"How old is someone born in Showa 60?" "What school year is a Heisei 5 child in?" Calculating age from a Japanese era birth year can be surprisingly tricky. This article explains how to do it and provides handy reference tables.
How to Calculate Age
The Basic Formula
Age this year = Current Western year − Birth Western year
If the birthday hasn't occurred yet this year, subtract 1.
Steps for Calculating Age from Wareki
- Convert the wareki birth year to seireki (Western calendar)
- Subtract the birth year from the current year
Example: Born in Heisei 5 → 1993 → 2026 − 1993 = 33 years old (after the 2026 birthday)
Free Tool
Japanese Era Converter
Convert between Western calendar years and Japanese era names (Reiwa, Heisei, Showa). Includes age calculator.
Try it now →With sakutto's era converter, you can look up seireki, wareki, and age in a single reference table.
Age Reference Table (2026 Edition)
Born in Reiwa (2019–)
| Wareki | Seireki | Age in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Reiwa 7 | 2025 | 0–1 |
| Reiwa 6 | 2024 | 1–2 |
| Reiwa 5 | 2023 | 2–3 |
| Reiwa 4 | 2022 | 3–4 |
| Reiwa 3 | 2021 | 4–5 |
| Reiwa 2 | 2020 | 5–6 |
| Reiwa Gannen | 2019 | 6–7 |
Born in Heisei (1989–2019)
| Wareki | Seireki | Age in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Heisei 30 | 2018 | 7–8 |
| Heisei 25 | 2013 | 12–13 |
| Heisei 20 | 2008 | 17–18 |
| Heisei 15 | 2003 | 22–23 |
| Heisei 10 | 1998 | 27–28 |
| Heisei 5 | 1993 | 32–33 |
| Heisei Gannen | 1989 | 36–37 |
Born in Showa (1926–1989)
| Wareki | Seireki | Age in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Showa 64 | 1989 | 36–37 |
| Showa 60 | 1985 | 40–41 |
| Showa 55 | 1980 | 45–46 |
| Showa 50 | 1975 | 50–51 |
| Showa 45 | 1970 | 55–56 |
| Showa 40 | 1965 | 60–61 |
| Showa 35 | 1960 | 65–66 |
| Showa 30 | 1955 | 70–71 |
| Showa 25 | 1950 | 75–76 |
| Showa 20 | 1945 | 80–81 |
School Enrollment and Graduation Reference
Japan's School System
| School | Duration | Enrollment Month |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary school | 6 years | April of the year the child turns 6 |
| Junior high school | 3 years | April of the year the child turns 12 |
| High school | 3 years | April of the year the child turns 15 |
| University | 4 years | April of the year the student turns 18 |
Enrollment Year Formula
Elementary school enrollment year = Birth year + 7 (if born on April 1, use +6)
Example: Born in 2000 → Elementary school enrollment: April 2007
| Event | Formula |
|---|---|
| Elementary school enrollment | Birth year + 7 |
| Elementary school graduation | Birth year + 13 |
| Junior high enrollment | Birth year + 13 |
| Junior high graduation | Birth year + 16 |
| High school enrollment | Birth year + 16 |
| High school graduation | Birth year + 19 |
| University enrollment | Birth year + 19 |
| University graduation | Birth year + 23 |
Using This for Resumes
When filling in the education section of a Japanese resume (rirekisho), you need to list enrollment and graduation years in wareki.
Example (for someone born between April 2, 2000 and April 1, 2001):
| Year | Education |
|---|---|
| Heisei 19 (April) | Entered XX Elementary School |
| Heisei 25 (March) | Graduated XX Elementary School |
| Heisei 25 (April) | Entered XX Junior High School |
| Heisei 28 (March) | Graduated XX Junior High School |
| Heisei 28 (April) | Entered XX High School |
| Heisei 31 (March) | Graduated XX High School |
| Heisei 31 (April) | Entered XX University |
| Reiwa 5 (March) | Graduated XX University |
Free Tool
Japanese Era Converter
Convert between Western calendar years and Japanese era names (Reiwa, Heisei, Showa). Includes age calculator.
Try it now →Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between "counting age" and "full age"?
Full age (man-nenrei) adds a year on each birthday and is the official system used in modern Japan. Counting age (kazoedoshi) counts the birth year as age 1 and adds a year every New Year's Day. Kazoedoshi is still used for events like Shichi-Go-San and yakudoshi.
Why is someone born on April 1 considered "early born"?
Under Japanese law (the Act on Calculation of Age), a person's age increments on the day before their birthday. So someone born April 1 turns a year older on March 31, placing them in the previous school year.
Should I use wareki or seireki for the education section of a resume?
Either is acceptable, but stay consistent throughout the document. Wareki is standard for Japanese companies; seireki is preferred by foreign-affiliated firms.
How do I calculate enrollment years if I took a gap year or repeated a grade?
For a gap year (ronin), add the number of gap years to the university enrollment year. For repeating a grade, add the extra years to the graduation year.
Summary
Calculating age or school enrollment years from a Japanese era birth year is quick and easy with sakutto's era converter reference table. Use it whenever you need to fill in a resume or complete official documents.
Free Tool
Japanese Era Converter
Convert between Western calendar years and Japanese era names (Reiwa, Heisei, Showa). Includes age calculator.
Try it now →