In 1873 (Meiji 6), the Japanese government abruptly switched from the lunar calendar to the Gregorian calendar.
Until then, Japan had used the lunisolar Tenpō calendar, but this sudden reform triggered major societal changes.
For instance, calendars based on the old system were returned en masse, causing heavy losses for vendors, while government officials saw their monthly salary payments reduced from 13 to 11 times a year, leading to both economic and administrative upheaval.
Why did Japan implement such a hasty calendar reform?
Behind the decision were multiple motives ranging from financial concerns to administrative restructuring.
This article explains the background of the reform, the features of the Gregorian calendar, the chaos following its implementation, and the subsequent adjustments in detail.
{tocify} $title={Table of Contents}What is the Gregorian Calendar?
The Gregorian calendar is one of the most widely used calendar systems in the world today.
It was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a reform of the Julian calendar and thus named after him.
The Julian calendar used during the Roman Empire had a flaw: its leap year rule gradually shifted dates away from seasonal alignment.
The Gregorian reform corrected this issue, and the calendar continues to be used today.
Background and Motives Behind Japan's Calendar Reform
After the Meiji Restoration, Japan launched numerous modernization efforts under slogans like "Rich Nation, Strong Army" and "Civilization and Enlightenment" to catch up with Western powers.
These included not only infrastructure developments such as railroads, postal systems, and education reforms but also institutional alignments with international standards.
One notable area of reform was calendar unification.
While Japan still used the traditional lunisolar calendar, Western countries had adopted the Gregorian calendar, and mismatched dates risked disrupting diplomacy and trade.
Thus, calendar modernization was seen as an unavoidable step to establish international credibility.
Solving Fiscal Challenges
At the time, the Meiji government was in financial trouble due to lingering military expenses from the late Edo period and the restructuring of the new administration.
One particular burden was the existence of an "intercalary month" under the lunisolar calendar.
In 1873, the old calendar included a 13th month, meaning the government would have to pay civil servant salaries 13 times—a major strain on the treasury.
By switching to the Gregorian calendar, the intercalary month was eliminated, reducing annual salary payments to 12 times.
Even more boldly, the government skipped paying salaries for the month of December 1872, which had only 2 days when converted to the new calendar, effectively reducing pay to just 11 months.
In this sense, the calendar reform was not just a date adjustment but a strategic fiscal maneuver in response to national financial strain.
A Symbol of Modernization
Japan's pursuit of Westernization spanned all sectors, aiming to gain international standing under slogans like "Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Military" and "Promote Industry."
The adoption of the Gregorian calendar was a calculated move to gain consistency and trust in global affairs.
Discrepancies in dates could cause confusion in diplomatic documents or trade agreements.
By standardizing to the globally accepted Gregorian calendar, Japan not only streamlined international transactions but also bolstered its image as a modern nation-state.
Thus, the reform served both practical and symbolic purposes as part of Japan's larger campaign for modernization and global legitimacy.
As a result, on December 9, 1872, the government officially announced the reform, declaring that December 3 of the lunar calendar would be regarded as January 1, 1873, under the new system.
Post-Reform Confusion and Its Effects
The reform was announced on December 9, 1872, and implemented on December 3 (equivalent to January 1, 1873) — leaving barely 20 days of preparation.
This extremely short notice caused widespread confusion, with the government, citizens, and businesses all struggling to adapt.
Vendors who had already printed and sold old-style calendars for the following year faced massive returns, while salary schedules and holidays had to be revised on the fly, disrupting everyday life and administration alike.
Impact on Calendar Vendors
It was customary to begin selling next year's calendars on October 1, and many businesses had printed tens of thousands of lunisolar calendars and distributed them nationwide.
But with the sudden announcement, all those calendars became worthless overnight.
Small vendors in rural areas were especially hard-hit, bearing the costs of returns and reprinting new solar calendars.
Losses amounted to several hundred yen at the time—equivalent to millions of yen today—and drove some businesses into bankruptcy.
Some records describe warehouses overflowing with unsold, returned calendars that had already been delivered to bookstores and general stores.
