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On December 12, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office.

In regard to “the Kanji of the Year (this year’s Chinese character),” the Prime Minister said,

“(This year’s) kanji (Chinese character) ‘rei’ (meaning ‘beautiful’) has a nice, austere ring to it. This year we saw the historic succession to the Imperial throne, and the start of the Reiwa Era. I believe ‘rei’ is the ideal character to represent this year.

I chose ‘shi’ (meaning ‘beginning’). This year we truly saw the beginning of a new era. In terms of policies, work style reform and free early childhood education have started, proclaiming this year as the first year of a social security system oriented to all generations. This year’s Rugby World Cup ended with resounding success amidst great excitement and passion, ahead of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games next year. It was a year that tells us a new era filled with a sense of dynamism and the power of sports has arrived. That was my impression of the year, and I thus chose ‘shi,’ as my kanji of the year. Thank you very much.”