Rethinking the need for personal stamps and seals in modern society
Last month, MUFG Bank Ltd. started offering ¥1,000 to each of its first 100,000 customers willing to give up their paper passbooks. MUFG wants people to switch to online banking, which is cheaper for banks — and not just because they can save on ...
As Japan's banks snub personal stamps, hanko makers pin hopes on growing foreign population
With Japan's foreign population expected to grow in light of the new visa statuses introduced this month, makers of hanko (personal seals) see a new opportunity for business. The traditional seals are still required to conduct various kinds of transactions in Japan, from purchasing cars ...
Records bearing Emperor's seal and signature and Japan Cabinet meeting documents to be kept on paper
The government considers it essential to save such public records in paper form in order to preserve their historical value, officials said.
Personal seals lose ground as big Japanese banks stop using 1800s technology
It has taken more than a century, but Japanese banks are finally parting ways with a piece of technology that hasn't felt cutting edge since the shogun reigned. Hanko, the personal stamps required for even simple transactions in the country since the 1800s, are getting ...
Now 2019 is in full swing, On: Design takes a final look at a few of 2018's end of year noteworthy prizewinners.
At home on the Maasai Mara range
Asuka Takita has a passion for Africa and its wildlife that took root during her childhood in Singapore and flourished in the soils of Kenya during her third year of university.
'Hanko' fate sealed by test of time
A "hanko" personal seal is a necessary item for most adults in Japan, serving the same role as a signature in the West. Following are some questions and answers about the hanko system: What is a hanko and how is it used? Hanko stamps can be made ...
