Japan's change in the order of names has caused a lot of thinking.

In 2000, the Japanese Mandarin Language Council issued a report outlining the ideal order in which names should be arranged in romaji. This cultural change actually reveals a more profound connotation.

In most people's view, this may only be regarded as a trivial change. However, it actually reveals a major ideological adjustment of the Japanese government.

From a historical perspective, Japanese tradition is to put the surname first and then the given name.

But during the Meiji Restoration at the end of the 19th century, the situation changed.

During the Meiji Restoration, Japan implemented a policy of Westernization. In order to better communicate with the Western powers, they chose to write the first name first and then the last name when sorting the characters in Latin letters.

At that time, there was a popular belief in Japan that modernization was equivalent to Westernization. They believe that as long as they completely imitate the Western model, they will have the power to resist foreign enemies and protect themselves.

This idea reflected Japan's extreme yearning for the West during that period.

In Japan at the time, many people did not think deeply about the rationality of doing so.

They are eager to integrate with the West. For example, in Western political cartoons, the Japanese are often compared to monkeys. This depiction shows that the West generally believes that the Japanese are too blind to learn from the West.

Yukichi Fukuzawa's 1885 "On Dea" is a typical embodiment of this kind of thinking.

He advocated Japan severing relations with the "barbaric" countries of Asia and siding with the European powers.

This concept has far-reaching consequences.

During World War II, despite tense relations with Western countries, it integrated into the Western camp after the war, and even came up with the idea of ​​"getting rid of Asia and joining the United States."

This arrangement of "first name first, then surname" may seem trivial, but in fact it reflects Japan's alienation from Asia and its ideological leaning towards the West.

On the road to modernization, other countries in East Asia have not fully absorbed Western culture like Japan. They have not abandoned their traditions of surnames and first names. In fact, Japan's comprehensive Westernization has many problems, such as its negative attitude towards its own culture.

Today, more than 140 years have passed since the Meiji Restoration, and the situation in Asia has experienced earth-shaking changes.

Countries such as China and South Korea have managed to shake off the shackles of Western powers and emerge as key emerging economies in Asia.

Asia's role in the world is becoming increasingly important, which is completely different from the situation in the 19th century.

Japan was eager to move closer to the West. Behind this was the fact that other Asian countries were subject to external pressure from Western powers. But now, this external pressure has changed.

In the past, Japan was willing to endure the ridicule of the West and tried its best to learn from the West. The purpose was to quickly gain recognition from the West in order to develop. However, the rise of Asian countries now may prompt Japan to re-examine its connections with Asian countries.

Japan's current adjustment of the order of names is a re-examination of cultural concepts.

During the Meiji Restoration, we were fully westernized and adopted the usage of "first name first, then surname". At that time, we thought this was a sign of civilization. Today, however, we are returning to traditional practices.

This shows that Japan is beginning to reflect on whether its past approach of total Westernization was correct.

After a period of Westernization, Japan needs to consider how to find a more harmonious way of coexistence between tradition and Western culture in modern society.

This also reflects that human culture is diverse and no culture is the only truth.

The ordering of names is not just a matter of order.

Names are an important part of national culture.

The traditional Japanese surname and given name reflect family culture and other connotations.

In the West, giving first name and then surname is a reflection of their culture.

Japan's decision to change the order of names from first name first to surname first shows that they are beginning to pay attention to the deeper meaning of their own culture.

Asian countries attach great importance to the concept of family. The surname comes first and the given name comes last. This habit reflects the distinctive characteristics of the family in Asian culture.

If Japan continues to use the habit of putting first name first and surname last, it will actually gradually dilute the core position of family culture in its culture.

Discussing the issue of the order of Japanese names, we can see that the future direction of Japanese culture also deserves our attention.

Will it re-emphasize traditional culture in more aspects?

If Japan can pay more attention to its cultural heritage and integrate it with the needs of modern society, its development prospects will be broader.

In addition, this may also have an impact on its exchanges with other Asian countries, especially in areas such as cultural exchanges and economic and trade exchanges, which may promote deeper cooperation.

What do you think of Japan’s renewed focus on traditional culture, and what changes will this bring to cultural exchanges in Asia?