public holiday in Japan

were established by the of 1948 (as amended). A provision of the law establishes that when a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the next working day shall become a public holiday, known as . Additionally, any day that falls between two other national holidays shall also become a holiday, known as . May 4, sandwiched between Constitution Memorial Day on May 3 and Children's Day on May 5, was an annual example of such a holiday until it was replaced by Greenery Day in 2007.

Prior to Japan's adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1873, the dates of holidays were based on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. Thus, New Year's Day, for example, was celebrated at the beginning of spring, as it is in modern China, Korea, and Vietnam. Japan has 16 national, government-recognized holidays. Also, although it is not an official holiday, most companies voluntarily designate a holiday from December 29 to January 3, and depending on the industry, it is a holiday from Christmas Eve to January 5. This case is unique in Asia.

Table of Japanese holidays

Holidays in 2018–24

The national holidays in 2018–2024 are as follows.

Events of imperial mourning and celebration

In addition to the annual holidays listed above, certain events of celebration or mourning related to the imperial family are also treated as national holidays in the year in which they occur.

There have been six instances of such holidays since the introduction of the Public Holiday Law:
* April 10, 1959: Marriage of Crown Prince Akihito
* February 24, 1989: State Funeral of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito)
* November 12, 1990: Official Enthronement Ceremony of the Emperor Emeritus (Akihito)
* June 9, 1993: Marriage of Crown Prince Naruhito
* April 30, 2019: Abdication of Emperor Akihito
* October 22, 2019: Official Enthronement Ceremony of the current Emperor (Naruhito)

Recent changes

Beginning in 2000, Japan implemented the Happy Monday System, which moved a number of national holidays to Monday in order to obtain a long weekend.

* Coming-of-Age Day: January 15 → 2nd Monday of January, starting in 2000.
* Marine Day: July 20 → 3rd Monday of July, starting in 2003.
* Respect for the Aged Day: September 15 → 3rd Monday of September, starting in 2003.
* Health and Sports Day: October 10 → 2nd Monday of October, starting in 2000.

In 2006, the country added Shōwa Day, a new national holiday, in place of Greenery Day on April 29, and to move Greenery Day to May 4. These changes took effect in 2007.

In 2014, the House of Councillors decided to add to the Japanese calendar on August 11, after lobbying by the Japanese Alpine Club. It is intended to coincide with the Bon Festival vacation time, giving Japanese people an opportunity to appreciate Japan's mountains.

With the Japanese imperial transition, the Emperor's Birthday was moved from December 23 to February 23 (the respective birthdays of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Emperor Naruhito). Due to Akihito's 2019 birthday being after his abdication but Naruhito's before his accession, this holiday was not celebrated in 2019.

As special arrangement for the 2020 Summer Olympics, the 2020 dates for Marine Day, Sports Day, and Mountain Day were moved to July 23, July 24, and August 10 respectively. With the Olympics and Paralympics postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government left this change in place for 2020 and passed an amendment to the Olympic and Paralympic Special Measures Act to make a corresponding change to the holidays in 2021, moving them to July 22, July 23, and August 9 respectively.

See also

* Japanese calendar
* Japanese festivals
* List of Japanese anniversaries and memorial days
* Newspaper holiday (Japan)
* Okinawa Memorial Day

Notes

References

Works cited

* ''Kōjien'', 6th edition

External links

Japanese Holidays - Japan-Guide.com

Public holiday law

{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Holidays In Japan

Japan
Holidays