Is the Culture of Seals in Japan About to Be Abolished?

Will Covid-19 force Japan to throw away a century-long tradition?

Image by myrtue from Pixabay

Japan has used seals for the past 2000 years. They are called “Inkan” (印鑑) or “Hanko” (判子) but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll stick with the common one: Hanko.

Hanko exist in many forms and are used every day. From the officially registered one (実印) to the one used at the bank (銀行印), or the one to attest receipt of packages and such (認印).

You need to stamp most documents for them to be considered legally valid. This wasn’t a problem until now but Covid-19 brought to light how why it’s time to abolish this practice.

Why Hanko?

At the end of the 19th century, there was a discussion about how to prove one’s identity on documents. There were 3 options:

• Allowing both seals and signatures
• Using seals only
• Using signatures only.

The second option was approved by law, in 1900, for 6 reasons:

1. Tradition
2. Habit — Common usage
3. Reading and writing problems
4. Convenience
5. Theft risk