system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How come we "flip" Japanese names when speaking English, but not Korean ones?

When speaking English I've noticed that when we refer to Japanese names, they are "flipped", i.e. we refer to them in the Western name order (given name-family name) as opposed to the Japanese order (family name-given name). E.g. the Japanese Prime Minister is referred to as Yoshihide Suga as opposed to Suga Yoshihide.

This doesn't seem to be the same for Korean names - for instance, Kim Jong-un is referred to as Kim Jong-un.

So why are Japanese names flipped, but Korean names not?
gpt
Answer: it's a standard introduced during the Meji era in Japan as a way of catering to westerners and "modernizing" (i.e. westernizing) Japan. When a Japanese name is written in western characters specifically they will then put the given name first and family name last, but only when written in western (Roman) characters.

Worth noting that in 2019 the government reversed policy on this and is now encouraging the traditional name order in all circumstances.