Inkan 印鑑:
In japan people widely use stamps,they dont sign. The stamps are called Han, Hanko or Inkan which is considered as a personal
Japanese seal. They use it for proof of verification or official
acknowledgement instead of using a hand-written signature.
Inkan 印鑑
is the way you "sign" things in Japan. It is your official seal.
It works the same as a signature in Western culture. Most common Inkans
are made from wood or plastic and are about few centimeters long. There are more
formal ones that are mode from a type of stone. They are dipped in red ink than
stamped on the form that needs the inkan. If you live in
Japan for an extend time you will need to get an inkan made with
your name for making a bank account many many other things.
Once Inkan is made it has to be registered with the local ward office where they will issue a certificate of acknowledgment. Whether
buying car, opening a bank account or doing any other such official
transaction, these inkan are used instead of signatures. Most foreigners find it unnecessary to get a seal made in the
first place (though it is the "Japanese" thing to do). Once you use
one in a transaction, however, you don't have the option of going back to your
signature. You'll have to use that inkan on any related transaction in the
future (a definite problem if you forget to bring it with you!).
The one advantage to using an inkan is, however,
that you can have someone else do the transaction for you. For instance, if you
want to sell your car when you leave and don't have the time to personally go
to do the paper work, if you have a registered inkan, then it is easy to
delegate this to a friend. All the friend would need is an "ininjo 委任状"
(a proxy form available at any auto dealer) with the seal affixed, an
"inkan shomeisho 印鑑証明書" from the branch city hall where it is registered
and the inkan itself. If, for instance, you are leaving Japan and aren't able
to sell before you leave, this would allow you to have someone else complete
the transaction and later send you the money.
