Originally Posted by
AlexS
When I arrived, the HR people from my office told me I needed the hanko to open the Mizuho account. It may not be absolutely necessary, but unlike the Citi application I filled out, Mizuho only had a space to hanko, and didn't have a space to sign.
Yep, you can probably sign in that space (don't know for sure with Mizuho, but that's been my experience).
HR people, particularly at Japanese firms, are not generally renowned for their ability to "think outside the box".