Short answer: yes. Japanese law does not require a buyer to be present, resident or a citizen, and purchases by people who never set foot on the property happen every month. What changes when you buy remotely is that every step normally done across a table in the agent's office — the important matters explanation, signing, the identity check for registration, the hand-over of money — needs a substitute: a video call, a power of attorney, a notarised signature, a bank transfer from abroad. And because you cannot walk the lot, the checks you would normally do with your own eyes have to be done on paper and on official maps before any deposit is paid.
This guide walks through the remote purchase in the order it actually happens, lists the documents you will be asked for, and flags the one reporting rule that changed on 1 April 2026 and that most English guides have not caught up with yet.
| Role | Japanese | What they do for a remote buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate agent (broker) | 宅地建物取引業者 | Finds or lists the property, negotiates, prepares the contract and must deliver the important matters explanation (重要事項説明) through a licensed real estate transaction specialist (宅地建物取引士). Many agents can do this explanation by video call (IT重説) |
| Judicial scrivener | 司法書士 (shihō shoshi) | Checks the identity and intent of buyer and seller, prepares and files the ownership transfer registration, and usually releases the money on settlement day once registration documents are confirmed. For a remote buyer this is the most important professional in the chain |
| Proxy / attorney-in-fact | 代理人 | A person in Japan you authorise to sign or receive keys for you. Often the scrivener's office or an agent; can be a friend you trust |
| Notary or consulate abroad | 公証人 / 領事館 | Certifies your signature on the power of attorney and on the sworn statement that replaces a Japanese seal certificate |
| Tax agent | 納税管理人 | A person or firm in Japan who receives your fixed asset tax bills if you live abroad. Municipalities ask non-resident owners to appoint one |
The judicial scrivener is chosen by the parties — often recommended by the agent. You can ask for a different one, including an office with English-speaking staff; the Japan Federation of Shiho-Shoshi's Associations lists offices by prefecture.
A buyer on site picks up a lot without trying: the smell of damp, the width of the road, the slope behind the house, the river at the end of the street. A remote buyer gets none of that, so the paper checks carry the whole weight. Before you make an offer, make sure you have, for the exact address:
Then ask someone to look at the building. A licensed inspector can do a visual inspection (建物状況調査) without you present and send photos and a written report; see home inspection in Japan. Ask the agent for a live video walk-through as well, and request specific shots: the underside of the floor from the inspection hatch, the ceiling under the roof, the base of the walls on the north side, the road in both directions, and the back of the lot.
Buying without a visit? An Akiya Check report pulls the official hazard, zoning, land-price and transaction data for the exact lot into one English PDF, with the follow-up questions to send the agent. Shortlisting several houses from abroad? Compare 3 puts them side by side.
Single report $49 · Compare 3 $99 Free 12-point checklistOnce you decide, the agent will ask for a written purchase application (買付証明書 / 購入申込書). It is not binding, but it sets the price and conditions you are asking for. Put your conditions in writing at this point — for example that the seller will confirm the boundaries, or that the sale is conditional on an inspection result.
Before the contract is signed, the agent must explain the important matters (重要事項説明) through a licensed specialist and hand over the written statement. Since 2017 for rentals and 2021 for sales, this explanation can be given by video call (IT重説) as long as the documents are delivered in advance and the specialist shows their licence on camera; since the 2022 amendments to the Real Estate Brokerage Act the documents can also be delivered electronically with the buyer's consent. Ask for the PDF several days before the call so you can have it translated. Our juyo jiko setsumei guide goes through each section in English.
The sales contract (売買契約書) can then be signed in one of three ways:
The deposit (手付金), commonly 5–10% of the price, is paid at signing. Under the standard contract, after paying it you can withdraw only by forfeiting it, and the seller can withdraw only by paying back double, until the other side has started performing the contract. Read the contract's clauses on contract nonconformity (契約不適合責任): many akiya are sold on an "as-is" basis where the seller excludes this liability, which is legal between private parties and means problems found after hand-over are yours.
