Time (10:30 pm Sunday EDT) for the new reign period following Heisei when current Emperor Akihito abdicates at the end of April. Considering the nature of April 1st, I've heard some folks snickering whether there may be a gag reign name thrown in, but knowing how serious Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga is, I do believe that the announcement will be on the level.😎

Over the past number of months, I've been hearing about some of the rules behind the choosing of a reign name:

1) It can only consist of two kanji characters (no more, no less)
2) Both characters must be easy to read and yet create a distinct name that is uncommon
3) The name has to reflect something positive:

Meiji (1867-1912): 「明治」meaning "Enlightened Government".
Taisho (1912-1926): 「大正」meaning "Great Righteousness".
Showa (1926-1989): 「昭和」meaning "Enlightened Peace/Harmony".
Heisei (1989-2019): 「平成」meaning "Peace Everywhere". (Thanks, Wikipedia)

I can also throw in one condition myself that I'm sure that the powers-that-be are considering. The new name will most likely not have an "M", "T", "S" or "H" as the initial letter in the romaji version.

So, what could the new era name be? I've got no idea, although according to NHK, some enterprising young capitalists in the nation have been whipping up some domain names on their computers with potential era names included, in the hopes of making some serious yen when companies and institutions come knocking to adopt the domain. A bit of a lottery.

Not quite sure where I heard it, but one option could be Eian（栄安）or "Glorious Peace". One that I can throw in is Dairaku（大楽）or "Great Happiness". In any case, we'll all find out in less than 10 hours as of this writing.

It was because of the occasion that I was looking for a song that had the word "Heisei" as part of its title, and it didn't take too long to find this catchy treat. Titled "Heisei Owarutte yo" (Heisei's Gonna End), it's written, composed and performed by this talented 15-year-old singer/beatmaker/dancer Sasuke and released a couple of weeks ago as his second digital single.

The video starts off with a parody of that 1989 announcement with Obuchi while a soulful piano intro plays, and then the good ol' fun launches into an old-fashioned hip-pop synthpop synthesis as Sasuke tells folks that while Heisei has been nice enough, it's time to move into the future. Meanwhile, there are some cameo appearances by pop cultural representatives of the Heisei Era. The teen may be telling us to move on, but he certainly provides a comfortable window into the past.

I'm fairly sure that this is the lad making up these beats in what possibly could be a side street in Omotesando, Tokyo. The uploader states that the video was taken back last December but here he is having some fun while he gathers a few onlookers. Nice riff on George Benson near the end.

Anyways, here's looking to the announcement.

April 1 2019: Well, Suga was 10 minutes late but we now know the name.