mohead14 wrote: fair enough =P
something else to consider, though it's almost unheard of to change your name here, not including nicknames, it seems very common for Asians to change to western names when they move here especially if their name might be difficult for us to pronounce (though i haven't personally seen this with Japanese specifically, mostly Chinese and Filipino immigrants)
Just to check, you're in Canada, right? I think changing your name in the US is very common. It could also just be the people I've been around in my life because america is HUGE. I even knew a few people who legally changed their names when we were in middle school because they didn't identify with the name their parents gave them.
Also, as an immigrant, i think it should kinda be expected that your name will not be the same as when you are in your country. As discussed in the "How did you learn English" thread, spanish is basically the unofficial second language here and even spanish names change pronunciation in the US.
BTW, I like the name Ben. "Ben" sounds like he'll be a good guy, lol.