Hey everyone.
I’m moving to Tokyo next month as a Japanese language student for 1.3 yrs. On all my documents since birth I have single name. No middle name or surname. Also, have single name on passport.
Have something to ask you all.
1. What problems I must keep in mind with single name?
2. Also my new bank in India is telling me to add surname as “S/O my father’s name“ for my forex card, can I use that banks forex card in Japan, with such surname? Is that ok?
3. Will my single name make problems for me to use forex card anywhere in Japan? Like, receiving part time work salary on my forex card?
4. Generally, which documents are interconnected with each other in Japan?
Please.
1 comment
>What problems I must keep in mind with single name?
Your lack of middle name won’t be an issue, as middle names actually *complicate* things for foreigners in Japan.
Your lack of a Surname definitely *will* make things more complicated though. A quick Google search indicates that Japan does accept mononyms for foreigners, and can/will issue your Zairyu Card (Residence Card) with a mononym. But…
Just because the government accepts mononyms doesn’t mean things will be easy. Forms are a way of life in Japan, and every form in existence has a Surname and a Given Name field. Failing to fill one of those fields will result in a ***lot*** of hassle, ranging from teeth-sucking and consulting the binder of procedures if it’s an in-person form (Like at the bank) to being locked out of the service (For any online forms).
Honesty, dealing with Japanese naming conventions as a foreigner is frustrating enough as is. If there is *anything* you can do to acquire a surname legally you should try and do it. If you’re leaving next month there’s probably not much you can do though.
>Also my new bank in India is telling me to add surname as “S/O my father’s name“ for my forex card, can I use that banks forex card in Japan, with such surname? Is that ok?
That’s a “your bank” issue, not really a Japan issue. I’ve never had anyone check ID when using a credit card, either a foreign-issued one or a Japanese-issued one. In the rare case when they *do* check, I would imagine that if your card matches your document you’d be fine.
>Like, receiving part time work salary on my forex card?
You won’t be getting your salary on a card issued from an Indian bank. You will need to open a Japanese bank account.
>Generally, which documents are interconnected with each other in Japan?
***All of them.***
Pretty much all of your identity documents in Japan are tied together. But as a foreigner the single most important one is your passport. Every single one of your legal documents in Japan will be based on the information in your passport.
So in your case if your passport contains a mononym/single name, that becomes your legal identity in Japan.