Can a non-resident buyer from Greater China get an apartment loan for a Japanese income property?

In short: when a non-resident from Greater China (China or Taiwan) living abroad buys a Japanese income property, domestic apartment loans and proper loans often require, at the time of borrowing, a Japanese address (resident registration), permanent residence, or a Japanese guarantor — so a non-resident acting alone has limited options. Whether a loan is possible, and on what terms, is each financial institution's own decision on its own examination; we cannot state "you can" or "you cannot." Cash settlement is therefore the mainstay, and the key is to time the settlement date backwards from when an overseas remittance clears. Loan approval belongs to each financial institution, remittance and foreign-currency matters to your bank, withholding, tax returns and the tax agent to a licensed tax accountant and the tax office, residence status to an administrative scrivener, and registration to a judicial scrivener — each engaged as an independent business entity, separately. We (Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd.) confine ourselves to information on the investigation, brokerage and sale contract of the property.

This article is for non-resident investors from mainland China and Taiwan who want to buy a whole-building or unit income property in Japan, and for the local asset advisers (professionals) who support that investment. The final judgment on financing goes to each financial institution; remittance, foreign-currency matters and tax to your bank and a tax accountant; the tax agent to a tax accountant and the tax office; residence status to an administrative scrivener. We confine ourselves to information on the practice of acquiring the property; these are engaged as independent business entities, separately.

Can a non-resident get an investment-property loan from a Japanese financial institution?

You cannot say flatly "yes" or "no." The requirements differ by institution, and approval is its own call on its own examination.

Generally, domestic apartment loans and proper loans often require, at the time of borrowing, one of the following. A non-resident living abroad without a Japanese address who does not meet these, acting alone, has few lenders.

What lenders tend to require	For a non-resident living abroad, acting alone
A Japanese address (resident registration) and residence status	No resident registration; hard to meet
Permanent residence or a long residence record	A non-resident often does not hold it
Stable domestic income and a filing record	Hard to show without domestic income
A guarantor living in Japan	Approval turns on whether one can be arranged

On the other hand, there are paths such as setting up a company (asset-management company) in Japan and examining financing with that company and a domestic officer/guarantee, or using a home-country bank's Japan-facing services. But these too are each lender's call, and the terms change year to year. We do not name specific institutions or assert that "you can borrow with this product." Always confirm feasibility with each financial institution yourself. The dividing line between company and individual holding is set out in holding an income property through a company or as an individual.

If a loan is hard, what is the order for a cash settlement?

In non-resident deals, cash settlement (a lump-sum settlement without a loan) is the mainstay. The order is this.

1. Offer and conclusion of the sale contract; a deposit is paid at contract (the nature of a Japanese deposit differs from the home country's).
2. At the sale contract, the licensed real estate agent conducts identity confirmation at the time of the transaction.
3. On settlement day, the balance is paid and the ownership transfer is registered (judicial scrivener) simultaneously.
4. Keys and documents are handed over at settlement.

With cash settlement there is no loan examination, so the process moves fast. But where the purchase funds are sent from abroad, the time to clear governs the settlement schedule (next section). Terms in the contract that are easy to misread — deposit, financing contingency, non-conformity — are set out in contract clauses buyers stumble over.

How does remitting the purchase funds from abroad change the settlement schedule?

An overseas remittance, unlike a domestic transfer, can take several days or more to clear. The main reasons are these.

Why a remittance takes time	Effect on settlement
Compliance checks by the sending and receiving banks (source-of-funds checks, etc.)	A late clearance may miss settlement day
Currency exchange and rate fixing	The amount needed against a yen-denominated settlement moves
Home-country limits on remittance amounts and frequency (varies by country)	May have to be split rather than sent at once
Passage through intermediary banks	The clearing date becomes hard to read

For this reason the key is to start the remittance with time to spare, counting back from settlement day. If it does not clear by settlement day, there is a risk of delay or, in some cases, contract cancellation and loss of the deposit. Whether a remittance can be made, how many days it takes, and any limit are matters of your bank and the home-country rules; we help from the property side, adjusting the settlement schedule. The judgment on foreign-currency matters and remittance itself belongs to your bank and a tax accountant.

What identity, residence and tax-agent documents should a non-resident prepare?

In a non-resident deal, documents that stand in for a Japanese residence certificate and seal certificate must be assembled in the home country.

