There are two types of Japanese documents that can serve as death certificates. One is called death certificate and it is signed by a doctor (often using a stamp). In addition to providing the date, time, and place of death, this document provides detailed information about the cause of death.
The other type of document is Koseki certificate. When someone dies, a family member or a person in a close relationship reports the death to the local municipal office, using the aforementioned death certificate signed by a doctor.
Once the death is recorded in the Koseki system, the record of the death will be reflected in the Koseki certificates that are issued from that point forward. Signed by a mayor or a town mayor, these certificates are the most official and final records of death. Koseki certificates show the date, time, and place of death, but not the cause of death.
Although a doctor-signed death certificate is an important document and serves several purposes beyond reporting a death to a municipal office, it is provided in paper form only while the Koseki certificates are available to eligible family members for as long as necessary.
