FAQ

1. Stamp tax（levied on legal documents such as commercial transactions）

2. Registration and license tax（incurred upon registration of ownership of real estate）

3. Consumption tax（10% tax will be imposed if it is a taxable transaction）

4. Real estate acquisition tax（you will receive a tax payment notice from your prefecture several months after the purchase）

5. Fixed asset tax and city planning tax（levied yearly when possessing real estate）

6. File the final tax return（if there is rental income from the properties you own）※ 4～6: you need to appoint a tax agent residing in Japan on your behalf.

If you are a foreigner living overseas, you must report to the Ministry of Finance through a Bank of Japan within 20 days after acquiring the real estate.

※ There are some exceptions that do not require a report.

※ If you are renting the property for commercial use, you will need to submit documents such as a notice of commencement of business to the tax office.

If each spouse contributes to the purchase of real estate, it must be registered in the joint name of both spouses. At the same time, the real estate must be held in proportion to the contributions made by both spouses. If both spouses contribute and the real estate is registered in one party only, gift tax will be levied.

（1）Receipt of the warranty deed of the property 

（2）Designation of the tax representative

（3）Filing the tax declaration (when investing)

Rental income in Japan is subject to income tax, which in principle needs to be declared between February and March every year. If the income does not exceed the basic exemption of 380,000 yen, basically no tax is paid. If you are filing a blue tax return, you are entitled to an additional exemption of 100,000 yen.

In Japan, when a payment is made to a "non-resident" (e.g., a non-resident or foreign corporation), if it is considered to be income from domestic source and subject to withholding tax, the "income tax" and " surtax of reconstruction funding" will be withheld and paid to the Japanese tax office.

If the amount of taxes withheld exceeds the income tax calculated based on your annual income for the year, you can claim a refund for income tax by filing the final tax return.

Non-resident needs to appoint a tax representative residing in Japan to administer tax affairs on his/her behalf.

Types of representatives: national and local tax

Representative of national tax：

Refunds for income tax or consumption tax can only be transferred to a Japanese account in the name of the person filing the tax return or the tax representative.

Representative of local tax：

After purchasing real estate, real estate acquisition tax (first year only) and fixed asset tax (incurs yearly when possessing it) will be levied. A notice of tax payment will be sent to the designated tax representative. If you have multiple properties, you can designate a different tax representative for each one. The tax representative is also the contact person to the tax office.

Yes. The steps are as below:

1． Deciding the basic elements of the company

Company form

Company name

Business purposes

Matters concerning investors, board of directors, term of office, etc.

Location of head office

※Make sure there is no corporation with the same name at the same address

2． Preparing and notarizing the Articles of Incorporation

3． Deposit of capital

4． Preparing the documents for the company's registration

5． Filing the application for the company's registration

When purchasing real estate in Japan, you can use your foreign address and name to purchase real estate in Japan even if you are not there. (Confirmation of real estate registration and explanation of important matters can be done in Taiwan）

There are no legal restrictions for a foreigner on purchasing real estate in Japan. Foreigners can buy properties in Japan just like a Japanese national.

When a foreigner signs a contract in Japan, the Real Estate Brokerage Act of Japan is applied, so the form and contents are naturally written in Japanese.

If you don’t understand Japanese, you can use an interpreter to translate on the spot when signing a contract.

If the contract is signed through an interpreter, the interpreter must sign and seal the contract; and you will receive a power of attorney.

• For Taiwanese, Household Registration Transcript and its Japanese translation certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ※ document for registration

（For foreigners who do not have a transcript of the household registration, an affidavit is required, which can be obtained through a notarization by the embassy of your country of residence or the Japanese Embassy.）

• Passport

• seal-registration certificate together with the registered seal

Yes. We have professionals who speak Mandarin, English, Japanese and Korean, so you don't have to worry about the language barrier.

（１）Researching and property viewing
（２）Submitting an application to purchase
（３）If there is a need for a loan, consult with a bank for pre-approval.
（４）Explanation of Important Matters Regarding the Property and Transaction（through a real estate broker）
（５）Executing the contract
（６）If a loan is not applied, payment should be made through oversea remittance or other methods.
（７）Final settlement and transferring ownership of the property
（８）Report to the Minister of finance by providing a written notification to a bank of Japan within 20 days of purchase of real property.

It is difficult for foreigners without permanent residency to obtain mortgage loans in Japanese financial institutions, but Taiwanese can obtain loans through Japanese branches of Taiwanese banks. Please contact us for more information about banks.

It depends on the actual situation, but generally about 2 to 4 months.

Yes. Please contact us for more information.

If it is a newly built property, the buyer does not need to pay.

If it is a pre-owned property, the buyer will pay up to 3% of the sales price + 60,000 yen + consumption tax.