First, a licensed real estate agent is a specified business operator under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds and, in concluding a sale contract, has a duty of identity confirmation at the time of the transaction (identifying matters, the purpose of the transaction, the beneficial owner, and so on — Article 4). For a non-resident, in addition to identity documents such as a passport, a document proving the home-country address is needed.

At registration, in place of a Japanese seal certificate, a signature certificate and address certificate issued by a home-country notary or the like is generally used. These take time to obtain, so early preparation is key. The registration application is handled by a judicial scrivener.

On tax, a non-resident earning rent from Japanese real estate must file a tax return, and a person with no domicile or residence in Japan appoints and notifies a tax agent to file (Act on General Rules for National Taxes, Article 117). Whether the tax agent needs a qualification, and whether a company can serve, is set out in does a tax agent need a qualification.

Situation	Documents / steps likely needed	Who
Sale contract (identity confirmation)	Passport etc., home-country address proof, purpose check	Licensed real estate agent (us)
Ownership transfer registration	Home-country notarised signature and address certificate	Judicial scrivener
Filing for rent income	Notification of a tax agent (Act on General Rules for National Taxes Art. 117)	Tax accountant / tax office
Living in Japan to run a business	Residence-status application	Administrative scrivener

Loan examination, remittance, tax — who do you ask?

A non-resident's purchase of an income property overlaps several professionals' fields. The roles divide like this.

What you are asking	Who
Loan feasibility, terms, examination	Each financial institution
Overseas remittance, currency exchange, remittance limits	Your bank (home-country and Japan side)
Rent withholding, tax return, tax agent, foreign-currency tax	Tax accountant / tax office
Reporting the real-estate acquisition under the Foreign Exchange Act	The person / a resident agent (see below)
Residence status and documents to public authorities	Administrative scrivener
Ownership transfer registration	Judicial scrivener
Investigation, brokerage, sale contract of the property	Licensed real estate agent (us)

On rent-income tax, if the tenant is a company or renting for a business purpose, in principle 20.42% is withheld from the rent paid (Income Tax Act Article 212 (1) and Article 213 (1); not required, under Order Article 328, where the tenant is an individual renting for their own or a relative's residence). The practical flow is in how non-resident rent is withheld. In future, a buyer purchasing from a non-resident must in principle withhold 10.21% of the transfer consideration (Income Tax Act Article 161, paragraph 1, item 5, etc.). The judgment on these tax amounts is the tax accountant's.

Under the Foreign Exchange Act, when a non-resident acquires real property (or a right relating to it) in Japan, they must in principle, within 20 days of acquisition, submit through the Bank of Japan to the Minister of Finance a "Report on the acquisition of real property in Japan or a right relating to it." Under the reporting-ordinance amendment in force from 1 April 2026 (Reiwa 8), acquisitions dated on or after that day are in principle subject to reporting regardless of the purpose of acquisition, and the counterparty (resident or non-resident), the purpose of acquisition, and the real-property number were added to the reportable items. Confirm the latest scope of any exemption with the guidance of the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan. The overall picture of the Foreign Exchange Act report is in the Foreign Exchange Act real-estate acquisition report.

This division is not a single firm taking everything. Each is engaged as an independent business entity, separately. We neither pay nor accept referral fees or introduction commissions. We handle only the real estate side — the investigation, brokerage and sale contract of the property — and proceed on the basis that loan feasibility, remittance and tax are always confirmed with each financial institution, your bank and a tax accountant. Commercial and investment property generally is set out in investment and commercial property.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I get a loan for an income property from a Japanese bank while living abroad?
A. Lenders are limited. Domestic apartment loans and proper loans often require a Japanese address (resident registration), permanent residence, or a Japanese guarantor, which a non-resident living abroad struggles to meet acting alone. Whether it is possible, and on what terms, is each institution's own decision on its own examination; we cannot state it. Always confirm with each financial institution.

Q. If I buy in cash, what is the single most important thing at settlement?
A. The timing of the overseas remittance. Sending funds from abroad takes time — compliance checks, passage through intermediary banks — and if it does not clear by settlement day there is a risk of delay, contract cancellation and loss of the deposit. Start the remittance with time to spare, counting back from settlement day. Whether it can be sent, any limit, and the days it takes are matters of your bank and the home-country rules.

