• In Japan, a centuries-old ritual is sharing the blame for impeding social distancing The extensive and almost unavoidable use of the ‘hanko’ for authorising official documents has been forcing several employees to go to the office to get work done.

What is a hanko?

• The hanko is a personal stamp that is equivalent to a signature in other countries, and is an essential part of several transactions.

Small-sized and circular or square-shaped, the stamp is wet by an ink pad called ‘shuniku’, and the mark that it leaves on a document is called ‘inkan’.