Japanese want their names read from surname

(Patria) - The Japanese government wants the world to start pronouncing Japanese names as they are used in Japan - first the family name, or surname, and then the given name.

This would mean the name of the Japanese Prime Minister would be pronounced Abe Shinzo, as it is pronounced in Japan, and would put an end to the practice adopted more than a century ago, which was imposed by foreigners, Al Jazeera reports, citing AP.

The surname is also pronounced first in China and South Korea, however, in those countries, international pronunciation of names is also practiced.

It is stated that Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono plans to ask foreign journalists to use the Japanese way of pronouncing names.

This would mark the beginning of Japan's new imperial era, but also ahead of the upcoming G20 summit and other international events, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

A similar attempt was made 20 years ago, but it was ignored.