Taro Kono announced on Oct. 2 that the “hanko” stamp seal requirement will be removed from much of the country’s administrative procedures, following the results of a recent survey by his ...

Some say they want to stamp their marriage notification forms with personal seals to make them keepsakes. The Justice Ministry plans to end the mandatory requirement for hanko in procedures ...

For hundreds of years, Japanese people have used name stamps, known as hanko, to sign their name. People use hanko in everyday situations, such as receiving a parcel, and in formal contexts ...

Some banks, including Mizuho, are switching to online lending contracts that will not require the seals. But challenges remain. Hanko use is so deep-rooted in parts of the country that many ...