Shōwa Day
Official name昭和の日 (Shōwa no Hi)
Observed byJapan
TypePublic
SignificanceHonors the birthday of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), the reigning Emperor from 1926 to 1989
DateApril 29
FrequencyAnnual
Related toThe Emperor's Birthday

Shōwa Day (昭和の日, Shōwa no Hi) is a public holiday in Japan held on April 29. It honors the birthday of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), the reigning emperor from 1926 to 1989.[1] Shō (昭) means "shining" or "bright", and wa (和) means "peace", signifying the "enlightened peace" that citizens receive. According to the now defunct Democratic Party of Japan, the purpose of the holiday is to encourage public reflection on the turbulent 63 years of Hirohito's reign, ranging from totalitarianism to the post-war reconstruction and transition into a democratic state.[2][3]

A protest against Shōwa Day, 2016

Coincidentally, Shōwa Day happens on the same date that in 1948 the Allies' International Military Tribunal for the Far East condemned key officials of the Imperial government during World War II to death, including former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo.

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 2007 with support from the ruling coalition composed of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, and the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan. Greenery Day was moved from April 29 to May 4.[3]

Tetsuzo Fuyushiba from Komeito stated that "It's a day to remember the Showa era. We're not proposing it for the purpose of praising the war nor does it has anything to do with the Emperor."[4] According to the then-main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan (which backed the bill for the first time after many years of refusal), the holiday encourages public reflection on the turbulent 63 years of Hirohito's reign rather than glorifying the emperor himself.[2] On the other hand, the Japanese Communist Party condemned the move and argued that the Japanese Constitution is based on remorse for the war of aggression, and celebrating peace on Hirohito's birthday would not be appropriate.[5] Hirohito's reign saw, among other things, the end of the Taishō Democracy, the 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria, a period of "government by assassination" including the attempted coups of May 15, 1932 and February 26, 1936, the rise of the totalitarian Taisei Yokusankai, World War II, atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the post-war occupation, the Anpo protests, the 1964 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, the North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens, and the Japanese post-war economic miracle.

YearsApril 29May 4
before 1988The Emperor's BirthdayNon-holiday
1988The Emperor's BirthdayNational day of rest
1989–2006Greenery DayNational day of rest
2007–presentShōwa DayGreenery Day

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Golden Week". Japan-guide.com. 2009-05-13. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  2. 1 2 BBC news report Japan names day after Hirohito (BBC News, May 13, 2005).
  3. 1 2 "昭和の日（しょうわのひ）". Weblio (in Japanese). Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ "第6号　平成17年4月1日（金曜日）" (in Japanese). House of Representatives (Japan). April 1, 2005. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  5. ↑ "「昭和の日」法案可 決共産党反対　祝日法理念に反する" (in Japanese). Shimbun Akahata. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
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