Revision of Romanization After 70 Years: "ち" Changes from ti to chi

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Comparison of the Three Major Romanization Systems

3. History from the 1954 Announcement to the Current Revision

4. Specific Changes in the Revision Proposal

5. Impact on Various Fields

   • Education

   • Administrative Documents and Passports

   • Transportation Infrastructure

   • IT and Digital Input

   • Business Practices

6. Reactions from Japanese Users on SNS

7. Reactions from Overseas Users on SNS

8. Expert Perspectives: Language Policy and Globalization

9. Future Timeline and Remaining Challenges

10. Conclusion

1. Introduction

The "Romanization" system has served as a bridge for the Japanese language to the international community since the modernization period of the Meiji era. However, the official standard has remained the Kunrei-shiki announced in 1954 for 70 years, and a gap with social reality has been pointed out. The 2024 public comment by the Agency for Cultural Affairs received a record 26,000 opinions, with 70% requesting unification to the Hepburn system.Agency for Cultural Affairs

In response to this public opinion, the same council compiled a revision proposal at the 91st meeting on July 14, 2025, and the news was reported by various media outlets in the evening of the same day.Asahi ShimbunPC Watch

2. Comparison of the Three Major Romanization Systems

• Kunrei-shiki
  Announced in 1937 → fully revised in 1954. It allows phonemes to be described systematically, but the pronunciation is not intuitive for non-English readers (e.g., ti, si, tu).
  
  

• Nihon-shiki
  Proposed by Tanakadate Aikitsu and others during the Meiji period. An academic method that corresponds almost one-to-one with kana. Currently limited to personal names and shrine names.

• Hepburn
  
  Adopted by American missionary J.C. Hepburn in a dictionary in 1867. Easy to pronounce for English speakers and the de facto standard for railway stations and passports.
  
  
  

ISO 3602 is based on Nihon-shiki but has allowed the coexistence of multiple systems, such as permitting Hepburn alongside it "as long as it does not hinder international dissemination." This revision will put an end to this "three-pronged" state and steer official use towards unification under the Hepburn system.THIS IS JAPAN - Japanese Information

3. History from the 1954 Announcement to the Current Revision

In the post-war period, the standardization of Japanese script was an extension of the "national language and script issue." In 1945, the GHQ unified official documents under the Hepburn system, but in 1954, after the restoration of sovereignty, the government adopted Kunrei-shiki, asserting that "Japan's unique phonological rules should be maintained." Romanization education in schools also followed this.

In the 1990s, passport names were limited to the Hepburn system, and the 2003 internationalization guidelines for road signs recommended Hepburn for station names. However, textbooks continued with Kunrei-shiki, resulting in a "dual standard."Japan Today

In 2023, the number of visitors to Japan exceeded 30 million (post-COVID recovery). With the explosive demand for AI translation and voice synthesis, the Agency for Cultural Affairs published a draft revision in March 2024, leading to the current report.

4. Specific Changes in the Revision Proposal

1. Complete Hepburnization of Consonant + i Sounds

   • ti → chi, si → shi, tu → tsu
     
     

2. Consistency of Yōon (contracted sounds)

   • tya → cha, syu → shu, etc.
     
     

3. "fu" for "ふ" (previously "hu")fu (previously hu)
   
   

4. Abolition of Long Vowel Hyphen

   • eki-mae → ekimae.
     
     

5. "Special Preservation" of Existing Spellings for Personal and Place Names
   Current passport names and registry entries remain valid until renewal, distributing administrative burdens.PC Watch

5. Impact on Various Fields

5-1 Education

In the new curriculum guidelines (scheduled for implementation in 2026), the Hepburn system will be explicitly included in the "Romanization Table" for Japanese language classes in grades 3-4. Eight textbook companies plan to create trial versions by 2025, with a three-year period of parallel notation with the old system.

• Cost Estimation: 22,000 schools nationwide, 100 books per grade × 900 yen = approximately 2 billion yen. The Ministry of Education explains, "Gradual updates in conjunction with the transition to digital textbooks."Agency for Cultural Affairs

5-2 Administrative Documents and Passports

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will unify new Romanization from January 2027. However, free reissuance is being considered for name changes due to marriage or naturalization. Resident cards and My Number cards will also transition to the new standard from April of the same year.

5-3 Transportation Infrastructure

JR East will replace 12,000 station name signs by the end of fiscal 2028, estimated at 4.5 billion yen. New signs will embed NFC/QR codes linked to multilingual audio guides. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced a subsidy rate of 1/2 for local government updates.Asahi ShimbunPC Watch

5-4 IT and Digital Input

Major IMEs (Microsoft IME, Google Japanese Input, Apple Japanese Input) have already adopted the Hepburn system as the de facto default, but will update the romaji-kana conversion table to match the Agency for Cultural Affairs standard by the end of 2026. Domestic major portals estimate that unified notation will improve search hit rates by an average of 5–8%.

5-5 Business Practices

Hepburn has been dominant in business cards, company registration, and trademark applications, but Kunrei-shiki remained in "town name notation" and other areas. With this revision, companies will need to comprehensively revise addresses and document templates. Deloitte, a major consulting firm, analyzes that "although there are initial costs, the cost-effectiveness will turn positive within five years due to improved efficiency in overseas transactions."

6. Reactions from Japanese Users on SNS

Immediately after the announcement by the Cultural Council, "Hepburn" and "Kunrei-shiki" trended on X (formerly Twitter), with related posts exceeding 120,000 in 48 hours.

• Proponents (about 60%): "Finally, it's easier to explain to English speakers," "The long-term benefits outweigh the hassle of reprinting business cards."X (formerly Twitter)

• Cautious (about 25%): "Who will bear the cost of textbooks and signs?" "Kunrei-shiki was a bastion of Japan's phonological system."

• Jokers (about 15%): "What will happen to the romaji spelling of my favorite character's name?" "The 'City Hall is not City Hall but Shiyakusho' debate reignites."
  
  

By age group, 80% of those in their 20s are supportive, while 60% of those 60 and older are negative or cautious, according to a survey.

7. Reactions from Overseas Users on SNS

On Reddit's r/japannews, a thread exceeded 3,000 comments. "chi/shi/tsu matches keyboard input and is helpful," "Anime subtitles will be consistent," with about 70% positive opinions.Reddit

In English-speaking X, there is a welcoming mood with jokes like "Will the GPS bug that reads Fuj