Shōwa Day (昭和の日, Shōwa no hi^?) is a Japanese annual holiday held on April 29. It honors the birthday of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), the reigning Emperor before, during, and after World War II (from 1926 to 1989)^[1]. The purpose of the holiday is to encourage public reflection on the turbulent 63 years of Hirohito's reign.

Emperor Hirohito died on January 7, 1989. April 29 was subsequently no longer celebrated as The Emperor's Birthday but instead as Greenery Day, part of Japan's Golden Week. After a series of failed legislative attempts beginning in 2000, the April 29 holiday was finally renamed Shōwa Day in May 2005, and Greenery Day was moved from April 29 to May 4.

(... from Wikipedia on 2010-03-22 00:01:19 )