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Housing tips for international residents, rental & sales knowledge, Bunkyo-ku area information, and more.
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Should you not simply instruct the company that gives the highest appraisal figure? — An appraisal and a bid are different things
An appraisal figure is an opinion — that the property would sell at this price — and not a promise to buy. The Real Estate Brokerage Act provides that where a real estate broker states an opinion on the price or the valuation, the broker must disclose the basis for that opinion (Article 34-2, paragraph 2). Asking for that basis is the client's right. A bid is a different thing: it is the figure a buying company puts its hand up with — "we will buy at this price" — and it is not an opinion. Where the days remaining before you leave Japan are limited, there is no time to wait for appraisal reports, so what we collect is bids. You instruct the company that gave the highest appraisal figure, and the price is brought down afterwards. This article sets out, through the provisions themselves, the shape of the oldest problem in this industry and what to check before you sign a brokerage agreemen
How long does unpaid Japanese tax follow you after you leave? — Additional taxes, seizure, and your next visa application
Leaving Japan does not end your tax obligations. Fall behind, and delinquent tax (2.8% a year in Reiwa 8 (2026), 9.1% after two months) and additional tax for failure to file (5–30%; 40% heavy additional tax for concealment) are added on top, while deposits and property left in Japan can be seized. The heaviest consequence comes later: Immigration Services Agency guidelines evaluate unfulfilled tax obligations as a negative factor in extensions of stay, changes of status, and permanent residence. Kohinata, Bunkyo-ku; 5 minutes from Myogadani Station.
If you are handing over a power of attorney and going home, what should it say? — Blank and limited powers of attorney
A power of attorney is a piece of paper that counts as your own word. A manifestation of intention made by an agent within the scope of their authority, indicating that it is made on behalf of the principal, takes effect directly in relation to the principal (Civil Code, Article 99, paragraph 1). Hand one over without writing down the scope, and even where the agent acts outside that authority you may be held responsible, provided the other party had reasonable grounds to believe the authority was there (Article 110). So you write it narrowly: the matters delegated, the buyer, the floor price, the account the money is paid into, a prohibition on sub-agents (Article 104), an expiry date, and the date of execution. A mandate may be terminated at any time (Article 651, paragraph 1), but terminating it is not enough on its own, because you may still be answerable to a party who does not know
When do you become a "non-resident"? — The contract date, the date of delivery, or the date you leave?
Whether you are a non-resident for Japanese tax purposes is not decided by the date you leave Japan, nor by the date of the contract. For consideration on the transfer of land, the date on which payment falls due is ordinarily the date of delivery of the property, so it is the seller's status on that date, resident or non-resident, that decides whether withholding at source applies (National Tax Agency, question-and-answer examples; Basic Circular on the Income Tax Act, 36-12). The National Tax Agency has answered that withholding was required even where the seller had returned to Japan and become a resident again by the time the money was paid, because delivery had taken place while they were a non-resident. Getting the contract signed before you leave is therefore not enough: delivery has to be completed as well. This article also sets out the definitions of resident and non-resident (
What happens if the address on the register is still your old one? — It became compulsory in April 2026
Where the surname, name or address of a property owner changes, an application to register the change must be made within two years of the day of the change (Real Property Registration Act, Article 76-5). The rule came into force on 1 April Reiwa 8 (2026). Neglecting the application without justification carries a non-penal fine of up to JPY 50,000 (same Act, Article 164, paragraph 2). Addresses that changed before the commencement date are covered too, and must be registered by 31 March Reiwa 10 (2028). When you sell, you end up putting it right first for a separate reason: the registration of transfer of ownership will not be accepted unless the address on the register matches the address on your seal registration certificate. If you have decided to leave Japan, check this before you close your residence record. Once you have moved out, the change of registration becomes a good deal mo
What happens to the tax if you cannot find the contract from when you bought? — The wall at 5% of the sale price
