Emperor Akihito of Japan has announced that he will abdicate the throne on 30 April 2019. Reports say that the current Japanese era, the Heisei period, will end on that day and May 1st will be the first day of a new, currently unnamed, era.
Should Emperor Akihito die before 30 April 2019, will the new era end early? Or will the beginning of the new era be delayed until 1 May?