Shōwa Day (昭和の日 Shōwa no hi) is a Japanese annual holiday held on April 29. It honors the birthday of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), the reigning Emperor before, during, and after World War II (from 1926 to 1989)[1]. The official purpose of the holiday is "To reflect on Japan's Shōwa period when recovery was made after turbulent days, and to think of the country's future."
History
Emperor Hirohito died on January 7, 1989. April 29 was subsequently no longer celebrated as The Emperor's Birthday but instead as Greenery Day, part of Japan's Golden Week. After a series of failed legislative attempts beginning in 2000, the April 29 holiday was finally renamed Shōwa Day in May 2005, and Greenery Day was moved from April 29 to May 4.
According to the then-main opposition party (and current ruling party) the Democratic Party of Japan (which backed the bill for the first time after many years of refusal), the holiday encourages public reflection of the turbulent 63 years of Hirohito's reign rather than glorifying the emperor himself.[2]
| Years | April 29 | May 4 |
|---|---|---|
| before 1985 | The Emperor's Birthday | Non-holiday |
| 1985–1988 | The Emperor's Birthday | National day of rest |
| 1989–2006 | Greenery Day | National day of rest |
| 2007– | Shōwa Day | Greenery Day |
See also
References
- ^ http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2282.html
- ^ BBC news report Japan names day after Hirohito (BBC News, May 13, 2005).
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
