Many Japanese companies rushed Monday to secure business opportunities with the unveiling of the new imperial era name that will be used from May 1, preparing or releasing products inscribed with the two Chinese characters "Reiwa."
Just 2 minutes and 27 seconds after the televised announcement of the era name, a precision parts manufacturer in Hiroshima Prefecture began accepting orders on its homepage for tin sake cups laser printed with the new era name.
"We're happy because our goal was to launch products within 3 minutes. We hope our customers will use them on a daily basis," said Shinichi Ikeda, an official of Castem Co.
The company had been hoping to become one of the fastest businesses to produce items in tribute to the new imperial era, which will follow Emperor Akihito's abdication on April 30.
A "gengo" era name is used for the length of an emperor's reign and a change of era is an important event in Japan as gengo are used in minting coins and producing calendars and official documents, among other purposes. The Gregorian calendar is also widely used in the country.
