Q：I am a foreign national living in Nagoya. I have heard that foreign nationals can register an alias or nickname (Tsūshōmē). What is a Tsūshōmē? Is it necessary to register one?

 

A：A Tsūshōmē is a name that a foreign national may use in daily life in Japan instead of their official name.

If certain conditions are met, you can register your Tsūshōmē by having it entered alongside your official name on your certificate of residence.

(Those who do not use a Tsūshōmē are not required to register one.)

 

When a person's official name in their home country is difficult to read or long, they may have difficulty completing procedures in Japan because, for example, the name may be difficult to write, may be written incorrectly, or may make identity verification difficult.

Registering a Tsūshōmē may reduce these problems and make communication easier.

 

Important points about registering a Tsūshōmē:

• There are certain conditions that must be met when registering a Tsūshōmē on your certificate of residence.

Please contact your local municipal office for details.

• Depending on the type of procedure or contract, you may not be able to use a Tsūshōmē.

→ When completing a procedure, please check whether a Tsūshōmē can be used.

• Each person may register only one Tsūshōmē.
• You cannot easily change a Tsūshōmē once it has been registered.
• Once you remove your Tsūshōmē from your certificate of residence, you will likely be unable to register one again. Therefore, please consider this carefully before registering a Tsūshōmē.

 

How to register a Tsūshōmē:

1. Decide on a Tsūshōmē

• Only characters permitted in Japanese family registers--kanji, hiragana, and katakana--may be used. The Latin alphabet, Hangul, simplified Chinese characters, traditional Chinese characters, and other writing systems may not be used.

• Names considered inappropriate for use in society may not be accepted.

 

2. Registration procedure

• You need to complete the registration procedure at the Citizens' Affairs Division of the local municipal office that administers your resident registration.
• You need to submit documents showing that you use your Tsūshōmē in daily life.

→ Examples: employee ID card, certificate of employment, pay stub, student ID card, etc.

• In addition to these, you may be asked to submit other documents.

Note: Please check with the relevant service counter at your local municipal office.

 

Foreign nationals are not required to register a Tsūshōmē.　

There are many foreign nationals who do not have a Tsūshōmē but live in Japan without any inconvenience.

You should decide whether to register a Tsūshōmē based on how well it will suit your lifestyle.