Japanese people use Seal (Inkan or Hanko) instead of signature.
In Japan, generally, people have Seal(s) and perform stamping a document on a daily basis, such as collecting a parcel, opening a bank account, showing that a document is officially approved and so on.
However, there is no law about Seal itself.
The system is operated by council ordinances and regulations. There are no uniform standards for a stamp.
In Japanese, Seal is called different words, such as Inkan（印鑑）, In （印）, Hanko （判子）, Insho （印章）.
Types of a stamp
1. Mitomein （認め印）
Most Japanese people own a Mitomein Just for convenience.
Also a Japanese legal entity generally possesses it for a daily business transaction.
2. Ginkoin （銀行印）
The stamp is used to open a bank account for an individual and a company.
3. Jitsuin（実印）
The stamp is the official stamp for an individual and a company and is registered at the local council where an individual person resides and at the Legal Affairs Bureau as a company to legally authenticate company documents.
After the registration is done, a certificate is issued.
I hope the information is useful.
I will update every Monday.
For more information
Japanese business start-up consultant
Shihoshoshi Lawyer
(Judicial Scrivener)
Akiko HORI
