Re: Communicatiing with people in Japan? Proper f
There is actually an interesting controversy over this in Japan. For a long time, writing a name in English meant doing it the American way, as in John Smith. But in Japan, and other Asian cultures, everyone writes their names backwards, as in Smith John. (Family takes precedence over the individual.) The Chinese write their names in English in their native order, that is, Smith John. So, Mao Tse-Tung's last name is Mao, and his first name(s) is Tse-Tung. So the Japanese look over at the Chinese and think, hey, why can't we also do it "our" way. So the Japanese Ministry of Education started making English-language textbooks with Japanese names written like Smith John. Thus, if you are dealing with the older, conservative-style, crowd, they will write their names in the American way, that is, John Smith. But the younger, politcally correct, crowd may write Smith John. In other words, you're in a no-win situation! (Unless you can recognize what is a last name and what is a first name in Japanese!)
