The Japanese government will change the transliteration for Georgia, a former Soviet republic, from the current Russian-derived "Gurujia" to "Jojia," which is in line with the English-based name, reports GHN based on The Japan News.
The change is being made in response to a request from the Georgian government, a government source said.
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, who is scheduled to visit Japan later this month, is expected to renew the request when he meets Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The government will subsequently begin reviewing the necessary procedure to revise a relevant law.
The country's name is "Sakartvelo" in Georgian. However, about 170 of the 193 U.N. member nations reportedly use the English-based "Georgia." Only Japan, China and former Soviet bloc nations call the country "Gurujia."
The Georgian government asked other countries to use the English-based name when anti-Russian sentiments were running high during and after Georgia's conflict with Russia in 2008.
Country names used in the Japanese government's official documents are based on a law regarding the names and locations of diplomatic establishments overseas and the salaries of foreign service employees.
The Foreign Ministry will probably revise the law during next year's ordinary Diet session.