Proposer of New Era's Name to Be Kept Secret for Time Being

   Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)--The government has decided to keep secret for the time being the scholar whose proposal for the name of the next Japanese era is adopted, informed sources said Monday.
   The government will not accept freedom-of-information requests to disclose documents mentioning the scholar's name or the era-name selection process for the time being, the sources said. It will also ask the scholar to keep silent on the matter.
   The policy reflects the government's wish to avoid the disclosure of the proposer's identity from influencing the reputation of the new era name or future era-name selections. The government also gives consideration to the person's privacy.
   On April 1, the government is set to announce the name of the new era, which will start on May 1 in line with Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the throne the same day.
   The name of the ending era, Heisei, which started in January 1989, was picked from three final choices, also including Shubun and Seika. None of their sponsors have been officially identified.

(2019/03/18-21:44)

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