RetireJapan

Since my zairyu card doesn’t even have the cursed katakana name on it in the first place, I am not worried about my name not matching, and have never had anyone say a thing. Typically I can tell the financial institutions what I want my katakana to be and they seem to do as I say, except with respect to things like the presence of a space or 長音 character where their systems have constraints that they can’t be bothered adjusting to accommodate)

Or is your issue with your romaji name?

My Rakuten Securities account name is different from my Rakuten Bank name and it didn't break anything. The connection between Bank and Securities is in the back end.

RetireJapan wrote: ↑Sat Nov 25, 2023 3:19 pm
Don't see how that would help! The issue is that I expect they will want to change the name on my securities account to match zairyu card, which will break all the links to the other accounts...

Then you let them close the old account with the wrong name. You'll end up with the new account, with the correct name and all your securities in it.

Deep Blue wrote: ↑Sun Nov 26, 2023 4:30 am

RetireJapan wrote: ↑Sat Nov 25, 2023 3:19 pm
Don't see how that would help! The issue is that I expect they will want to change the name on my securities account to match zairyu card, which will break all the links to the other accounts...

Then you let them close the old account with the wrong name. You'll end up with the new account, with the correct name and all your securities in it.

It's not the wrong name though. It is the name I use. Which is why it's on all my other accounts.

My passport name has an extra surname I don't use (as does my zairyu card).

OK, well we can argue about semantics but the name on your passport and zairyu card is presumably your legal name. I can only forsee a world of pain if you have set up all your accounts using something other than your actual name. Japan unfortunately encourages this by failing to support non-Japanese names in many offical systems but regulations are clamping down on this now so I think it is worth getting it sorted once and for all, even if it is tiring and a pain in the arse.

Deep Blue wrote: ↑Sun Nov 26, 2023 2:24 pm OK, well we can argue about semantics but the name on your passport and zairyu card is presumably your legal name. I can only forsee a world of pain if you have set up all your accounts using something other than your actual name. Japan unfortunately encourages this by failing to support non-Japanese names in many offical systems but regulations are clamping down on this now so I think it is worth getting it sorted once and for all, even if it is tiring and a pain in the arse.

Ah, but my passport name and zairyu card name don't match either (zairyu cards don't allow hyphens)

Opened most of these accounts before zairyu cards existed.

And yes, things are getting very annoying now. One big motivation to naturalise, just to fix the name thing once and for all

RetireJapan wrote: ↑Sun Nov 26, 2023 11:55 pmOpened most of these accounts before zairyu cards existed.

Same here. So many name variations across various legacy accounts.

Rakuten's system design for names vs reality

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cUbIkNUFs-4

Zairyu cards not accepting hyphens is completely shocking to me, this is quite a modern system and amazing they made such a basic fuck-up. Oh Japan....

I also opened most of my accounts with what I believe was then called an alien registration card. I did my best to refuse to provide a katakana name which did help cut down some of the bollocks. I only failed with the National Pension system which absolutely would not accept my actual name and forced me to make up some nonsense transliteration.

Good luck with Rakuten, I guess the only thing to do is give them a call and see what your options are.

Deep Blue wrote: ↑Mon Nov 27, 2023 12:35 am Zairyu cards not accepting hyphens is completely shocking to me, this is quite a modern system and amazing they made such a basic fuck-up. Oh Japan....

It was funny because Alien Registration Cards DID accept hyphens

I remember arguing with the immigration office when I got my first zairyu card because the name was wrong.

Reader, they did not care one bit.