Can you give an overseas buyer the important-matters explanation online (IT jūsetsu)? Requirements under the Real Estate Brokerage Act and identity checks

In short: an online important-matters explanation (IT jūsetsu) for a buyer living abroad is allowed, including for sales. Japan's MLIT has put IT jūsetsu for real-estate sales into full operation since 30 March 2021, and overseas residents are covered. The pillars are (1) an environment where the transaction specialist and buyer can view documents and video and interact two-way; (2) the explanation documents delivered and received in advance; and (3) the real estate transaction specialist card presented on screen and confirmed visible. The important-matters statement (Art. 35 of the Real Estate Brokerage Act) and the Art. 37 document can be delivered electronically with the counterparty's consent (a reform in force 18 May 2022). Settle the identity check and the signature (certificate of signature) that stands in for a registered seal in advance.

Telling an overseas buyer "you cannot contract without coming to Japan" and watching the deal stall — a transaction held up by time difference and language is, today, avoidable as a matter of system. This article is for sellers and agents selling to buyers living abroad (foreign or Japanese) and for the Chinese-speaking professionals brokering locally: the IT-jūsetsu requirements, electronic delivery of documents, and identity checks for overseas residents, set out in order from the Real Estate Brokerage Act and MLIT's manual. The important-matters explanation itself is given by a real estate transaction specialist (our specialist). Translation, signature certification, registration and tax are each passed to a different professional (each an independent business entity, engaged separately). We do not judge the content of any particular contract.

Is IT jūsetsu allowed for a buyer living abroad?

The conclusion first: IT jūsetsu for a buyer living abroad is allowed, including for sales. MLIT put "online important-matters explanation (IT jūsetsu) for real-estate sales" into full operation on 30 March 2021, citing among its aims the reduced travel and cost burden for customers in remote or overseas locations (accessed 28 September 2026). IT jūsetsu for leasing had run earlier; sales entered full operation on that date.

The explanation of important matters is, under Article 35 of the Real Estate Brokerage Act, given by a real estate transaction specialist, who presents the specialist card and delivers a document (electronically with the counterparty's consent). IT jūsetsu only makes the "method of explanation" online; that the explainer is a transaction specialist and that the Art. 35 document is delivered are unchanged from an in-person explanation.

Even living abroad, the framework is the same. In practice, though, time difference, connection, identity check and how the documents are received weigh more than in person.

Issue	What matters most for an overseas buyer
Feasibility	IT jūsetsu for sales in full operation since 30 March 2021; overseas residents covered
Connection	Stable two-way video/audio; adjusting for the time difference
Receiving documents	Prior delivery of the explanation documents — international mail, or electronic delivery with consent
Identity check	Transaction-time verification under the anti-money-laundering law, by a non-face-to-face method

What makes IT jūsetsu valid (video/audio, prior delivery of documents)?

MLIT's IT-jūsetsu manual requires broadly the following of the agent (accessed 28 September 2026).

Requirement	Content
Two-way environment	Conduct it where the transaction specialist and the person receiving the explanation can view documents such as drawings and the video, and interact two-way
Prior delivery	The person receiving the explanation has received the important-matters statement and attachments in advance
Check before starting	The person can receive the explanation while checking the documents, and the specialist has confirmed the video/audio state before starting
Card presentation	The specialist presents the real estate transaction specialist card and confirms the person can see it on screen

The key points are "prior delivery" and "two-way." IT jūsetsu is not valid while the important-matters statement and drawings have not reached the buyer's hands. If video/audio drops or the card cannot be read, pause and switch to in person, or fix the environment. For overseas connections, decide in advance with buyer and seller how to handle a connection failure.

What do you need to deliver the Art. 35 statement and Art. 37 document electronically?

On document delivery, the amendment to the Real Estate Brokerage Act by the Act on Development of Related Acts to Form a Digital Society (Act No. 37 of 2021) is in force from 18 May 2022 (accessed 28 September 2026). It allows the following to be provided electronically with the counterparty's consent.

