In many Asian cultures, the surname is written first, with the given name (usually they have no middle names) written last.
I.e.: Takahashi
Amaya, with Takahashi being
Amaya's "last name".
Often the surname is written in All Caps (TAKAHASHI
Amaya) or written in the Western way (either
Amaya Takahashi or
Amaya TAKAHASHI) to make things clearer for Westerners.
Miranda