Japan govt. changes Japanese spelling of Ukraine capital Kyiv

Apr 01, 2022 | News On Japan

Apr 01, 2022 (NHK) - The Japanese government has decided to change the Japanese spelling of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, adopting the spelling based on the Ukrainian pronunciation instead of the one based on the Russian language.

Starting on Friday, all official documents will use the revised spelling in the Japanese katakana alphabet.

Other Japanese names of Ukrainian cities with Russian-based spelling are also being changed to those based on the Ukrainian language.

Calls were coming from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to do so, on the view that it is not appropriate to use the Russian-based spelling for the Ukrainian capital at a time when Russia is invading Ukraine.

The foreign ministry consulted with the Ukrainian government on the issue.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Twitter that he appreciates Japan's decision and hopes other countries will follow.

Earlier in 2020, NHK World changed the Ukrainian capital's English spelling to "Kyiv," in response to a request from the Ukrainian government. The capital used to be spelled as "Kiev."

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