The decision was made at the first meeting held by a committee headed by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga to discuss the selection process for the new era name. The members included the director-general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau and the vice minister of the Cabinet Office.
The government will announce the name for the new era on April 1, ahead of the start of the new era on May 1, when Crown Prince Naruhito is set to ascend the throne to succeed his father, Emperor Akihito. Suga revealed at a news conference Friday that the government will promulgate an ordinance establishing the new era name the same day.
Guidelines for the selection process of a new era name stipulate that the government hold discussions with a panel of experts to seek the members’ opinions, and that the prime minister gather input from the chiefs and deputy chiefs of both chambers of the Diet.
Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito marks his 59th birthday on Saturday. He will ascend to the throne on May 1st, one day after his father, Emperor Akihito, abdicates.
(NHK) 
All Nippon Airways said Friday it was forced to delay a domestic flight earlier this week after a co-pilot failed an alcohol breath test despite new rules. (Japan Today) 
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, says data from the Hayabusa2 space probe shows it had landed on the asteroid Ryugu. The spacecraft's task is to collect rock samples.
(NHK) 
A mother and her boyfriend were arrested Thursday for allegedly injuring the woman's 8-year-old daughter by binding her wrists and forcing her into a cold bath at their home in Fukuoka Prefecture last month, police said. (Japan Times) 
Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Thursday arrested two former employees of a hostess club in Edogawa Ward for allegedly dumping the corpse of a man who died after excessive drinking, reports the Sankei Shimbun (tokyoreporter.com) 
The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday sentenced a man to 12 years in prison for abducting a teenage girl and keeping her in captivity for two years from 2014, annulling the lower court ruling that gave him a nine-year jail term. (Japan Today) 
Air travelers in Japan can expect some relief for their pocketbooks this spring. The country's biggest airlines say they are going to slash fuel surcharges for many of their international flights.
(NHK) 
Japan recorded its biggest trade deficit in almost five years in January, extending its run of red ink to a fourth month as exports to China tumbled.
(NHK) 
A Japanese court on Tuesday ordered two former classmates of a junior high school student -- who killed himself in 2011 -- to pay damages totaling about 37.5 million yen, acknowledging that their bullying led to his death. (Japan Today) 
Honda Motor says it plans to shut down its manufacturing plant in Swindon, southwest England, in 2021.
(NHK)