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Useful information on subsidies, visas, company formation, and other legal topics.
Delivered in an easy-to-understand manner from the perspective of an administrative scrivener.
What can a post-death affairs mandate contract entrust?
A post-death affairs mandate contract entrusts, in your lifetime, the affairs that arise after you die — funeral, interment, administrative procedures, cancelling contracts. This article organises what it can entrust, how it differs from a will and a voluntary guardianship, the notarial deed and cost deposit, and the division of roles.
Obtaining a secondhand-goods dealer permit: what the premises need
To trade in secondhand goods as a business, you need a public safety commission permit under Article 3 of the Secondhand Goods Business Act. This article organises the premises requirements, the documents for a leased property, the manager, the URL notification and who handles each part.
Serving alcohol after midnight: what notification do you need?
To serve alcohol as your main business between midnight and 6 a.m., you must notify the public safety commission under Article 33 of the Entertainment Business Act. This article organises the notification, land-use zoning, premises standards and how it divides from the restaurant permit and the lease.
How do you obtain a permit for industrial waste collection and transport? Disqualifications, the course and depot requirements
To collect and transport another party's industrial waste as a business, you need a prefectural governor's permit under Article 14 of the Waste Management Act. This article organises the requirements, disqualifications, the JW Center course, transfer-storage sites, per-prefecture permits and renewal.
Whom do you consult after a funeral? The division of roles between the funeral company, the ward office and the administrative scrivener, and the 7-day, 14-day and 2-year deadlines
After a funeral the counters are divided. Funeral arrangements belong to the funeral company; death notification, the cremation permit, the household change notification and funeral benefits belong to the municipal counter; preparation of inheritance documents belongs to an administrative scrivener. This article separates who to consult, and distinguishes procedures that have a statutory deadline from those that do not.
Property still in a grandparent's name: how to write the estate division agreement in a sequential inheritance
Property left registered in a grandparent's name is treated as a 'sequential inheritance.' This article organises who signs the estate division agreement, whether the middle inheritance can be omitted in registration, how far back to gather family registers, and what changes for registration and inheritance tax.
Designation application for after-school day service and child development support: the flow and required documents
After-school day service and child development support are disability children day services under the Child Welfare Act, and starting one requires designation as a designated day-service business (Article 21-5-3). This article explains the flow of the designation application, the required documents, and who to ask for premises, labour and tax.
Statutory heirs and statutory shares: inheritance order, inheritance by representation and the basic shares
The range of heirs and their order of priority are fixed by the Civil Code, and the spouse is always an heir apart from the order. This article explains the order of succession, inheritance by representation and further representation, the shares of half-blood siblings, the spouse and de facto spouse, and the basic statutory shares.
What is the certified list of statutory heirs? A system usable in place of a bundle of family registers, and how to apply
The certified list of statutory heirs lists the statutory heirs identified from the family registers. Under the statutory inheritance information certification system, an application to the Legal Affairs Bureau yields a certified copy. This article explains how it differs from a diagram of the inheritance relationship, how to apply, the five-year retention and re-issue, and what an administrative scrivener can handle.
Can you prepare an estate division agreement yourself? Required documents, key drafting points and what an administrative scrivener can handle
An estate division agreement documents what all the heirs have agreed about how to divide the estate. This article explains how it differs from a certified list of statutory heirs, how to use a registered seal and a seal certificate, and what an administrative scrivener can and cannot do.
Holograph wills vs notarised wills: the differences, procedures and what an administrative scrivener can handle
A holograph will and a notarised will differ in form, whether probate is required, and cost. Under current law a holograph will must be entirely handwritten and sealed. This article also covers the Legal Affairs Bureau custody system begun in 2020, the digitalisation of notarial practice in 2025, and the 2026 amendments that are promulgated but not yet in force.
Designation for daily-life care (disability welfare): what the premises must meet
Daily-life care is a disability welfare service under the Comprehensive Support for Persons with Disabilities Act, and starting one requires designation as a designated disability welfare service provider (Article 36). This article organises the designation standards, the premises requirements, and who to ask for building, labour and tax.
Where to start with an inheritance: gathering family registers and identifying heirs in Bunkyo
In the early stages of an inheritance procedure in Japan, the key is to confirm who the heirs are and what assets exist. This article explains how to proceed with heir identification and asset investigation, the wide-area family register certificate delivery that began in 2024, and what an administrative scrivener can handle.
What to know before considering renunciation of inheritance or qualified acceptance: three months, estate investigation and the procedure
There are three choices for an inheritance: unconditional acceptance, renunciation and qualified acceptance. The period for renunciation or qualified acceptance is in principle three months from when the heir became aware that inheritance had commenced for him or her. This article explains the differences, the effect of renunciation, the continuing liquidation procedure of qualified acceptance and the division of work among specialists.
What is the legally reserved portion? Eligible heirs, shares, the one-year period and a claim for the legally reserved portion
The legally reserved portion is the minimum benefit guaranteed by law for certain heirs other than siblings. For inheritances commencing on or after 1 July 2019, a claim can be made for payment of money equivalent to the infringed amount. This article explains the basics, eligible heirs, shares and the one-year period.
What to do when heirs cannot agree: the flow of estate division conciliation and adjudication, and when to consult an attorney
If co-heirs cannot reach an estate division agreement, estate division conciliation or adjudication at the Family Court can be used. Estate division conciliation aims at agreement through discussion. If conciliation fails, estate division adjudication proceedings automatically begin. This article explains the flow and the division of work among specialists.
Inheritance when an heir lives overseas or is a foreign national: required documents, signature certification and what an administrative scrivener can handle
Living overseas and holding foreign nationality are not the same problem. Overseas residence mainly raises issues of a seal certificate, signature certification, address proof and document delivery; foreign nationality adds proof of family relationships and, if the deceased was foreign, the applicable law (national law and renvoi). This article explains the difference between mainland China and Taiwan and the scope of an administrative scrivener.
A guide to inheritance procedure deadlines: three months, four months, ten months, three years and ten years
Inheritance procedures involve several deadlines, including renunciation or qualified acceptance, the final income tax return for the deceased, inheritance tax, inheritance registration and a claim for the legally reserved portion. This article explains each deadline, its starting point and what an administrative scrivener can handle.
What if an heir has dementia, is missing, or is a minor? Choosing between adult guardianship, an administrator for an absentee and a special representative
Estate division discussion is a procedure in which the co-heirs are the parties. If an heir lacks sufficient capacity, is missing or is a minor, the discussion cannot proceed without them, and the Family Court procedures come first. This article organises adult guardianship, the administrator of an absentee's property, adjudication of disappearance and the special representative, with statutory bases, costs and the division of work among specialists.
Inherited farmland requires a notification to the agricultural committee: the procedure under Article 3-3 of the Agricultural Land Act
When you acquire farmland by inheritance, a notification to the agricultural committee is required separately from the ordinary inheritance procedure. Under Article 3-3 of the Agricultural Land Act, notify within roughly ten months. This article explains the deadline, documents, penalties and the order relative to registration, tax and sale.
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