RResidents in Japan

Missing space between first and middle names

  • February 16, 2026

Hello all!

Just had a baby last December and did all necessary procedures that come after (special mention: went past the 30-day deadline to acquire SOR for the LO but it was thankfully dealt with, got a zairyu card for the bub, really felt stupid for missing this crucial procedure).

I'm a bit bothered that my LO's name on the MyNumber card and zairyu card appear as LAST FIRSTMIDDLE – no space between the first and middle names.

My question is, is it worth the trouble to change how the name should appear on both cards? We're due to get the LO's passport processed so maybe we can ensure that the first and middle name have a space in between and hopefully use the passport as basis for the change in the cards? Anyone here who experienced the same thing or any advice on how to go about it?

Thank you all and I hope your days has been going great!

by underconstruction08

8 comments

  1. Doesn’t it have to be like that? Many systems don’t accept three separate names so the first and middle names get smooshed together. It’s like that on all my cards.

  2. It’s like that because most Japanese systems don’t have a box for a middle name, so they cram everything into the first name box. Likewise, systems generally do not allow spaces.

    Having a middle name in Japan is a nightmare. I didn’t give either of my kids middle names because of it. Everything related to names becomes a massive pain in the ass.

  3. That’s odd-I always get that combined names sillyness on my boarding passes when flying to and from Japan, but had no problem with MyNumber and Zairyu properly differentiating-even the Apple Wallet version.
    I would probably inquire about updating them.

    Edit: Just to confirm after reading some comments here: Yes, it has been common (i.e. Japan Airlines, lol) that computerized systems don’t always account for three names, so they combine first and middle names.

    This is not true of Zairyu or MyNumber Cards, at least not mine. My physical cards and my Apple Wallet card have my three names separated.

  4. There can be spaces for middle names on zairyu and my number cards. Probably want to get this fixed before it causes future issues.

  6. Get it fixed.
    MNC and Zairyu supports middle names (mine is printed just fine) which means whoever processed your application made a mistake.
    I’d treat it exactly like a misspelled name because that’s what it is.
    Unless you want to potentially fix many forms later because everything you signed up for went off the spelling on the card.

    A quick trip and fix now could potentially save you headaches down the line when you need to use it for procedures that could then be delayed because they need all ID to match.

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