COLUMN
Column
Housing tips for international residents, rental & sales knowledge, Bunkyo-ku area information, and more.
Useful real estate insights delivered to you.
Can you give an overseas buyer the important-matters explanation online (IT jūsetsu)? Requirements under the Real Estate Brokerage Act and identity checks
An online important-matters explanation (IT jūsetsu) for a buyer living abroad is allowed, including for sales. Japan's MLIT put IT jūsetsu for sales into full operation on 30 March 2021, and overseas residents are covered. The pillars are a two-way video/audio environment, prior delivery and receipt of the explanation documents, and on-screen presentation of the transaction-specialist card. The Art. 35 statement and the Art. 37 document can be delivered electronically with the counterparty's consent (in force 18 May 2022). A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out the requirements and identity checks.
What premises does an adult day-care (day service) need? Function-training room, bathing, and parking for the pick-up vehicles
For a day-service (adult day-care) business, four things matter first: whether the use zone allows it (under the Building Standards Act it is treated like an elderly-welfare facility within "child-welfare facilities," so it is buildable outside industrial-exclusive zones); whether the dining room plus function-training room can reach 3 m² × the user capacity (Art. 95 of the designated in-home service standard, MHW Ordinance No. 37 of 1999); a rest room, consultation room and office, plus a bathing facility if you provide bathing assistance; and the parking and drop-off flow for pick-up vehicles. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out what to confirm before you sign.
Choosing premises for a veterinary clinic — the Veterinary Care Act's facility and structural requirements
For a veterinary clinic (a treatment facility where a vet practises), three things matter first: whether the use zone allows an "animal hospital" (under the Building Standards Act it is often treated like a shop, not a human clinic, so residential-only zones restrict it); whether the premises can meet the Veterinary Care Act's structural standards (disinfection, escape-prevention, isolation of infectious cases, water-resistant walls and floor if you operate, cold storage if you dispense); and whether drainage, soundproofing and odour will clash with neighbours. The opening notification (Art. 3) is filed within 10 days after opening. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out what to confirm before you sign.
Raising inheritance-tax cash by selling inherited property — a schedule counted back from the 10-month deadline
To raise inheritance-tax cash by selling inherited property, the starting point is the filing and payment deadline — 10 months from the day after you learn the inheritance has begun (Inheritance Tax Act Arts. 27 and 33). Counted back, only about half a year is really left for the sale itself. The order is registration → appraisal and listing → sale contract → settlement and tax payment; registration goes to a judicial scrivener, tax and exemptions to a tax accountant, division disputes to a lawyer. A sale within about 3 years and 10 months can use the acquisition-cost add-back (Special Taxation Measures Act Art. 39); if 10 months is not enough, deferred payment or payment-in-kind are options.
What should you check in a property for opening a craft-beer brewery (liquor manufacturing)?
For a property to open a craft-beer brewery, four things bite first: the use district (a brewery is a 'factory' under the Building Standards Act), the building side (floor loading, ceiling height, electrical capacity, cold/storage zones), brewing wastewater (high BOD; a designated facility under the Water Pollution Control Law plus sewerage rules), and the minimum production quantity for the liquor manufacturing licence (60 kL/year for beer, 6 kL/year for happoshu). A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo explains.
Is it better to give up inherited land to the State treasury, or to sell it?
To let go of inherited land you have no use for, there are two routes: have the State take it (the inherited-land escheat system) or sell it on the market. Escheat costs a screening fee of 14,000 yen per parcel and, if approved, a contribution of 200,000 yen in principle — it is a system where you 'pay to give up.' If the land can be sold, money is left in hand instead. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo lays the two side by side.
How far can you choose a property for a game arcade / amusement facility? (Entertainment Business Act, category 5)
A game arcade is a 'category-5 business' (amusement arcade) under the Entertainment Business Act, and where you can place it is narrowed twice over: by the building-standard zoning, and by the prefectural ordinance under Article 4(2) that sets no-go areas and distances from protected facilities. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out what can be checked before you sign.
I inherited land my parent had lent for free (a 'loan for use') — where do I start to sell it?
When you inherit land your parent lent for free, first grasp the difference between a loan for use (gratuitous) and a lease (for rent). A loan for use is not protected by the Land and Building Lease Act and ends in principle on the borrower's death (Civil Code Art. 597(3)); but a lender's death does not end it — the heirs succeed to the lender's position (Art. 896). A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo explains.
Opening a laundry (cleaning establishment): what to check in the property's zoning and structural equipment
A property for a laundry that receives and washes clothing is narrowed first by zoning and by the structural-equipment standards. A general cleaning establishment that installs powered washers is usually treated as a 'factory using a motor' under the Building Standards Act — different from an unmanned coin laundry or a mere pick-up counter. Opening requires the notification under Article 5(1) of the Laundry Business Act and the pre-use inspection under Article 5-2. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out what can be checked before you sign.
Compensatory division — dividing inherited real estate without selling: how to set the valuation, and is a sale needed?
Where one heir takes the inherited property and pays the others cash to settle up, that is compensatory division. The key points: the taker can keep the property without selling if they can raise the compensation; the amount is agreed among the heirs, usually on the market value; and the inheritance-tax base is adjusted against the inheritance-tax valuation (National Tax Agency Q&A No. 4173). A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out how to decide the valuation and whether a sale is needed.
