With the ascension of Emperor Naruhito to the Chrysanthemum Throne and the beginning of the Reiwa Era on Wednesday, Japan concluded the 30-year Heisei Era.
Ahead of the change, The Japan Times spoke with Kenji Goto, 70, a veteran journalist who covered the death of Emperor Showa and the 1989 enthronement of his son, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, as a political reporter for Kyodo News.
Goto, who currently appears on television almost every day as a news anchor on TV Asahi's "Hodo Station" and "Sunday Station," among other shows, reflected on what it was like covering the Heisei Era and what to expect in the new era.