Today marks the end of an era in Japan, with Emperor Akihito abdicating his throne as part of a major celebration for the world's oldest continuous monarchy. After 31 years, Emperor Akihito felt the time was right to step down and hand over the important symbolic role to his son, Crown Prince Naruhito. But when the clocks tick over to midnight and a new era begins, there are fears the country's ancient calendar system could trigger technological chaos. Each emperor has their own era name— the current period is known as Heisei, which translates to "achieving peace". Tomorrow is the start of the Reiwa period, which ... (full story)