Certified letter (内容証明)
The post office counts the characters. So does this.
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Example
Worked example — Certified letter (内容証明)
Use the following inputs and settings. Keep other settings at the page defaults.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Heading (通知書, 催告書 …) | 通知書 |
| The letter, one paragraph per line | 本書は記入例です。 |
| Sender — address and name | 山田 花子 |
| Recipient — address and name | 山田 太郎 |
| Date | 2026-11-02 |
| Output files | 1 |
| PDF pages | 1 |
| 210 × 297 mm |
Expected result — PDF · PDF pages: 1. The image shows the first PDF page.
How it works
- Choose the grid. Vertical with 20 characters on 26 lines is the usual one.
- Type the letter. It is laid onto the grid as you go, so you can see it fit.
- Add the date and both addresses — they are part of the letter and count towards the limit.
- Download and print three copies: one is posted, one stays with the post office, one is yours.
Frequently asked questions
- What is 内容証明郵便?
- A Japanese registered letter where the post office keeps a copy of exactly what was said and certifies, later, that it was said on that date. It is what you send before things become formal — chasing a debt, cancelling a contract, giving notice of a claim — precisely because the other side cannot claim they were never told.
- Why does the layout matter?
- Because the post office checks it and hands back anything that does not fit. Vertical writing takes at most 20 characters on a line and 26 lines on a sheet; horizontal takes one of three shapes. Punctuation and brackets each count as a character. That counting is what a Word template cannot do for you, and it is the reason letters come back over the counter.
- Do the addresses count?
- Yes, and this is the detail that catches people. The date and both address blocks are part of the document, so they are laid into the same grid here rather than floated underneath it. A letter that fits until you add the addresses does not fit.
- Why does a line sometimes start with a full stop?
- Deliberately. A word processor would push that character back onto the previous line to avoid it, which would put 21 characters there and get the letter refused. The rule outranks the typography, so the wrap is hard at the limit.
- What do I do with the three copies?
- Take all three to a post office that handles 内容証明 — not every branch does. One is posted to the recipient, one is kept by the post office for five years, one is returned to you stamped. If your letter runs to more than one sheet, you also need a seal stamped across each join.
- Is it free?
- Yes, and nothing of ours is printed on the sheet, on any plan: it is a document you send or hand over as it is.
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