China News Service, July 10, according to Japan’s Oriental New Daily, a few days ago, the Japanese government and the Japanese economic group "Economic Union" issued a joint declaration in the Cabinet Office, announcing that it would be based on "written" and "seal". Face-to-face "administrative procedures and business habits will be reformed, and discussions will be held during the year regarding changes to systems and regulations.

  The report pointed out that in Japan, signing contracts and stamping official seals are particularly complicated. Not only seals are required for business occasions, but seals are also necessary for individuals. Bank accounts are opened and mobile phones are signed on to the Internet. Even ordinary personal signatures within the company sometimes require seals.

Data map: Under the new crown epidemic, local Japanese people walked through the streets of Tokyo wearing masks. China News Service reporter Lu Shaowei

  Paper materials are needed to affix a seal, and real-life field operations are also required. These factors are linked. This habit called "seal culture" has been criticized in Japan for a long time, but it has not changed. The new crown epidemic situation may be the best opportunity for Japan to bid farewell to "seal culture".

  During the epidemic, many Japanese companies started to let employees work from home, but some people had to go to the company. According to a survey conducted by an accounting software development company called freee, 76.7% of Japanese office workers often need to go to the company even if they work from home. For the reason, 38.3% said "to confirm and sort out the written materials sent by customers", and 22.2% said "to seal the contract".

  The survey shows that although it is easier for enterprises to implement remote office work, many people still have to go to the company for written materials and stamps.

  Another survey also revealed that 77% of Japanese companies that do not implement telecommuting believe that the biggest reason is that "telecommuting is not convenient for stamping and handling written documents."

  Nowadays, with the updating of digital technologies and equipment such as computers, the efficiency of paperwork is relatively lower and lower, and the Japanese government and the public are aware of this shortcoming and have begun to call for reform. The earliest government agency to start action was the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and a special reform team was established in 2018.

  What really pushes Japanese society to bid farewell to the "seal culture" is the new crown epidemic that began in 2020. For well-known reasons, the government and enterprises have begun to promote electronic operations. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a government meeting in April that he hopes to thoroughly examine the habit of writing and stamping in private economic activities in order to reform this habit.

  According to reports, Japan is now brewing an "electronic seal wave" based on information technology, especially large IT companies are most active in this reform. Many companies began to cancel written contracts and re-sign electronic contracts.