Thus, the government's abrupt decision caused tremendous disruption to private enterprise and became known as the "calendar turmoil."
Adjustment of Salary Payments
For government officials who had only recently transitioned to a monthly salary system, the sudden calendar reform meant a fundamental change in their pay structure.
Under the old lunisolar calendar, an intercalary month would have required 13 monthly payments. However, with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the year was shortened to 12 months. Moreover, December 1872 consisted of only two days in the new calendar, so no salary was paid for that month—resulting in only 11 months of salary for the year.
While this was a clever fiscal-saving measure for the government, it effectively amounted to a pay cut for civil servants and significantly impacted their livelihoods.
The sudden change also caused confusion in the administrative field.
Accounting personnel struggled to reconcile the old and new month counts, leading to reports of errors and missed payments.
In particular, many local governments lacked a clear understanding of the new system, and records show that staff on the ground were perplexed while trying to respond.
There were even complaints and protests over delayed payments, undermining trust in the new salary system.
Thus, the Meiji calendar reform had greater-than-expected implications for the salary payment system, serving as a reminder of the importance of thorough communication and preparation when implementing institutional reforms.
Revising Rest Days
Under the old calendar, there was a custom known as "Ichiroku Yasumi," where days ending in 1 and 6—such as the 1st, 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, and 26th—were designated as regular rest days.
In addition, seasonal festivals and traditional events meant that the total number of holidays in a year could exceed 150 days.
However, with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the government began exploring a Western-style weekly rest day system.
As a result, a prototype of the modern weekend system, focusing on Saturdays and Sundays, was gradually established. The total number of annual holidays was reduced to about 50 days.
This significantly increased the number of working days for government agencies and businesses, thereby improving economic efficiency.
On the other hand, sudden changes to the schedule disrupted people's daily routines, and there were concerns about the diminishing importance of religious and traditional events.
This reform went beyond a simple change in the calendar—it marked a major shift that impacted the cultural rhythm of everyday life.
The Impact of Yukichi Fukuzawa and "Kaireki-ben"
Yukichi Fukuzawa, a renowned thinker and educator known for his work "An Encouragement of Learning," wrote a pamphlet titled Kaireki-ben ("A Discourse on the Calendar Reform") shortly after the government's announcement.
This work addressed the confusion and anxiety spreading through society by answering questions like "Why is a calendar change necessary?" and "What significance does it hold for Japan?" It provided a logical justification for the reform based on Fukuzawa's personal beliefs and philosophical reasoning.
The Birth of a Bestseller
Fukuzawa's Kaireki-ben was published on January 1, 1873, the very day the reform took effect, and sold an astonishing 100,000 copies—a rare phenomenon at the time.
Given the limited publishing capacity of the Meiji era, this was a social phenomenon and a major hit.
The key to its popularity was its accessible style, which explained complex political and institutional issues in plain language understandable to the general public.
For example, it answered everyday concerns such as "Why is the calendar changing so suddenly?", "What are the differences between the old and new calendars?", and "How will this affect our lives?"—making the topic feel relevant and approachable.
The fact that Fukuzawa, a highly respected intellectual, was the author also lent the pamphlet tremendous credibility.
For people seeking clarity amidst chaos and uncertainty, Kaireki-ben was truly a guiding light.
Content and Significance
Amid growing confusion caused by the calendar reform, Yukichi Fukuzawa published Kaireki-ben to clearly explain the significance and benefits of the change.
The main arguments included how adopting the new calendar aligned Japan with international standards—essential for gaining trust as a modern nation—and how the Gregorian calendar reduced seasonal discrepancies compared to the old system, making it easier to plan agricultural and commercial activities.
During a time when misinformation was rampant, Fukuzawa’s credibility as a trusted intellectual and his personal endorsement of the reform brought reassurance and understanding to many.
As a result, Kaireki-ben went beyond simple enlightenment; it played a key role in guiding public opinion.
Problems with the Reform and Subsequent Corrections
The Meiji government's implementation of the Gregorian calendar was rushed, leaving numerous issues unresolved.
