Inheritance & Wills

Inheritance in Japan, handled with care.

After a family member dies, the procedures cover a great deal of ground: collecting family register (koseki) records, confirming who the heirs are, investigating the assets, transferring them into the heirs' names, and more. As Administrative Scriveners (licensed specialists in official documents and procedures), we focus on the paperwork and procedures within our remit, while helping you keep the whole process in order.

Book a free consultation

Not sure where to start with an inheritance? We will guide you.

If you would like to leave a will, we can help you sort out what you want it to say, prepare a draft, and act as a witness for a notarial will, so that your will accurately reflects your wishes.

Our office does not handle inheritance registration of real estate, inheritance tax returns or disputes between heirs. Where one of these is needed, we act as your point of contact and work with our partner judicial scriveners, certified public tax accountants and lawyers to move things forward.

What We Handle

Handled by our Administrative Scriveners

Collecting family register records and identifying the heirs
Preparing the inheritance relationship chart
Preparing the statutory heir information chart (hōtei sōzoku jōhō ichiranzu) and applying on your behalf to the Legal Affairs Bureau, which certifies it
Preparing the inventory of assets
Drafting the estate division agreement, putting in writing what the heirs have agreed among themselves
Inheritance procedures at financial institutions, such as closing bank accounts or changing the account holder
Transferring vehicles (change of registered owner) and other transfers of ownership that do not involve registration (tōki) at the Legal Affairs Bureau
Notifying the local Agricultural Committee when farmland is acquired by inheritance
Help drafting a will: a handwritten (holographic) will or a notarial will
Liaising with the notary office to prepare a notarial will, and attending as a witness

Handled by our partner professionals

Inheritance registration (transferring real estate into the heirs' names)Judicial scrivener
Preparing Family Court documents, e.g. for renunciation of inheritanceJudicial scrivener or lawyer
Negotiation between heirs; representation in Family Court conciliation or adjudication on estate divisionLawyer
Inheritance tax returns and tax consultationsTax accountant

Our office does not handle these matters. We act as your point of contact and coordinate with our partner professionals, handing over the documents and information we have prepared so far so that things run smoothly.

Our Strengths

With an inheritance, it is often hard to tell which professional should handle what. We work with many professionals, including lawyers, judicial scriveners and tax accountants. At your first consultation we set out the procedures you need, and we then act as your point of contact, coordinating with each professional. What we carry out directly is Administrative Scrivener work, but we guide you through the whole process so that you do not have to explain your situation again and again.

We also take enquiries about inheritances involving foreign nationals or family members living overseas. You can contact us by LINE, WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook or whichever method you prefer. If you need documents in a foreign language, our translation service (Chinese, Korean and English) is also available.

Service Delivery Process

How It Works

Consultation

We hear your situation and map the steps

Research

Family register records and asset checks

Documents

Relationship chart, estate division agreement, etc.

Transfers

Various procedures and handover to partner professionals

Process

Book a preliminary consultation by phone, email or fax.
We meet you at our office to go over the heirs, an outline of the assets and the procedures needed. We can also visit you, for example at home, for a fee; please ask. If you live far away or overseas, you can contact us by LINE, WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook or whichever method you prefer. We are happy to answer simple questions by email or messaging app; if you would like advice on your specific situation, we may suggest a paid consultation.
We provide a quote and begin work once you have agreed.
We collect the family register records, confirm the heirs and prepare the inheritance relationship chart. Where needed, we apply on your behalf for the statutory heir information chart.
We confirm what the assets are and prepare the inventory of assets.
Based on what the heirs have agreed among themselves, we draft the estate division agreement.
We carry out procedures such as closing bank accounts and transferring vehicles. If inheritance registration or an inheritance tax return is needed, we hand over to our partner judicial scrivener or tax accountant.
We send our invoice, and the work is complete.

Typical Timescales

Collecting family register records and confirming the heirs

Varies, e.g. with how many municipalities hold the records

Obtaining a copy of the statutory heir information chart

Depends on the Legal Affairs Bureau's review

Drafting the estate division agreement

Promptly, once the terms are agreed

Inheritance procedures for bank accounts

Depends on the financial institution

All of these vary with the circumstances, but we aim to act promptly.

Key Deadlines

Renunciation or qualified acceptance of inheritance

Within 3 months of learning of the inheritance

Article 915(1) of Japan's Civil Code

Inheritance tax return (where inheritance tax is payable)

Within 10 months from the day after learning of the inheritance

Article 27(1) of the Inheritance Tax Act

Inheritance registration (if you acquire real estate)

Within 3 years of learning you acquired it

Article 76-2 of the Real Property Registration Act

Inheritance registration (inheritances that began before 1 April 2024)

In principle, by 31 March 2027

Article 5(6) of the Supplementary Provisions to Act No. 24 of 2021

Renunciation of inheritance is a procedure before the Family Court (the court that handles family and inheritance matters). Our office does not prepare renunciation papers, inheritance tax returns or applications for inheritance registration, but even if a deadline is close, please contact us first: we will put you in touch with a partner professional promptly.

