{"id":15669,"date":"2019-05-27T22:27:29","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T08:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=15669"},"modified":"2019-05-30T10:42:44","modified_gmt":"2019-05-30T20:42:44","slug":"foreign-minister-kouno-taro-asks-world-media-to-use-japanese-ordering-of-names-abe-shinzo-not-shinzo-abe-in-overseas-reportage-actually-i-agree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=15669","title":{"rendered":"Foreign Minister Kouno Taro asks world media to use Japanese ordering of names (Abe Shinzo, not Shinzo Abe) in overseas reportage. Actually, I agree."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. Foreign Minister Kouno Taro (whom I have met, for the record, and can attest is one of the more liberal, open-minded people I’ve ever negotiated with in the LDP) came out last week to say that Japanese names should be rendered in Japanese order (last name, then first) in overseas media. This debate has gained significant traction in the past couple of weeks (not to mention quite a few scoffs). But I will defy the scoffs, make the case for why it matters, and why I agree with Kouno (after the WaPo article below):<\/p>\n

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Asia<\/strong>
\nJapan to the world: Call him Abe Shinzo, not Shinzo Abe<\/strong>
\nBy Adam Taylor, The Washington Post,\u00a0May 21, 2019<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2019\/05\/21\/japan-english-speaking-world-call-him-abe-shinzo-not-shinzo-abe\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Ahead of a series of important international events in Japan, including a visit from President Trump this weekend, Japan\u2019s foreign minister has said he will issued a request to foreign media: Call our prime minister Abe Shinzo, not Shinzo Abe.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe new Reiwa era was ushered in, and we are hosting the Group of 20 summit. As many news organizations write Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, it is desirable for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe\u2019s name to be written in a similar manner,\u201d said foreign minister Taro Kono at a news conference Tuesday, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Or perhaps we should say, Kono Taro said that? Kono is the foreign minister\u2019s family name, just as Abe is the Japanese prime minister\u2019s family name. The Japanese diplomat says the family name should be first when referred to in English, as it is when it is written or spoken in Japanese.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chinese and Korean names have their family names first in English \u2014 for example, in the cases of Xi and Moon, as Kono noted.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The convention for English-language transliterations of Japanese names, however, has long put the family name second. The custom is believed to date back to the 19th century, during a period when the Meiji dynasty reformed Japan\u2019s complicated naming culture<\/a> \u2014 and encouraged both foreigners and Japanese people themselves to write their family name second when writing in English, part of a broader attempt to conform to international standards.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But this system has long been used inconsistently. As far back as 1986, the government-funded Japan Foundation had decided to use the family-name-first format in its English-language publications and historical works or academic papers often did too.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In his remarks Tuesday, Kono referred to a 2000 report by the education ministry\u2019s National Language Council that had recommended the use of the Japanese format. That report did not change things at the time, but as the foreign minister noted, it is now a new era.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The arrival of a new emperor has resulted in a new era, named \u201cReiwa\u201d for two characters that symbolize auspiciousness and harmony. Japan is hosting a number of major events at the start of this period, including the G-20 summit of world leaders next month and the 2020 Summer Olympics.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Trump is arriving in Japan on Saturday for a state visit, where he will be the first foreign leader to meet with Japan\u2019s new Emperor Naruhito. The U.S. leader has formed an unusually close bond to Abe \u2014 even referring to him as \u201cPrime Minister Shinzo\u201d in 2017.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It is unclear whether the U.S. government will conform to Kono\u2019s request. It also remains unclear whether the entire Japanese government is behind the idea.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Last month, Kono told a parliamentary committee on diplomacy and defense that he writes his name in the Japanese order on his English-language business card, and that this issue should be discussed by the government as a whole.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But Japan Sports Agency Commissioner Daichi Suzuki has said the public should be consulted before the move.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe should be deciding after spending some more time examining how discussions among the public are,\u201d Suzuki said, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.<\/em><\/strong>
\nENDS<\/p>\n

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\nJapan Times article covering similar content (including some silly comments) at https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2019\/05\/22\/national\/politics-diplomacy\/foreign-minister-taro-kono-ask-media-switch-order-japanese-names\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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COMMENT FROM DEBITO<\/strong>:<\/p>\n