Japan to put surname first for Japanese names in English | Inquirer ºÚÁÏÉç

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Japan to put surname first for Japanese names in English

/ 02:14 PM September 06, 2019

TOKYO – Japan wants to start using the traditional order for Japanese names in English in official documents, with family names first, a switch from the Westernized custom the country adopted more than a century ago.

The idea has been floated for years, most recently by foreign and education ministers in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ultra-conservative Cabinet.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Friday that he looked forward to go by Suga Yoshihide, as he is known in Japan.

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He said the change will start with government documents.

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Japan adopted the first name first order for use with foreigners about 150 years ago as a way to modernize and internationalize itself.

China and South Korea traditionally use surname first order both at home and internationally. /gsg

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TAGS: Abe, Japan, latest news, surname

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