One major oversight was the omission of a core rule of the Gregorian system: the "leap year adjustment every 400 years" was not included in the official decree.
This adjustment is essential for maintaining the calendar's accuracy—it excludes leap years every 100 years, except when the year is divisible by 400.
Without this rule, the Gregorian calendar’s precision in aligning with the seasons would be lost, meaning that Japan’s adopted calendar, though labeled Gregorian, was effectively incomplete.
Leap Year Regulation Error
The Gregorian calendar has a clear rule: “Years divisible by 4 are leap years, except those divisible by 100 unless they are also divisible by 400.”
This rule ensures the calendar year averages 365.2425 days, minimizing seasonal drift.
However, the decree issued by the Meiji government failed to include the crucial 100- and 400-year adjustment rule.
As a result, the initial leap year calculation differed from the true Gregorian system.
In effect, Japan’s new calendar started as a hybrid—neither fully Julian nor Gregorian, but a uniquely flawed system.
This omission wasn't a minor clerical error; it had the potential to cause long-term confusion in calendar operations.
It is believed that a lack of understanding in astronomy and scientific knowledge influenced this oversight in the decision-making process.
The "7000-Year Error" Statement
The preface to the reform decree stated that the new calendar would deviate from the seasons by just one day after 7,000 years, but this is astronomically inaccurate.
In reality, the Gregorian calendar accumulates a one-day seasonal drift approximately every 3,221 years—more than twice as fast as the claim.
This discrepancy may be linked to the Rekishō Shinsho, an Edo-period astronomy and calendrical text possibly referenced during the drafting of the reform decree.
While Rekishō Shinsho was a widely used textbook in Japan at the time, it lacked the precision and consistency of Western astronomical sources, and may have unintentionally influenced the decree's content.
However, whether it directly caused the error remains a topic of debate.
Thus, while the calendar reform was part of Japan’s modernization, it ironically revealed a gap in the government’s scientific rigor—particularly in astronomical understanding.
As a result, implementing a national system based on flawed science risked undermining the long-term credibility of Japan’s calendar system.
Subsequent Corrections
Eventually, on May 11, 1898 (Meiji 31), Japan officially amended its leap year rules to align with the Gregorian calendar through Imperial Ordinance No. 90.
This ordinance revised the previous ambiguous regulations and clearly stated that "years divisible by 100 are not leap years, unless they are also divisible by 400," ensuring full consistency with international calendrical standards.
With this, Japan's calendar system was finally brought in line with the global standard. However, for approximately 25 years, despite being called the Gregorian calendar, Japan's system lacked full compliance with its rules.
This prolonged inaccuracy highlights a lack of preparation and insufficient expert involvement during the initial policy design phase.
Lessons from the Calendar Reform and Final Thoughts
While rapid institutional reforms and policy shifts often cause widespread confusion, the Meiji calendar reform shows that people are more likely to accept change if the necessity is clearly communicated and benefits are made understandable.
- Efficiency Brought by the Reform: Reducing rest days and adopting a unified calendar improved scheduling and supported modernization efforts.
- Importance of Accurate Information: The omission of core Gregorian rules and incorrect numerical claims underscored the need for policy decisions to be based on reliable data.
- Fukuzawa Yukichi’s Contribution: His publication, Kaireki-ben, helped the public understand the reform, demonstrating the critical role of trusted information dissemination.
The sudden calendar reform of 1873 was driven by a mix of government priorities, fiscal challenges, and the wave of Westernization sweeping Japan.
Despite the confusion it caused, the reform undeniably played a crucial role in Japan’s modernization and time management system.
Looking back, we are reminded that careful preparation and access to accurate information are essential for successful reform, and that clearly illustrating the future benefits of change is key to public acceptance.
Even today, large-scale policy changes—such as institutional reforms or technology adoption—require preemptive impact assessments and dialogue with stakeholders.
Furthermore, effective public communication based on verified data and sources is vital to prevent misinformation and misunderstanding.
By learning from the past, we can better design policies that minimize confusion while clearly conveying the value of change to society.
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