The difficult part of a remote purchase is the registration of ownership. The judicial scrivener must confirm your identity and your intent to buy, and the registration needs proof of the buyer's address (住所証明情報). For a resident, that proof is a resident record (住民票); a non-resident foreigner has no resident record, so substitutes are used. (The seller, not the buyer, is the one who must provide a seal certificate.)
| Normally used | Remote / non-resident substitute | Where you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Resident record (住民票) proving your address | Sworn statement of address (宣誓供述書 / affidavit) with your signature certified, plus a copy of your passport; some offices accept an official address certificate from your country with a translation | A local notary in your country (often with an apostille), or a Japanese embassy or consulate where it offers this service |
| Face-to-face identity and intent check | Video interview with the scrivener while holding your passport, plus a certified copy of the passport | Scrivener's office; notary for the certified copy |
| Your presence on settlement day | Power of attorney (委任状) for registration — and, if you want, for the purchase itself — signed with your signature certified | Drafted by the scrivener in Japanese and English, signed in front of your notary |
Practice differs between scrivener offices and between countries (some countries do not have a notary system that matches what Japan expects), so ask the scrivener for the exact list before you sign the sales contract, and allow two to four weeks to get notarisation and an apostille if needed. The settlement date in the contract should leave time for this — a scrivener who receives the documents a day late cannot register, and the seller may treat the delay as your breach.
Your name will be registered in katakana as well as the Roman alphabet. Since April 2024 the registry also records the Roman-alphabet name of a foreign owner, and the Ministry of Justice has introduced requirements for owners living abroad to register a contact in Japan (国内連絡先). The scrivener will ask for these details; check that the spelling matches your passport exactly.
The balance is usually paid on settlement day (決済日) in Japanese yen into the seller's account, at the same time as the scrivener confirms the registration documents. Practical points for an international transfer:
Costs on top of the price: agent's commission (capped by law; for low-priced properties a special rule allows up to ¥330,000 including tax for houses of ¥8 million or less), the scrivener's fee and registration tax, revenue stamp on a paper contract, prorated fixed asset tax, and later the real estate acquisition tax. Our acquisition cost guide gives the formulas.
Under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (外国為替及び外国貿易法), a non-resident who acquires real property in Japan must report the acquisition to the Minister of Finance, through the Bank of Japan, within 20 days of acquiring it (report form 22). The report is required regardless of the price or area — the Ministry's FAQ says even a ¥0 acquisition or an inheritance counts.
Until 31 March 2026, acquisitions for the non-resident's own residential use (or that of relatives or employees) were exempt. The Ministry amended the reporting ordinance with effect from 1 April 2026: for acquisitions on or after that date, the residential-use, non-profit and own-office exemptions apply only to rights relating to real property (such as a ground lease or other lease rights), not to the ownership of the property itself. In practice, a non-resident who buys an akiya now has to file the report even if they intend to live in it. The FAQ also states that a holiday home or second home is not "residential use" for this purpose.
Practical details from the Ministry of Finance overview and FAQ (Japanese):
Agree in writing who is filing the report and ask for a copy. It is easy for each side to assume the other is doing it.
| Before the offer | Before signing | Before settlement |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard, zoning, road access, registry, sold prices checked for the exact lot | Important matters explanation received as a PDF and translated; video explanation held | Notarised power of attorney and affidavit with the scrivener |
| Video walk-through with specific shots requested | Contract conditions agreed: boundaries, inspection, as-is clauses | Settlement account confirmed by voice/video, funds sent early |
| Inspection arranged or quoted | Scrivener's document list for non-residents in hand | Who files the Foreign Exchange Act report agreed in writing |
No. Ownership of land and buildings does not depend on nationality or residence status. A visa only matters if you want to live in the house for long periods, and buying property does not give you one. See can foreigners buy an akiya for the ownership rules.
An agent can act as your proxy under a power of attorney, but think about conflicts of interest: the agent is paid when the deal closes. Many buyers give the power of attorney to the judicial scrivener's office for registration only and sign the sales contract themselves by post or electronically.
No. It is a reporting requirement, not a permission. It widens the cases where a non-resident has to tell the Ministry of Finance about an acquisition after the fact; it does not stop the purchase or require approval in advance.
From accepted offer to settlement, a cash purchase commonly takes one to two months. Notarisation abroad, an apostille and the international transfer are the usual bottlenecks, so ask for the document list on day one.
Paying a deposit before you know the things a visit would have shown you: that the road is too narrow to rebuild, that a cliff behind the house needs a wall, that the lot floods. All of these can be checked from official data for the exact address before you commit.
See how to check a house in Japan before buying (10 steps), questions to ask the agent and Akiya Check vs. Japan Property Research, or browse all guides.
Have a specific listing in mind? Get the official zoning, hazard and transaction data for that exact lot — plus the questions to send the agent — in one report.
Get a $49 risk report Free 12-point checklistThis guide is general information based on public sources cited above. It is not legal, tax, or real-estate brokerage advice. Confirm every item for a specific property with the agent, the municipality, and licensed professionals.