Inheritance procedures for digital assets: online banks, securities, crypto-assets and subscriptions

In short: "digital assets" such as online banks, online securities, crypto-assets and paid subscriptions are, in principle, subject to inheritance. From the time inheritance commences, an heir succeeds to all rights and duties belonging to the decedent's property (Article 896 of the Civil Code); where there are several heirs, the inherited property is co-owned (Article 898); and each heir succeeds to rights and duties in proportion to their share (Article 899). However, because no passbook or paper record remains, such assets are hard to discover, and even if you can withdraw a balance with a password, that alone does not complete the division of the estate or the inheritance-tax procedures. This article is general information organising how to identify digital assets, the procedures with each provider, the valuation and tax of crypto-assets, the cancellation of subscriptions and the division of roles; it does not make any individual legal judgement or determine any outcome.

Why do heirs find it hard to notice that digital assets exist?

Conventional assets can be noticed through the "paper trail" of passbooks, certificates and mail. Digital assets are often opened and traded entirely through electronic delivery, and because no paper arrives, they tend to be left untouched with the heirs unaware they even exist. The following can be clues.

Clue	Examples
Devices and apps	Bank, securities and crypto-asset apps on a smartphone or PC
Email	Emails with balance reports, execution notices and billing
Cards	Partner ATM cards and debit cards
Direct debits	Regular direct debits for subscriptions and cards from an existing account

If the decedent leaves a list of assets (service names and contacts) during their lifetime, the heirs' burden is greatly reduced. However, because writing down the passwords themselves risks information leakage, consider the method of safekeeping carefully. Within the scope of administrative-scrivener work, Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office supports preparing an asset inventory and a division-of-estate agreement based on the assets identified. For how to prepare an asset inventory, see also How to investigate inherited property and the asset inventory.

How do you check the balances of online banks and securities and change the name?

Online banks and online securities have inheritance procedures just like brick-and-mortar financial institutions. When an heir (or their agent) reports the fact of death to each company, the account is frozen and guidance on the prescribed inheritance procedure is sent.

Procedure	Content
Confirming the balance	Request from each company a balance certificate as of the date inheritance commenced
Required documents	The decedent's family register from birth to death, the heirs' family registers, a division-of-estate agreement or the statutory list of heirs, etc. (differs by company)
Name change / cancellation	Transfer to an account in the heir's name, or cancellation and refund

For securities accounts, the rule is a "transfer" that moves shares and investment trusts to an account in the heir's name; you normally cannot sell them while still in the decedent's name. The required documents differ by financial institution. Our office does not guarantee the outcome of a deposit refund or a securities transfer. If the heirs have not decided how to divide, first document the agreement using the approach in Can you prepare a division-of-estate agreement yourself?.

How do you identify and value crypto-assets as inherited property (who handles the tax)?

Crypto-assets are a property value defined in Article 2, paragraph 14 of the Payment Services Act, and are included in inherited property. An heir reports the death to the crypto-asset exchange service provider and identifies the balance (quantity) at the time inheritance commenced.

• Identification: obtain the balance and transaction history through the exchange provider's inheritance procedure. A self-custody wallet (one not routed through an exchange) may be effectively impossible to succeed to unless you know the private key or recovery phrase
• Valuation: for crypto-assets with an active market, the National Tax Agency's treatment is to value them based on the trading price at the time of taxation for inheritance tax
• Tax: the inheritance-tax valuation of crypto-assets, the decedent's quasi-final income-tax return (gains on sale in the year of death, etc.) and the income tax when the heir sells are the domain of a certified public tax accountant

Because inheritance is not a transfer, merely acquiring assets by inheritance is not subject to income tax; but because you succeed to the decedent's acquisition cost, tax arises when the heir later sells. A tax accountant judges the valuation and whether a filing is required. Our office does not give tax advice. For the overall picture of inheritance tax, see also Cases where an inheritance-tax filing is required.

How does cancelling subscriptions and paid accounts differ from inheritance procedures?

Paid subscriptions for video, music, cloud and apps may keep charging on auto-renewal after the subscriber's death. First, identify the contracts from the direct-debit account and card statements, and cancel in accordance with each service's terms.

