TOKYO -- The world remembers 1989 as a year of era-defining events. Pro-democracy rallies were crushed in China's Tiananmen Square that June, and the fall of the Berlin Wall in November heralded the end of the Cold War. But in Japan, 1989 is permanently imprinted on the national consciousness for another reason: It was the year that the Showa era ended.
Emperor Akihito greets crowds at his last New Year's public appearance on Jan. 2. When succeeded by his son, Naruhito, on May 1, it will mark the beginning of a new imperial era for Japan. © Reuters
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