Japan’s NTV network tells viewers

"Landep News"

A program on Japan’s NTV network tells viewers that they should no longer use English-style name order when introducing themselves in English:

Introducing yourself as “Takeshi Tanaka” is “old-fashioned” English. Now, you should introduce yourself as “Tanaka Takeshi.” [Family name first, in the way one says names when speaking Japanese.]

As proof, they cite the New Horizons English textbook, which now teaches junior high school students to introduce themselves in the “new” style. This “new” style is based on the nationalistic way that Indians and Koreans speak English. Saying one’s family name first supposedly shows “respect” for Japanese culture.

There’s a thread over at BigDaikon in which some ALTs discuss the name order issue. Those that actually care about helping their students learn proper English seem to think that the “new” style will cause unnecessary confusion. For example, here’s a comment from lifer:

The whole name order debate gets a bit tedious. Whatever the Chinese or Koreans do is irrelevant. Plus, lots of Ks and Cs have a ‘western’ name that they use when communicating in English, or living abroad for any length of time. So, Chan Yo In becomes Winston Chan, or Kim Sae Bon becomes Gilbert Kim when they are in Eigo World.
It’s really very simple to solve. Just mention the “when in Rome” proverb, but change it to “when speaking Roman…”. When you speak English, you use English conventions and customs. When you speak Japanese, you use Japanese language and customs. Otherwise, confusion reigns. When I introduce myself in Japanese, I use Japanese naming convention and introduce myself as “last name, first name”, or simply “last name”.
People are free to introduce themselves any way they like, but are also responsible for any confusion that results. So, if a Japanese person rocks up to a hotel in gaijinland and says, “hi, I have a reservation, my name is Tanaka Hiroshi”, he shouldn’t be surprised if the clerk comes back with “sorry, we don’t have a reservation for you, Mr. Hiroshi”.
I think Monkasho is trying to make yet another false binary paradigm- Japan vs. gaikoku. In Japan, we do it this way, but in gaikoku it is done another way. Since we are Japanese, in Japan, we will follow the Japanese way. Education takes a back seat to cultural insecurity.

My opinion: Japan’s Ministry of Education should not encourage the use of this “new” naming order. The United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and other English-speaking nations still use the “old” name order for Japanese people, so it’s stupid to print textbooks instructing Japanese students to adopt the “new” system.

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