Where the acquisition cost is not known, an amount equivalent to 5% of the sale price may be taken as the acquisition cost (National Tax Agency, Taxanswer No.3258; Income Tax Act, Articles 33 and 38; Act on Special Measures Concerning Taxation, Article 31-4, and the circular on that Act, 31-4-1). Turned the other way round, that means that if you cannot find the contract of sale from when you bought, the remaining 95% can fall to be taxed. Sell for JPY 50 million with the acquisition cost unknown and the acquisition cost is JPY 2.5 million, giving capital gains of JPY 47.5 million. Even at the long-term rate (income tax of 15.315% for a non-resident), the tax comes to over JPY 7 million. A single contract moves millions of yen. That is why the contract of sale from when you bought is the first thing we would have you look for as you prepare to leave. This article sets out what to gather
Does a tax agent in Japan need a qualification, and can a company act as one? — The notification you file by the day you leave
The law lays down no qualification for a tax agent in Japan (nozei kanrinin). Anyone with an address or a place of residence in Japan who is conveniently placed to handle the work may serve — an individual or a company (Act on General Rules for National Taxes, Article 117, paragraph 1; National Tax Agency, Taxanswer No.1923). File by the day you leave. The Income Tax Act defines "departure from Japan" as ceasing to have an address and a place of residence in Japan without having filed notification of a tax agent, so if you file, you have not made a "departure" for tax purposes and your final tax return for capital gains is due on the ordinary deadline, 16 February to 15 March of the following year. If you do not file, that year's return has to be completed by the time you leave — and the tax office can go further and designate your spouse, a relative or a business counterparty as your ta
Health Department Requirements to Verify Before Signing a Takeover Property Agreement – Avoiding "We Signed the Contract, But Permission Was Denied"
A second-hand ("inuki") restaurant space does not come with the previous operator’s food business licence. Since 13 December 2023 a transferee may succeed to the licence by notification, but only when the entire business is transferred; leasing the premises alone requires a new licence. This guide covers the facility standards under the Tokyo Food Sanitation Enforcement Ordinance, the relaxations for simple operations, and the filing deadlines with the fire department and police.
Selling an Inherited Vacant Home with the 30-Million-Yen Deduction: Counting Back from 31 December of Year Three
Japan’s 30-million-yen special deduction for an inherited vacant home must be used by 31 December of the year in which three years pass from the date of inheritance. The first constraint is not tax but how the property is used: renting it out even briefly, or letting an heir move in, disqualifies the deduction. The 2024 reform lets the buyer complete seismic retrofitting or demolition by 15 February of the following year, so contract design now affects the tax outcome directly.
Ten Moves for Overseas Postings and Returns — What Helped Most, and a Real Estate Agent in Bangkok
Counting a company-sponsored study abroad, I have moved ten times for overseas postings and returns to Japan. Honestly, most of them were miserable. But once, in Bangkok, something happened that I have never forgotten.
Inheriting the Family Home With Your Siblings──Why "Just Keep It in Joint Names for Now" Is the Riskiest Choice
When siblings inherit the family home as joint owners, selling or renting requires everyone's consent, and each new inheritance adds more co-owners. Here is how the three ways to divide it compare, and the steps from discussion to registration.
The Overseas Owner's Guide to Selling Japanese Real Estate ─ 5 Sale Methods Worth Knowing
This comprehensive guide explains the 5 primary methods by which non-resident owners can sell Japanese real estate, based on Japan MLIT's November 2025 data and industry observations. Of 308 units acquired by overseas residents in Tokyo's 23 Wards, Taiwan accounted for 192 units (over 62%). Covers the 10.21% withholding tax, capital gains tax rates (30.63% short-term, 15.315% long-term for non-residents), the 30-million-yen special deduction applicable to former residences, and the April 2026 FE
Former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Representative Ambassador Hiroyasu Izumi Appointed as Honorary Advisor to Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd.
Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kohinata, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo; Representative Director: Joji Uramatsu / https://luck428.com/) is pleased to announce the appointment of Hiroyasu Izumi (泉 裕泰), former Representative (Ambassador) of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office and current Senior Fellow of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, as Honorary Advisor to the company.
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