Fees

We provide a quote for each case and begin work only once you agree to it, so you can proceed with confidence. Out-of-pocket expenses such as fees for family register records and postage are charged separately. The fees of our partner professionals are quoted separately, case by case.

Service Area

We are based in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and accept cases from across Japan. Please feel free to contact us.

Please Note

This page is general information about inheritance and wills procedures. It does not replace legal or tax advice on your individual circumstances. We prepare documents and carry out procedures within the scope set by the Administrative Scrivener Act.

Frequently Asked Questions about Inheritance & Wills

Is there a deadline for renouncing an inheritance?

In principle, renunciation of inheritance and qualified acceptance (accepting debts only up to the value of what you inherit) must be made at the Family Court within three months of the time you learned that the inheritance had begun for you (Article 915(1) of Japan's Civil Code). If you need more time to investigate the assets, you can apply to the Family Court within that period to extend it. Be aware that disposing of estate assets, for example by withdrawing money from the deceased's account, can be treated as accepting the inheritance and may stop you renouncing it (Article 921 of the Civil Code). Our office does not prepare documents for the Family Court; we can introduce you to a partner judicial scrivener or lawyer.

When is the inheritance tax return due?

Where inheritance tax is payable, the return must be filed within 10 months from the day after you learned that the inheritance had begun (Article 27(1) of the Inheritance Tax Act). Our office does not assess whether tax is payable or prepare the return; we can introduce you to a partner tax accountant. We help with the groundwork, such as collecting family register records and preparing the inventory of assets.

One of the heirs is a foreign national or lives overseas. Can you help?

Yes, you are welcome to consult us. If an heir lives overseas, you may need to provide documents that differ from the usual ones. For example, instead of a seal registration certificate, a signature certificate from a Japanese embassy, consulate or similar office may be required. Where the deceased was a foreign national, the law of the country of their nationality generally governs the inheritance (Article 36 of the Act on General Rules for Application of Laws), so we check how to proceed case by case. We can communicate with those living overseas by LINE, WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook or whichever method you prefer. We are happy to answer simple questions by email or messaging app; if you would like advice on your specific situation, we may suggest a paid consultation. Our translation service can also translate documents in foreign languages.

How does the process differ with or without a will?

If there is a will, we generally proceed in line with its contents. A will other than a notarial will must be submitted to the Family Court for kennin, an official inspection of the will (Article 1004 of the Civil Code). A will kept in the Legal Affairs Bureau's will custody system does not need kennin (Article 11 of the Act on Custody of Wills at Legal Affairs Bureaus). If there is no will, all the heirs discuss how to divide the estate, and the result is recorded in an estate division agreement. If you would like to make a will, we can help with drafting the text and with the notarial will procedure. Please also note that an amendment to the Civil Code (Act No. 45 of 2026) removing the seal requirement for handwritten (holographic) wills is scheduled to come into force no later than 23 June 2027. A will must follow the formalities required by the law in force when it is made, so we check this with you as we prepare it.

The estate includes real estate. Can you handle the transfer too?

Our office does not handle applications for inheritance registration of real estate; we can introduce you to a partner judicial scrivener. We prepare the groundwork, such as collecting family register records and preparing the inheritance relationship chart and estate division agreement, and then hand over to them. Applying for inheritance registration is mandatory within three years of learning that you acquired the property (Article 76-2 of the Real Property Registration Act). This also applies to inheritances that began before 1 April 2024: if the property has not yet been registered, the application must in principle be made by 31 March 2027 (or, if you learned of the acquisition on or after 1 April 2024, within three years of that date; Article 5(6) of the Supplementary Provisions to Act No. 24 of 2021). If you acquire real estate through an estate division, you must also register it in line with that division within three years of the division date (for divisions agreed before 1 April 2024, in principle by 31 March 2027). Please consult us early.

The heirs cannot agree. Can you step in between us?

Our office does not negotiate between heirs in dispute or represent anyone in Family Court conciliation or adjudication on the division of the estate; we can introduce you to a partner lawyer. Once the heirs have reached agreement, we can help by drafting the estate division agreement.

How much will it cost?

The cost depends on the number of heirs, the assets involved and the procedures needed, so we provide a quote for each case. Besides our fee, you bear out-of-pocket expenses such as fees for family register records and postage. The fees of our partner professionals (judicial scriveners, tax accountants, lawyers and others) are quoted separately, case by case.

Get in Touch

Please feel free to contact us. We are also happy to answer simple questions by email or messaging app (advice on your specific situation may be chargeable).

+81-11-213-0934

Hours: Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00 (JST)

Book a free consultation

Your first 30-minute consultation is free (by appointment, at our office).