Abe explains choice of Reiwa for next era name

Under the 1979 era name law, Abe appointed a panel of experts on classical Chinese and Japanese literature to nominate two to five names for top officials to choose from. While a growing number of Japanese prefer the Western calendar over the Japanese system in a highly digitalized and globalized society, the era name is still widely used in government and business documents. Heisei was the first era name decided by the government under the postwar constitution, in which the emperor was stripped of political power and had no say over the choice.

Source: japantoday.com