Image talk:Missouri-japanese-delegation.jpg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
According to Japanese Wikipedia's disambiguation page of two Japanese diplomats similarly named "加瀬俊一", the fourth person in second row was Shunichi Kase, instead of the mentioned one in the note of this image, Toshikazu Kase. [1]
The Kanji orthographies of "Kase Shunichi" and "Kase Toshikazu" are the same, "加瀬俊一", while the kana forms and actual pronouciations were different. Hence, it is possible that their names where confused by the US intelligence agents who only noticed the Kanji forms of them, while neglecting the difference on pronounciation. In Japanese Language, several actually different names (according to pronounciation) may be written in a same Kanji form (in Sino-Japanese Characters). Interestingly, several different Kanji names may also be pronouced as the same. Therefore, it may be difficult for even native Japanese people to tell the correct (Kanji) orthography of a certain unacquainted person, or to read a written name of a certain unacquainted person correctly. In Japan, people may always be asked such questions in telephone dialogues, "You said your name is Junko. Then, which Junko is it? How to write?".