I know that in Japan the surname/family name comes first (for example, Ushiromiya Kinzo), while in Western languages usually the surname comes last (Kinzo Ushiromiya). I've been researching and read that there was a westernization in the 19th century, and Japanese government promoted the order First Name – Family Name. However, I've alao read that, in 2019, the Japanese government wanted to start the reverse process, that the Japanese names were written as Family Name – First Name, inside and outside of Japan.
Because of this history and the meaning of having the name of the family come first or last, I'm wondering if this has something to do with conservative/progressive politics, and how do people view this matter in Japan. I can imagine both conservative and progressive reasons to advocate for the traditional order (keeping old family values, or fighting against colonialism). Is the non-traditional order neoliberal? Does it go against oppression? Is the call for the traditional order a regress to an older more hierarchical order, or a call against Western colonialism? I'm really curious about this.
I ended up here because I write for a magazine in Europe, and I've always had trouble regarding the order in whish I should with Japanese names (or other Asian names with the same tradition). But as directors will probably have their own criteria, so this question is probably more out of personal interest.
So also, regardless all of this, is there some kind of standard order for Eastern name order in Western non-academic publications, like books or magazines? I've seen it differently in different places.
If you have some knowledge about it, I would like to read it! Thanks in advance ❤️
by edenarush