Tokyo Real Estate News & Information

How to select an Earthquake-Resistant Building - Quake-proof Capability and Value of Real Estate

When purchasing real estate in Japan, an earthquake-prone country, many people may be concerned about the risk of building collapse and damage due to earthquakes. Especially in recent years, we have experienced major earthquakes such as the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and the Kumamoto Ear…

Buying Japanese Property from Overseas

For foreigners wanting to purchase real estate property in Japan–but do not live in Japan–it can be very difficult to deal with the various procedures required to purchase property within the period of their stay in Japan. Such procedures include the previewing of properties (houses), applying for…

What is Real Estate Notary? Real Estate Agent License in Japan

Real estate companies in Japan have staff who with the national qualification called Real Estate Notary / Real Estate Transaction Agent（宅地建物取引士）, more than 1 out of 5 of all employees. Those who are qualified as Real Estate Notary have a broad knowledge of real estate transactions and should, by al…

Webinar Announcement: How to Get a Housing Loan in Japan

On August 20 (Saturday), 2022 at 11:00 AM, Kenji Kubo of PLAZA HOMES, Ltd. will give a talk on "How to Get a Housing Loan in Japan: Guide for Home Buyers" at an online seminar hosted by Real Estate Japan. Content of the Lecture Interest RateTax Benefits and deductionsHow to buy a home in JapanPrope…

Earthquake Countermeasures for Buildings in Japan

In earthquake-prone Japan, we have been working on earthquake countermeasures for buildings for many years based on past earthquake experiences. Currently, huge earthquakes such as a Nankai Trough Earthquake and Tokyo Inland Earthquake are predicted throughout Japan. The Japanese Government is prom…

Capital Gains Tax when Selling Property in Japan

Here we would like to provide some guidance regarding what taxes are involved when selling your real estate property in Japan. When you have income from selling a real estate property–which is called “capital gains”–a national and local (inhabitant) income tax may be imposed on it. These taxation r…

Land Use Zones under the City Planning Law in Japan

Land Use Zones (用途地域) are areas that are regulated under the City Planning Law (都市計画法) and designates the possible usage of land and properties in that area. This system is to realize an effective placement of buildings in accord with each area environment, avoiding mixed and disorderly land usage…

Floor-Area Ratio (FAR) and Building Coverage Ratio (BCR) in Japan

Land Use Zones restricts the use of buildings in each categorized zone; it also controls volume and height of buildings by Floor-Area Ratio (FAR) and Building Coverage Ratio (BCR) in each zone.What size and height of the building you can build depends on FAR and BCR of the land property and this al…

The Services Provided by Judicial Scriveners in Japan

A judicial scrivener is a legal professional who assists clients with real estate registration procedures, and provides other various services for representing clients during real estate transactions. Keeping a close contact with our everyday life, a judicial scrivener’s role is to protect the prop…

Foreigner’s Inheritance Measures - 5 Advantages to making a will in Japan

These days, more and more foreigners are becoming owners of real estate property in Japan. If they have Japanese spouses, their spouses may have explained to them how the inheritance system in Japan works. However, as most foreign owners bought their real estate properties in Japan not to use as th…