Call Our Leader Abe Shinzo, Not Shinzo Abe: Japan

Tokyo: Ahead of a series of important international events in Japan, including the G20 summit in June and the Rugby World Cup later this year, Japan has requested the English-speaking world to call its Prime Minister as Abe Shinzo, not Shinzo Abe. In Japanese, people are referred to by their family name first, followed by a given name, the same pattern as used by Chinese and Korean. For almost a century and a half, however, Japanese names have been written in English the opposite way round, with the given name first. This practice was adopted during the Meiji Era (October 1868 to July 1912) as a part of broader attempts at internationalization. As it entered the new “Reiwa” era with the arrival of a new emperor, the Japanese government has said it would like to settle the matter once and for all. (IANS)

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