Cancellation is a procedure to "stop a contract you will no longer use," which differs in nature from an inheritance procedure that "succeeds to property," such as changing the name on a deposit. The account itself is close to a contract that belonged exclusively to the decedent's person, and it usually ends with cancellation or withdrawal. However, the treatment of e-money balances, points and data such as photos in the cloud varies by the terms, so whether succession or a refund is possible must be checked for each service. Because continuing to let someone else log in with the deceased's ID may violate the terms, it is important to take the proper cancellation procedure.

Who handles identification, the agreement, tax and disputes?

Inheriting digital assets involves separate fields, from identification through division, tax and cancellation. The roles are as follows.

• Preparing an asset inventory and division-of-estate agreement for the assets identified → Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office (administrative scrivener)
• Procedures with each financial institution and exchange provider for balance confirmation, name change and cancellation → carried out by the heir in accordance with each provider's inheritance procedure
• Inheritance-tax valuation of crypto-assets, the quasi-final income-tax return, and income tax on sale → a certified public tax accountant
• Inheritance registration where the estate includes real estate → a judicial scrivener (outside the scope of this article)
• Negotiation, mediation and adjudication where there is a dispute among heirs → a lawyer

Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office is a separate business from Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. Each field is on the premise that you contract separately with each qualified professional as an independent business, and our office receives no referral fee. For consultations on selling or utilising real estate, go to The window for inheriting and selling real estate. For the flow of engagement, see Engagement Flow; for fees, see Fee Schedule; and for our inheritance services, see Inheritance Procedure Support.

FAQ

Q. If I know the deceased's password, may I withdraw money from the online bank?
A. Even if you can withdraw the balance with a password, that alone does not complete the inheritance procedure. Deposits are inherited property and are subject to division of the estate. If one heir withdraws and spends them alone, it may cause problems with the other heirs and may be treated as statutory simple acceptance. We recommend first reporting the death to the financial institution and taking the proper inheritance procedure.

Q. If I do not know whether there are crypto-assets, how should I search?
A. Trading apps on a smartphone or PC, transaction-notice emails, and records of deposits and withdrawals from an existing account to a crypto-asset exchange provider can be clues. Once the exchange provider is identified, the heir reports the death and makes a balance inquiry. A self-custody wallet may be impossible to succeed to unless you know the private key or recovery phrase.

Q. How are crypto-assets valued in an inheritance-tax filing?
A. For crypto-assets with an active market, the National Tax Agency's treatment is to value them based on the trading price at the time of taxation for inheritance tax. A tax accountant judges the valuation, whether a filing is required, and whether the decedent's quasi-final income-tax return is required. Our office does not give tax advice.

Q. Can an administrative scrivener handle the cancellation of paid subscriptions?
A. Cancellation is a procedure carried out by the heir in accordance with each service's terms, and differs in nature from an inheritance procedure that succeeds to property. Within the scope of administrative-scrivener work, our office supports listing the contracts identified and preparing documents showing the inheritance relationships needed for cancellation (a division-of-estate agreement, the statutory list of heirs, etc.). Whether it is possible in a given case depends on each service's terms.

Sources (Primary Information)

• e-Gov Law Search, "Civil Code" (Act No. 89 of 1896), Articles 896, 898 and 899 (accessed 2026-09-11)
• e-Gov Law Search, "Payment Services Act" (Act No. 59 of 2009), Article 2, paragraph 14 (definition of crypto-assets) (accessed 2026-09-11)
• National Tax Agency, "On the tax treatment of crypto-assets, etc. (FAQ)" and the treatment of property valuation (valuation of crypto-assets with an active market) (accessed 2026-09-11)
• Japanese Bankers Association, "Documents required for the inheritance of deposits" and other guidance on inheritance procedures (accessed 2026-09-11)
• Guidance on inheritance procedures from each crypto-asset exchange provider, online bank and online securities firm (accessed 2026-09-11)

This article is general information and does not guarantee the outcome of any individual inheritance procedure, the required documents, the valuation of crypto-assets, the amount of tax, or whether cancellation or succession is possible for a given service. The procedures of each financial institution, exchange provider and service are carried out by the heir in accordance with each one's guidance. The inheritance-tax valuation, quasi-final income-tax return and income tax of crypto-assets are handled by a certified public tax accountant; inheritance registration where the estate includes real estate by a judicial scrivener; and disputes among heirs by a lawyer, each as an independent business under a separate contract. Our office receives no referral fee. Individual judgements are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu, administrative scrivener and licensed real estate broker.