Japan’s foreign minister has asked international media organizations to use the family name first when writing Japanese names — as is customary in the Japanese language — in an attempt to reverse a century of linguistic convention.
Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Kono — or perhaps that should be Kono Taro — said that foreign media should follow the same practice that they use when reporting on other Asian countries where the family name traditionally comes first, followed by their given name.
As an example, Kono said that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s name should be written as Abe Shinzo.
Some see the request as part of a movement, led by the conservative Abe, to demonstrate a growing confidence in Japan’s culture and history as it prepares for more than a year in the international spotlight, first with the G20 summit, followed by the Rugby World Cup in the autumn and then next year’s Olympic Games.
Kono suggested that the change should be introduced in time for the G20 — being held in Osaka in late next month — when visiting leaders would include Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, whose names are written in English in the order that they appear in their native languages — surname first.
“I plan to ask international media organizations to do this,” Kono told reporters, adding that local media with English-language services should also consider adopting the change.
The practice of putting given names first gained wide acceptance during the late 19th century and early 20th century, when Japan looked to Europe as it sought to modernize its economy and military.
Historically, the public appears divided on the proposal. In a 2000 poll by the Japanese Cultural Affairs Agency, 34.9 percent of respondents preferred the Japanese order, while 30.6 percent liked the Western order better and 29.6 percent had no preference.
Kono, a fluent English speaker who was educated in the US, has made no secret of his desire to promote the change, saying that earlier this year the foreign ministry was considering applying the name reversal to official documents.
His business card introduces him as “KONO Taro.”
Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Masahiko Shibayama is among those who support the change, saying that this week his ministry would recommend a reversion to the Japanese system among public bodies, educational institutions and the media.
Shibayama cited a 2000 report by the education ministry’s
National Language Council recommending the switch, saying that it reflected “respect for cultural diversity” among different countries, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the change might be problematic.
“We have to consider a lot of factors, including convention,” he said.
While the surname-first approach has become commonly used in English-language textbooks for middle-school students, Kono’s proposal could encounter resistance among Japanese companies with a strong global presence.
Uniqlo, Honda and Rakuten have all adopted the Western name order for company literature.
Last month for the first time, experts drew on Japanese classical literature for inspiration when deciding a name for the new imperial era: Reiwa (“beautiful harmony”), breaking with the tradition of drawing on characters from classical Chinese literature.
The era name “symbolizes our nation’s profound public culture and long tradition,” Abe said at the time, adding that Japanese values should not be allowed to “fade away.”
In the sweltering streets of Jakarta, buskers carry towering, hollow puppets and pass around a bucket for donations. Now, they fear becoming outlaws. City authorities said they would crack down on use of the sacred ondel-ondel puppets, which can stand as tall as a truck, and they are drafting legislation to remove what they view as a street nuisance. Performances featuring the puppets — originally used by Jakarta’s Betawi people to ward off evil spirits — would be allowed only at set events. The ban could leave many ondel-ondel buskers in Jakarta jobless. “I am confused and anxious. I fear getting raided or even
Eleven people, including a former minister, were arrested in Serbia on Friday over a train station disaster in which 16 people died. The concrete canopy of the newly renovated station in the northern city of Novi Sad collapsed on Nov. 1, 2024 in a disaster widely blamed on corruption and poor oversight. It sparked a wave of student-led protests and led to the resignation of then-Serbian prime minister Milos Vucevic and the fall of his government. The public prosecutor’s office in Novi Sad opened an investigation into the accident and deaths. In February, the public prosecutor’s office for organized crime opened another probe into
RISING RACISM: A Japanese group called on China to assure safety in the country, while the Chinese embassy in Tokyo urged action against a ‘surge in xenophobia’ A Japanese woman living in China was attacked and injured by a man in a subway station in Suzhou, China, Japanese media said, hours after two Chinese men were seriously injured in violence in Tokyo. The attacks on Thursday raised concern about xenophobic sentiment in China and Japan that have been blamed for assaults in both countries. It was the third attack involving Japanese living in China since last year. In the two previous cases in China, Chinese authorities have insisted they were isolated incidents. Japanese broadcaster NHK did not identify the woman injured in Suzhou by name, but, citing the Japanese
RESTRUCTURE: Myanmar’s military has ended emergency rule and announced plans for elections in December, but critics said the move aims to entrench junta control Myanmar’s military government announced on Thursday that it was ending the state of emergency declared after it seized power in 2021 and would restructure administrative bodies to prepare for the new election at the end of the year. However, the polls planned for an unspecified date in December face serious obstacles, including a civil war raging over most of the country and pledges by opponents of the military rule to derail the election because they believe it can be neither free nor fair. Under the restructuring, Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is giving up two posts, but would stay at the
RSS