Why are Chinese athletes' names pronounced using Japanese readings? Rules and changes in sports broadcasting
In Japanese television and news, the names of Chinese athletes are sometimes pronounced using Japanese readings. For example, there is a custom of pronouncing the names of famous athletes using the Japanese 'on-yomi' (Sino-Japanese) reading of the kanji characters. Why has this way of referring to them persisted for so long?
Japanese media organizations have long had a custom of writing and pronouncing the names of people from kanji-using regions according to Japanese readings. In sports broadcasting in particular, it is common practice to use the names as they are registered with sports associations or as they appear in official tournament documents. As a result, pronunciations that differ from the local ones have become established.
However, in recent years, changes have been seen in this situation. As international exchange has deepened and opportunities to learn the correct local pronunciations via the internet have increased, voices have been raised by viewers suggesting that, "Shouldn't we match the local pronunciation?" Some media outlets have begun to move toward respecting the individuals' wishes or the local pronunciations.
On the other hand, there are challenges to changing all names to their local pronunciations. This is because changing the Japanese readings that have been familiar for many years could potentially confuse viewers. Furthermore, it is not easy to unify the standards for how closely to approximate the local pronunciation.
How names are pronounced is deeply connected to a country's culture and history. The balance between how Japanese media will adapt to international standards in the future, or whether they will maintain traditional Japanese readings, is a subject of attention.