Practical advice for overseas owners of Japanese real estate. Tax compliance, property management tips, and industry insights.
Japanese condo associations collect management fees and repair reserves by automatic debit from a Japanese bank account. Foreign cards are not accepted and non-residents usually cannot open an account. Here is how overseas buyers solve it.
Read articleWithout a will, every heir in every country has to sign before anything moves. With one, a single named executor can act. What a Japanese will does, which type avoids a court step, and the question foreign families always miss: whose national law applies at all.
Read articleThe moment a Japanese bank learns an account holder has died, the account stops. Direct debits fail, the property's utilities lapse, and no heir can touch the money until every heir has signed. Here is the process, the emergency withdrawal route, and what changes when you live abroad.
Read articleJapan lets you deduct up to ¥30 million from the capital gain when you sell a home you inherited — but the conditions are narrow, the clock is short, and renting it out for a few months destroys it. What actually qualifies, and what disqualifies you without warning.
Read articleYou have no koseki, no juminhyo, and no registered seal — yet every Japanese inheritance checklist assumes all three. What actually replaces them, how the 2024 registration deadline works, and the stopgap filing that stops the fine while your family decides.
Read articleThe same ¥3 million budget buys a completely different problem depending on where you buy. How akiya differ across remote rural areas, regional cities, Kyoto, the big-city fringe, and resort towns — in price, contractor availability, rules, and whether you can ever sell it again.
Read articleForeigners can buy Japanese vacant houses with no ownership restrictions — but the process runs on Japanese paperwork, a licensed agent's briefing, and a judicial scrivener. The full sequence from finding a property to the obligations that start the day you own it.
Read articleJapan has no single "registered agent" like the US. Instead the job is split into distinct roles — tax representative (納税管理人), domestic contact (国内連絡先), domestic manager (国内管理人). Which ones you need, what each covers, what they cost, and whether to find one yourself or use a service.
Read articleForeign and non-resident owners are often ignored or turned away by Japanese real estate agents, contractors, and offices. Here is why it happens (usually not discrimination), why silence often means no in Japan, and how a Japan-based representative turns a non-answer into a yes.
Read articleAkiya are cheap to buy but expensive to fix — renovation routinely costs more than the purchase price. A 2026 breakdown of akiya renovation costs by work type, realistic full-renovation totals, and the true total cost of owning one from overseas.
Read articleCheap akiya, expensive fees. Japan legally caps agent commission — for properties ¥8 million or under, the maximum is ¥330,000 including tax. Here's what you should really pay when buying an akiya, and how to spot inflated 'consulting fees'.
Read articleYou can sell Japanese property without living in Japan — but you have to decide how the paperwork gets signed. Compare the four realistic ways to handle a remote sale: flying in, power of attorney, an agent with mail-based signing, or a full-service specialist.
Read articleThree similar-sounding Japanese roles that overseas property owners constantly confuse — tax representative (納税管理人), domestic manager (国内管理人), and domestic contact (国内連絡先). Here's exactly what each one does, when it's legally required, and which you actually need.
Read articleJapanese tax offices, banks, and utilities still communicate by physical mail — in Japanese. Compare the four ways to handle it from abroad: Japan Post forwarding, a friend's address, a virtual mailbox, or a property-specialist mail service.
Read articleOverseas heirs of Japanese property face new mandatory registration rules and a 6× tax risk for neglected houses. Compare your four realistic options — sell, rent, keep, or give it up — with costs, deadlines, and the one thing you cannot do: nothing.
Read articleIf you own property in Japan but live abroad, you are required to appoint a tax representative (納税管理人) — and your tax bills stop reaching you if you don't. Who needs one, what happens if you skip it, what the notification form asks for, and the 5 realistic ways to appoint one compared.
Read articleNeed to renovate or repair your Japanese property while living abroad? Learn how to find reliable contractors, get accurate quotes, manage projects remotely, and handle payment without a Japanese bank account.
Read articleA practical guide to capital gains tax (譲渡所得税) in Japan for non-resident sellers. Learn the applicable rates, withholding rules, filing requirements, and how tax treaties may reduce your liability.
Read articleInheriting or leaving Japanese property involves some of the highest inheritance tax rates in the world. This guide explains who is liable, how the tax is calculated, key exemptions, and what steps to take when a family member passes away.
Read articleA complete guide for foreign nationals buying real estate in Japan. Covers ownership rights, required documents, the purchase process, taxes, and the ongoing obligations that begin the moment you become an owner.
Read articleIf a Japanese real estate transaction crosses the resident / non-resident boundary, FEFTA (外為法) requires a report to the Minister of Finance within 20 days. Here's what triggers it, who must file, and why missing the deadline can haunt your property years later.
Read articleStarting April 2026, Japan's revised condominium law introduces a domestic manager (国内管理人) system for overseas owners. Here's what it means for you.
Read articleA comprehensive guide to investing in minpaku (short-term rental) property in Japan. Covers legal requirements, permit types, location analysis, revenue potential, and risks for foreign investors.
Read articleJapan now has 9 million vacant houses — and a wave of new rules for their owners. The 2026 guide to buying an akiya: the 6× property tax trap, mandatory inheritance registration, Kyoto's new vacant-home tax, realistic renovation costs, and how to manage one from overseas.
Read articleLeaving a Japanese property unattended can lead to tax penalties, legal issues, and significant financial loss. Here are the 5 biggest risks every overseas owner should know.
Read articleJapan Post's forwarding service (転送届) does not forward mail overseas and expires after a year — so what do you do with property tax notices and utility bills? How Japanese mail forwarding actually works for non-residents, and the digitization alternative.
Read articleIf you own property in Japan but live overseas, you are legally required to appoint a tax representative. Learn what a 納税管理人 does, why it matters, and how to set one up.
Read articleA practical guide for non-resident owners on managing property taxes, mail, maintenance, and compliance from abroad.
Read articleA comprehensive guide to property taxes in Japan for non-resident owners. Fixed asset tax, city planning tax, deadlines, and how to stay compliant from overseas.
Read articleWe handle tax representation and mail so you can focus on what matters.
