Japanese alias

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An alias in Japanese is called a tsūshōmei ( 通称名). Literally translated this means 'regular use name'. Tsūshōmei is used in Japanese to refer to a legally registered pseudonym, or a pseudonym that is just in common use by an individual. Non-Japanese residents in Japan are permitted to register a legally assumed name. Japanese nationals often use aliases, but are not permitted to legally register them.[citation needed]

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[edit] Typical uses

One common use of an alias in Japan is by women who continue to use their former legal name at the workplace, while their actual legal family name has changed to that of their husband's family name. Also, Koreans and Chinese frequently register a legal alias to accommodate their native language characters which are not included in the kanji, list of approved characters for use in names.

Non-Japanese residents may use a legal registered alias in Japan because the characters fit nicely on forms, and are easy to explain on the phone. Another reason is that registrants are able to sign their name using kanji.

[edit] Registration method

The method for registering an alias for registered foreign residents of Japan may vary slightly by the locality. An applicant should first decide on the characters for their new name from among the list of approved characters. They should then label their post box using this alias, and mail a postcard or letter to the post box address with the alias. This post box address must be the same address as registered on the foreigner's Alien registration card. The delivered correspondence can then be taken to the same government office where the foreigner is registered as a resident; usually a local administrative bureau such as a city hall or ward office. Upon successful completion of the procedure, the registrant will receive a handwritten notation indicating the legal alias on the reverse side of their Alien Registration Card. If the registrant receives a new Alien Registration Card, their alias will appear in type in parentheses just below their foreign name on the front of their Alien Registration Card.

People of East Asian descent who enter Japan from a country that does not use kanji, such as nikkei, may use the tsūshōmei system to register their name in kanji in addition to the romanized version. In this case the local administrative bureau may request documentation of the family name kanji. For nikkei the documentation would be a copy of the ancestral koseki (family registry).

[edit] In practice

Japanese credit cards, health insurance, bank accounts, etc. can be held in the name of the alias. Credit cards bearing a foreign name may be useful outside Japan, and cards bearing the Japanese name within Japan. A credit card in the registrant's foreign name is preferable in non-Japanese speaking locales because there is no Japanese government issued transliteration of the registrant's Japanese alias to prove to non-Japanese speakers that the foreigner's registered alias is in fact as appears on the credit card. In the case of a Japanese national, this would be available in a passport. However, foreigners may obtain a Japanese credit card with a photo.[1]

Also, individuals may register a seal using kanji, but in actuality, a registered seal may be an image of anything an individual prefers.[citation needed]

The registrant must decide which name to use where. Japanese spouses of the registrant may use the registrant's family name alias much like any Japanese uses a 'regular use name'. Even after registering an alias, the registrant's legal name has not changed on the Family Register, so spouses and offspring who take the foreigner's family name must use the registrant's legal name as their legal names.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sumitomo Mitsui Visa

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[edit] See also