The situation surrounding seal use in Japan is complicated enough for natives, but for foreigners getting an inkan you can register is more involved still, chiefly due to the inconvenient way non-Japanese names seem to take up so much room. I explained the system in general in a previous article, now here I shall describe it with respect to foreign users.
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One holdover from Chinese culture which has persisted in Japan, though not elsewhere in Asia to any great extent, is the use of seals, in much the same capacity as signatures are used elsewhere. The seal (called in various contexts a hanko (判子), or inkan (印鑑)) is something of a necessity for life in Japan, though this is very slowly changing, and since it is particularly necessary for such tasks as securing accommodation, as well as much interaction with government and when legally binding contracts are called for, I will describe various aspects of the system over a number of articles, particularly with reference to the situation a foreigner might face. In this article I will explain the types of seal.
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