現在は、コロナウイルスの影響もあり、オンライン上でも簡単に記入できる電子署名などが注目を集めていますが、日本から印鑑がなくなる日はまだ先のようです。 “Ikan” Culture in Japan
Have you ever heard of the word, “inkan”? It refers to a personal seal with family names engraved on it. In Japan, using an inkan indicates that you agree or claim responsibility for the content of a document. Much like when you sign a document in America.
Inkan culture is deeply rooted in Japan and isn’t just used for procedures at pubic institutions. It’s also used in private life when receiving packages. And many people have more than one inkan because they can use different types of inkan for different purposes.
However, inkan doesn’t exist in other foreign countries. Instead, people just sign with signatures. For this reason, inkan culture confuses many foreigners living in Japan.
Due to the current pandemic, electronic signatures are attracting attention as they can be easily filled out online. However, it will probably be a long time before inkan culture disappears from Japan.
Since 1996, Japanese-Online has been provided as a free service from PSPinc with the purpose of providing resources to individuals interested in learning about the Japanese Language and culture.
Japanese-Online has content suited to varying levels of study, including lessons for beginners as well as lessons tailored for those who need grammar and writing resources. Lessons are best suited to those who have basic understanding of hiragana and katakana alphabets before moving on to the more advanced grammar and particle lessons. Grammar lessons focus on learning about writing and creating more complex sentences and most lessons will not use romaji (Japanese sounds written with roman letters). Kanji is used in the lessons with hiragana and English translations provided.