Guide to Japanese Real Estate

Most Japanese real estate transactions adhere to the following procedure and are usually mediated by a licensed real estate agent.

First, one needs to submit an "intent to purchase application" to begin negotiations with the owner of the property.

"Important matters," (property details, legal information, costs, etc.) are explained by a licensed real estate agent.

One usually needs to make a down payment of 10% and sign/seal a purchasing contract.

Funds are usually transfered via "furikomi" bank transfer.

Once the fund transfer is confirmed, a judicial clerk takes all registration documents and transfers the ownership title to the buyer.

We always explain all costs involved in a transaction. For example, there is a government-prescribed real estate commission of 3.15% of the price of a property on real estate transactions in Japan.

There are also for instance, Acquisition Taxes and a Registry License Tax upon purchase of a property. Also, City Planning Tax and Fixed Asset Tax are two taxes that have to be paid annually by owners of real property in Japan.

A property priced at 100M for example, might actually cost approximately 108M with all fees/taxes included. We explain these costs in detail before the purchase of a property.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@realnippon.com