Heisei began on 8 January 1989, the day after Emperor Shōwa died, and ended on 30 April 2019 with the first abdication since 1817 — Emperor Akihito stepped down rather than reign until death, which required a special law. The name was revealed by Chief Cabinet Secretary Obuchi Keizō holding up a sheet of calligraphy, an image every Japanese adult recognises. Thirty years and three months long, it is the era of the burst bubble, the Kobe earthquake of 1995 and the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011.