Japanese/asian forms of address.?

Question

My girlfriend and I have been watching the Anime Fullmetal Alchemist, and we both noticed that the younger brother (Al) always refers to his older brother (Ed) as "brother". On the other hand, Ed always refers to his younger brother as "Al".

Is it a common trend in Japan or eastern asia to refer to older family members by title (i.e. brother, uncle, mother, sister, etc) and to refer to younger relatives by name? I think I've seen other shows/movies where characters do this, but I was just wanting some confirmation.

Answer 1

Yes, in Japan you refer to your younger siblings (or otherwise younger people) by name and use titles for older family members.