Document	Basis	Condition for electronic delivery
Important-matters statement	Art. 35	Electronic provision with the counterparty's consent
Contract-conclusion document (Art. 37 document)	Art. 37	Electronic provision with the counterparty's consent
Brokerage-contract document	Art. 34-2	Electronic provision with the counterparty's consent

Alongside this, the transaction specialist's seal was abolished, and the Art. 35 and Art. 37 documents now suffice with the specialist's name. For an overseas buyer where international mail takes days, electronic delivery is especially effective.

But note: electronic delivery and IT jūsetsu (video explanation) are separate systems. You may still post documents on paper while doing IT jūsetsu, and you may deliver documents electronically while explaining in person. Electronic delivery needs the counterparty's consent and has technical conditions, such as a method that lets the electronic record be output as a document. Which method to use is decided in advance to suit the buyer's environment (electronic signature, ability to receive PDFs). The items to confirm in the explanation itself are at key points of the important-matters explanation before introducing a Japanese income property to a Chinese-speaking buyer.

How are an overseas resident's identity check and signature certificate handled?

Where an overseas buyer differs most from an in-person deal is the identity check and the documents that stand in for a registered seal and seal certificate.

First, the identity check. A real estate agent is a specified business under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds (the AML law) and must perform transaction-time verification. In a non-face-to-face (online) case, you use the non-face-to-face methods set by the AML enforcement regulation — sending a copy of the identity document with non-forwardable mail, or an online-complete method. Because non-forwardable domestic mail may not work from abroad, confirm before the deal a method usable together with a passport or the like.

Second, the substitute for a registered seal and seal certificate. An overseas resident has no Japanese residence registration and cannot register a seal, so it is common to obtain a "certificate of signature" at a Japanese overseas mission (embassy/consulate general) to stand in for the registered seal and seal certificate. It is used for the ownership-transfer registration and for signing the contract. When signing within Japan, a notary's authentication of a private document is another route.

What to do	Who
Important-matters explanation and IT jūsetsu, delivery of Art. 35/Art. 37 documents, brokerage	Real estate agent (our transaction specialist)
Preparation of the foreign-language translation of the contract and important-matters statement	Administrative scrivener
Authentication of a private document (domestic) / certificate of signature (overseas, at the mission)	Notary office / overseas mission
Ownership-transfer registration	Judicial scrivener
Withholding on a purchase from a non-resident, and tax on overseas remittance	Tax accountant

What we do is the IT jūsetsu, delivery of documents and brokerage. Preparing the translation is the administrative scrivener's; authenticating the signature, the notary office/overseas mission's; registration, the judicial scrivener's; tax, the tax accountant's — each engaged by you directly. How to work with local Chinese-speaking professionals is at handling a Japanese property jointly with a Chinese-sphere real estate professional; property management for an owner living abroad is at managing Japanese property for an overseas-resident owner.

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How do you keep the work moving despite time difference and language?

Cross-border deals usually stall not on "system" but on "arrangements." Deciding in advance prevents delay.

Arrangement	What to decide
Schedule	IT-jūsetsu date/time allowing for the time difference; keep a backup day
Documents	Paper post or electronic delivery of the statement etc.; if electronic, obtain consent
Language	Whether translation is needed and by whom (administrative scrivener); share terms in advance
Identity check	AML non-face-to-face method; route to obtain the needed documents
Signature	Schedule to obtain the certificate of signature (overseas mission) / authentication (notary)
Settlement/registration	Remittance route and receipt confirmation, registration date with the judicial scrivener, withholding check with the tax accountant

The certificate of signature, registration and remittance take days at overseas missions and banks. Working back from the settlement date and running translation, identity check and the certificate of signature in parallel keeps the deal from stalling on time difference or language. Business and investment property in general is at investment and business real estate.

Who should you consult?

The important-matters explanation and IT jūsetsu, delivery of the Art. 35/Art. 37 documents, and property investigation, brokerage and the sale contract are handled by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate agent, Tokyo Governor (1) No. 113304). Preparation of the foreign-language translation of the contract and important-matters statement is handled by Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office. Authentication of a private document is by a notary office (a certificate of signature for an overseas resident, by the overseas mission); the ownership-transfer registration, by a judicial scrivener; withholding on a purchase from a non-resident and tax on overseas remittance, by a tax accountant.