How do you search for a property that handles hazardous materials (service station, hazardous-materials warehouse)?
A property that handles hazardous materials — petrol, paint, solvents, fuel — is governed first by how much you handle. The dividing line is the designated quantity: at or above it you need a mayoral installation permit and completion inspection (Fire Service Act Art. 11); one-fifth up to that quantity needs only a small-quantity notification under the municipal fire-prevention ordinance. Three things matter for the property: use-zone, structure/safety distance/clear space, and, for a former service station, underground tanks and soil. A licensed real estate agent in Bunkyo, Tokyo explains.
An old mortgage still sits on the property you inherited — how do you clear it and sell?
Even with an old mortgage left on inherited real estate, you can sell it — but buyers and banks want delivery free of the security, so clearing it is part of the sale plan. A mortgage that survives despite full repayment does so because cancellation is not automatic; you must apply with the documents the bank handed over, and that was left undone. The cancellation registration is by a judicial scrivener (registration is their exclusive work); we do not act on registration. When the creditor company has vanished, the dormant-security cancellation of Real Property Registration Act Art. 70 and 70-2 (in force 1 April 2023) uses deposit or a 30-year lapse. A licensed real estate agent in Bunkyo, Tokyo explains.
Can a construction or trucking business secure a materials yard or garage in an urbanisation control area or on farmland?
A cheap plot on the edge of town is often in an urbanisation control area or is farmland, and the trouble surfaces after you sign. The procedure turns entirely on two things — whether you build anything on it, and whether the land category is farmland. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out what you can check before signing.
How do you sell an inherited house or flat on a fixed-term (general definite) land lease?
An inherited house or flat on a general definite land lease can be sold, but unlike an ordinary lease it is not renewed — at the end of the term the building is, in principle, demolished and the land returned bare. The shorter the remaining term, the harder the sale and the lower the price. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets it out from the statutes.
How do overseas Chinese-speaking heirs sell co-owned Japanese real estate? Shares, powers of attorney and local notarisation
When several heirs in Taiwan, Hong Kong or mainland China co-own inherited Japanese real estate, selling the whole needs every co-owner's consent (Civil Code Art. 251(1)). A share alone can be sold without the others' consent, but its price tends to fall. Overseas heirs use a signature certificate from a Japanese consulate in place of a seal certificate, with local notarisation and consular authentication layered on. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo explains.
What does a property for industrial-waste transfer and storage require? Use-zone, enclosure and scatter-prevention
A base for the transfer and storage of industrial waste is not just a warehouse or yard you rent. Three things matter for the property: the use-zone (a building on it is subject to Building Standards Act Art. 48 and Appended Table 2 — quasi-industrial, industrial and exclusive-industrial zones fit); an enclosure and a sign of about 60 cm on each side; and the storage cap (seven days of the average daily outflow) with height limits. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo explains.
Can inherited productive green land be sold? Specified productive green land, the buy-out request and the road to sale
Inherited productive green land can be sold, but the road differs from ordinary residential land. It carries restrictions on building and land preparation. The keys are whether it has moved to specified productive green land or the restriction has lifted (30 years / de-designation); the buy-out request to the mayor (Productive Green Land Act Art. 10); and whether inheritance-tax deferral (Special Taxation Measures Act Art. 70-6) applies. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo explains.
What kind of property can you open a coin laundry in? Use zoning, drainage and utilities
A coin laundry is first narrowed down by use zoning. An unmanned self-service laundry is usually treated as a 'service-industry shop' under the Building Standards Act, but the motor output of the machines can make it a 'factory,' barring residential-only zones. What really decides a property is zoning plus water supply/drainage, electrical and gas capacity, and lint-fire prevention. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out what to confirm before you sign.
How do you sell an inherited flag-shaped lot or a landlocked plot?
An inherited flag-shaped lot or a landlocked plot is not unsellable, but whether it can be rebuilt on decides the buyers and the price. Article 43 of the Building Standards Act requires the site to front a road for at least 2 metres. Even where frontage falls short, there are routes — certification/permission under Article 43(2), buying adjacent land, and building a position-designated road. A licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo sets out the order to confirm before you sell.
How do you check the legal compliance of an income building without an inspection certificate? Pre-acquisition due diligence for overseas property professionals
An income building without an inspection certificate can still be traded, but you need to check its legal compliance (conformity with the Building Standards Act) before acquiring. The certificate is proof of passing the completion inspection (Building Standards Act Art. 7); its absence does not itself mean illegality. Existing-nonconforming (Art. 3(2)) is lawful; a code-violating building is not. Written by a licensed real estate agent and administrative scrivener in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
Feel free to reach out for a consultation
Questions about our column articles are also welcome.
It's fine to start with just one line: “What should I do with this?”
Our representative replies to you personally, and if a property matches your needs, we will introduce it via LINE.
LINE connects you directly to our representative, Joji Uramatsu. Messages are accepted 24/7 and answered in order.
5 min walk from Myogadani Sta. (Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line)｜10:00–18:00 (Closed Tue & Wed)