THE TELEGRAPH: Japan waits nervously to learn new word that will define era of next emperor

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While most feathers will remain unruffled by the announcement, the practicalities involved in the changeover cannot be overstated, says Dr Jonathan Bunt, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the University of Manchester."The country is in suspended animation," he says. "People can't do calendars, dictionaries, coinage - the entire national production of physical objects with dates on them is stuck in aspic."