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TOKYO: Japan’s new prime minister declares war, but there is no danger of international conflict: the target of his anger is the humble ink stamp known as the hanko.
It may seem paradoxical in a country that is often considered a futuristic paradise for technology lovers, but Japan’s business world and bureaucracy still rely heavily on paper documents, hand-stamped with approval.
The downsides of hanko, which are used for everything from delivery receipts to marriage certificates, have become increasingly clear during the COVID-19 pandemic: Many Japanese were unable to work from home because they had to physically stamp documents at the office.
READ: Japanese government to urge more telecommuting as COVID-19 cases rise
Now Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is in an effort to digitize the nation, but faces an uphill struggle when it comes to stamps, ranging from mass-produced plastic ones to hand-carved wooden versions used on special occasions. .
Buffer craftsman Takahiro Makino, who painstakingly sculpts miniature characters into each unique piece he makes, isn’t overly concerned with driving.
“We shouldn’t keep using things that are not necessary. But on the other hand, a valuable object will survive whatever happens,” he told AFP at his workshop in central Tokyo.
For each stamp, carefully paint the name of the person or company that will adorn it, before beginning the delicate work of chiselling.
Each stamp “will carry the personality of each artisan,” said the 44-year-old.
Traditional ink stamp maker Takahiro Makino working on a hanko in Tokyo AFP / Philip FONG
Sturdy handcrafted stamps like Makino’s cost several hundred dollars and are often gifted to their children by parents as a coming-of-age gift, an essential tool for a responsible adult.
Its unique design is registered with the city council so that it can be verified when used to validate property deeds and other important documents.
SEAL IT
For everyday signatures, people use smaller and cheaper mass-produced stamps, and stamps are often a key part of an office worker’s daily routine.
It may seem paradoxical in a country that is often considered a futuristic paradise for tech lovers, but Japan’s business world and bureaucracy still rely heavily on paper documents, hand-stamped with approval AFP / Philip FONG
That is precisely what Suga and his minister of administrative reform, Taro Kono, are eager to eradicate.
“I will insist that stamps are not required for administrative procedures unless justified,” Kono told a news conference shortly after his appointment.
Examples of excess hanko are not hard to find, and Kono himself cites documents that he reportedly stamped more than 40 times by different officials.
And Japanese residents say that stamps are sometimes even required in digital transactions.
“I was once asked to stamp a sheet of paper, scan it and then attach it to an electricity bill,” laughed Sayuri Wataya, 55, an editor.
READ: 20 years later, Japan’s government’s digital ambitions still stuck in piles of paper
The government’s push has paid off, and Japan’s national police agency said it will stop the mandatory use of stamps for informal document approvals starting next year.
Large Japanese companies, including Hitachi, have also pledged to abolish the use of hanko in internal paperwork.
Observers warn, however, that streamlining the myriad of paperwork currently flooding Japanese companies and government offices involves deeper problems.
Japan Research Institute Director Takayuki Watanabe views stamps as part of Japan’s hierarchical business culture.
Japan’s paperwork stamps range from mass-produced plastic ones to hand-carved wooden versions used on special occasions AFP / Philip FONG
For a decision to be approved, an employee often needs the sealed approval of his senior colleagues in rank, one by one, he told AFP.
“First you need a stamp from your superior, then the team leader, the section chief and the department director,” he said. “It’s a no-no skipping the middle ones.”
The senior boss usually stamps his stamp upright to the left of a document, and lower-ranking employees tilt their stamps toward him as if “bowing.”
SEAL OF APPROVAL
Having the stamps of the entire team shows that a collective decision was made, Watanabe said.
“It’s like, ‘I stamped my seal to approve it, but you did it before I did, so you should be responsible,'” explained accountant Tetsuya Katayama.
“Nobody wants to take responsibility in Japan,” he said.
Watanabe warned that the government’s campaign against hanko will fail unless Japanese workers can get out of that mentality.
“Even if they digitize the paperwork, they will end up pressing the buttons on the computer as many times (as they sealed),” he said.
“People have to steel themselves to take on a certain responsibility.”
At the All Japan Hanko Industry Association, senior official Keiichi Fukushima is a perhaps unlikely advocate for reducing stamping.
“People have used hanko stamps just for the sake of stamping,” he acknowledges.
Insisting that they be used only when necessary will clarify when they are really needed and “may be a good opportunity to show how important the hanko custom is.”
