Japan has announced that the name of its new imperial era, set to begin on 1 May, will be "Reiwa" - signifying order and harmony.
The country's current era, Heisei, will end in a month with Emperor Akihito's historic abdication.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced the highly-anticipated name by holding up a board with the characters handwritten on it.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has addressed the nation to explain its meaning.
Each Japanese emperor's reign, or "gengo", is given a name which is then used alongside the Western calendar to mark the years. The term for the new era is made up of the two characters Rei and Wa meaning "order" or "command", and "peace" or "harmony".
It is for the first time taken from an old anthology of Japanese poems, the Manyoshu, instead of a Chinese one, Mr Abe said.
He explained the Manyoshu symbolized Japan's "profound public culture and long tradition".
"Our nation is facing up to a big turning point, but there are lots of Japanese values that shouldn't fade away," Mr Abe told reporters.