Holiday greetings from Keisen Associates! Happiness and sorrow visited Japan in 2019. The imperial dynasty was handed down to the present Emperor Naruhito on May 1, bringing in the new imperial calendar age of Reiwa. Major typhoons damaged much of eastern Japan in the fall. At the Main Street level, the national consumption tax rose from 8% to 10%. And the Japan-hosted rugby World Cup 2019 surprised many with Japan’s Brave Blossoms reaching the best-of-8 rounds.
December 23, which used to be the nearest holiday to Christmas, is a former holiday now. Emperor Emeritus Akihito, who abdicated on April 30, observed his birthday on that day. While he was emperor, that day was a national holiday, and over eighty thousand well-wishers gathered at his last imperial birthday in 2018. However, with the ascension of Emperor Naruhito, the imperial birthday holiday shifted to Naruhito’s birthday, February 23.
The new year is a key family holiday in Japan, when generations of the family gather at the ancestral home for traditional food, popular television shows, and often a visit to major Shinto shrines to seek good fortune. For 2020, January 1 falls in the middle of the week, meaning many people will have nine days off if they have a standard weekday job (December 28 to January 5)–the longest time off for many in the whole year.
People in Japan generally seem excited about 2020. The new year is when the country hosts the Tokyo summer Olympics for the first time since 1964. The country is busily moving toward this event. Meanwhile, the country is also grappling with how to stay competitive as the working population declines and immigration levels stay very low. We hope innovation entering and emerging from Japan brings solutions to many people globally, for peace and sustainable growth.
The header pictures is of the lightup at Waterras Hiroba, the courtyard outside of Keisen Associates’ Tokyo office building.
* The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice.
** For questions or consultation, please contact us for more information.
Taro Yaguchi
Sources
Japan Times. “Emperor Emeritus Akihito marks first birthday since abdication.” Kyodo.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/12/23/national/former-emperor-akihito-birthday/#.XgGR4i2B3Vo Accessed December 24, 2019.
Photo: Waterras. “WATERRAS WINTER ILLUMINATION 2019.” https://www.waterras.com/event/archives/event/20586/. December 6, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2019.
