Imperial abdication talk poses question of Japan’s next era | The Japan Times

The Science Council of Japan, for one, petitioned the government to
abolish the system in 1950, labeling it impractical in that it makes
Japanese historical events hard to keep track of in the global context.

Meanwhile, calls for its enshrinement into law gathered traction as
the death of Emperor Hirohito loomed over the years, achieving new legal
status in the 1970s, according to historian Isao Tokoro, a professor
emeritus of Kyoto Sangyo University.