These are independent business entities. You engage each directly. We neither pay nor accept referral fees or introduction commissions. The judicial scrivener for registration and the tax accountant for tax are each engaged by you directly. Consultation is free of charge.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I give an overseas buyer the important-matters explanation online without them coming to Japan?
A. Yes. MLIT has put IT jūsetsu for real-estate sales into full operation since 30 March 2021, and overseas residents are covered. The requirements include the real estate transaction specialist presenting the specialist card on screen, two-way video/audio interaction, and the buyer having received the important-matters statement etc. in advance. Arranging the time difference, connection and identity check in advance keeps it moving.

Q. Must the important-matters statement be posted on paper?
A. No. The Real Estate Brokerage Act amendment in force on 18 May 2022 allows the important-matters statement (Art. 35) and the Art. 37 document to be delivered electronically with the counterparty's consent. The transaction specialist's seal was also abolished; the name suffices. Electronic delivery is effective for overseas buyers where international mail takes days. But electronic delivery and IT jūsetsu are separate systems, and electronic delivery needs consent and technical conditions.

Q. An overseas buyer has no registered seal. What then?
A. An overseas resident with no Japanese residence registration cannot register a seal, so it is common to obtain a certificate of signature at a Japanese overseas mission (embassy/consulate general) to stand in for the registered seal and seal certificate. It is used for the ownership-transfer registration and for signing the contract. When signing within Japan, a notary's authentication of a private document is another route. Because it takes days, start early, working back from the settlement date. The registration itself is the judicial scrivener's.

Q. Will the real estate agent translate the contract and important-matters statement?
A. What we do is the important-matters explanation and IT jūsetsu, delivery of documents and brokerage. Preparing the foreign-language translation of the contract and important-matters statement is administrative-scrivener work, undertaken by Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office. Signature authentication is by the notary office/overseas mission; registration by the judicial scrivener; withholding on a purchase from a non-resident and tax on overseas remittance by the tax accountant. All are independent business entities, engaged directly.

Sources (primary)

• e-Gov "宅地建物取引業法" (Real Estate Brokerage Act) — Act No. 176 of 1952. Art. 35 (explanation of important matters — the transaction specialist presents the specialist card and delivers a document, electronically with the counterparty's consent); Art. 37 (delivery of the contract-conclusion document); Art. 34-2 (brokerage contract). The amendment by Act No. 37 of 2021 enabled electronic provision and abolished the specialist's seal, in force 18 May 2022. Accessed 28 September 2026.
• MLIT, "Full operation of online important-matters explanation (IT jūsetsu) for real-estate sales — starting 30 March 2021" — start of full operation of IT jūsetsu for sales and the implementation manual of matters agents must observe. Accessed 28 September 2026.
• MLIT, "Interpretation and operation of the Real Estate Brokerage Act" — the thinking on electronic provision of the Art. 35 and Art. 37 documents and on conducting IT jūsetsu. Accessed 28 September 2026.
• 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. Transaction-time verification duty of specified businesses (including real estate agents); non-face-to-face identity methods set by the enforcement regulation. Accessed 28 September 2026.
• MOFA, "Certificates at overseas missions (certificate of signature, etc.)" — guidance on the certificate of signature used by overseas residents in place of a registered seal and seal certificate. Accessed 28 September 2026.

The IT-jūsetsu requirements, the technical conditions for electronic delivery and the identity-check methods are set by MLIT's manual and amendments to the relevant laws, and by each firm's operation, and may change. This article does not assess any particular transaction. Confirm MLIT's latest manual and the relevant laws directly at the outset. Whether a certificate of signature, authentication, registration or withholding is required, and its procedure, vary with the property and the parties' residence and nationality; make the final confirmation with the overseas mission, notary office, judicial scrivener and tax accountant.

This article is general information. It does not judge or guarantee the feasibility of any particular contract, acceptance of an identity check, or tax treatment. The important-matters explanation and IT jūsetsu and the brokerage/sale contract are undertaken by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate agent); the foreign-language translation of the contract and important-matters statement, by Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office; registration by a judicial scrivener; tax by a tax accountant — independent business entities, engaged separately and directly. 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.