Q. When a non-resident buys, is a Foreign Exchange Act report required?
A. In principle yes. When a non-resident acquires Japanese real property, they submit a report within 20 days of acquisition through the Bank of Japan to the Minister of Finance. Under the reporting-ordinance amendment in force from 1 April 2026 (Reiwa 8), acquisitions dated on or after that day are in principle subject to reporting regardless of purpose. Confirm the latest scope of any exemption with the Ministry of Finance and Bank of Japan guidance. Note that "non-resident" is judged by address, not nationality.

Q. What taxes arise on rent and on sale?
A. Rent income is real-estate income requiring a tax return, and if the tenant is a company or renting for a business purpose, in principle 20.42% is withheld from the rent (Income Tax Act Arts. 212, 213). In future, a buyer purchasing from a non-resident in principle has a duty to withhold 10.21% of the transfer consideration (Income Tax Act Art. 161 (1) item 5, etc.). A person with no address in Japan also needs to notify a tax agent (Act on General Rules for National Taxes Art. 117). Confirm the tax amounts with a tax accountant.

Sources (primary)

• e-Gov "犯罪による収益の移転防止に関する法律" (Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds) — Act No. 22 of 2007. Art. 2, a licensed real estate agent is a specified business operator; Art. 4, identity confirmation at the time of the transaction (identifying matters, purpose, beneficial owner, etc.). Accessed 8 September 2026.
• e-Gov "所得税法" (Income Tax Act) — Act No. 33 of 1965. Art. 161 (1) item 5, consideration for the transfer of land etc. in Japan as domestic source income, and item 7, consideration for the lease of real estate; Art. 212 (1), withholding obligation on payment to a non-resident; Art. 213 (1), rate. Accessed 8 September 2026.
• NTA Tax Answer No. 2880, "When you pay rent for real estate to a non-resident" — rent withholding of 20.42%, the residence exception, payment by the 10th of the following month. Accessed 8 September 2026. / NTA Tax Answer No. 2879, "Withholding when acquiring land etc. from a non-resident" — 10.21% withholding of the transfer consideration and the exception for 100 million yen or less / own residence. Accessed 8 September 2026.
• e-Gov "国税通則法" (Act on General Rules for National Taxes) — Act No. 66 of 1962. Art. 117, appointment and notification of a tax agent for a person with no domicile or residence in Japan. Accessed 8 September 2026.
• Ministry of Finance, overview of the "Report on the acquisition of real property in Japan or a right relating to it" — under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, a non-resident's acquisition of real property etc. is reported within 20 days of acquisition through the Bank of Japan to the Minister of Finance. Under the reporting-ordinance amendment in force from 1 April 2026 (Reiwa 8), acquisitions dated on or after that day are in principle subject to reporting regardless of purpose, with the counterparty, the purpose, and the real-property number added to the reportable items. Accessed 8 September 2026.

Whether a loan is possible and on what terms is each financial institution's own decision on its own examination. This article does not guarantee the availability of any specific institution or product. Whether an overseas remittance can be made, any limit, and the days it takes depend on your bank and the home-country rules. Always confirm the need for, and the latest scope of any exemption from, the Foreign Exchange Act report with the Ministry of Finance and Bank of Japan guidance. Rent withholding, tax returns, withholding on sale, and the tax-agent judgment belong to a licensed tax accountant; residence status and documents for public authorities to an administrative scrivener; the ownership transfer registration to a judicial scrivener. We confine ourselves to information on acquiring and brokering the property.

This article is general information. It does not advise on or guarantee any individual financing, tax or investment decision. Property investigation, brokerage and sale or lease contracts are undertaken by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate agent); the preparation of documents for submission to public authorities is undertaken by Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office — two independent business entities, engaged separately. Tax belongs to a licensed tax accountant, registration to a judicial scrivener, disputes to an attorney. We neither pay nor accept referral fees.

About the author

Joji Uramatsu — licensed real estate transaction specialist (Tokyo Governor registration No. 293544) and administrative scrivener (registration No. 25087022). Representative Director, Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate agent, Tokyo Governor (1) No. 113304); principal, Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office. Kohinata, Bunkyo, Tokyo, about five minutes' walk from Myogadani station. Property and paperwork are put on the same table. Full profile: author page.