As someone who speaks Japanese to be polite, and will dutifully follow all honorifics while in Japan:
Japan doesn't get to change English naming conventions in English speaking cultures and civilizations.
Japan doesn't get to change English naming conventions in English speaking cultures and civilizations.
For famous names, outside of official dpcuments people will use whatever names feels right to them and I personally think that should be fine as long as the name is recognized.
Maybe not in Japan, but this is how some banks address me in the Asian country I live in.
Americans are exposed to Chinese names in both orderings of "Familyname Firstname" and "Firstname Familyname":
- "Familyname Firstname" ordering : actor Chow Yun-fat, and basketball player Yao Ming
- "Firstname Familyname" ordering: actor Simu Liu, pianist Yuja Wang, and Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma.
In a vacuum, I might have guess "Chow Yun-fat" as starting with the family name because I know that the hyphenated, two-part names are usually given. But a name like "Yao Ming" I might not have had any idea, since I don't have the cultural exposure to know which single syllable words look more like family names versus given names.
Imagine expecting a Chinese person to figure out "Larry David" with no other context.
Same with Jackie Chan.
However, China and Korea didn't modernize as fast as Japan. They didn't have radical changes in the 19th century. (The result is that foreign concession in China, unequal treaties, colonization of Korea, etc.) So they didn't have to change their naming convention.
The reason why Japan is trying to change the English naming convention when they write in Japanese is similar to the reason mentioned above. The 21st century is Asia's century. Japan feels that they don't have to conform to Western standards anymore. They are trying to be more Asian. That's why they are attempting to change the convention to synchronize as if they were writing in Japanese.
I hope this helps.