WEBShowa Day (昭和の日, Shōwa no Hi) is a public holiday in Japan held on April 29. It honors the birthday of Emperor Shōwa ( Hirohito ), the reigning emperor from 1926 to 1989. [1] Shō (昭) means "shining" or "bright", and wa (和) means "peace", signifying the "enlightened peace" that citizens receive.