Short answer: the juyo jiko setsumei (重要事項説明, "explanation of important matters", often shortened to 重説, jūsetsu) is the legally required briefing a licensed agent gives you before you sign a purchase contract. A licensed real-estate transaction specialist (宅地建物取引士, takken-shi) walks you through a written document, the 重要事項説明書, that covers ownership, zoning limits, road access, utilities, hazard-map location and the contract terms. It is the most useful single document when buying a house in Japan, including an akiya (空き家). But it is normally in Japanese, it is often handed over close to signing, and in some private sales it does not exist at all.
The duty comes from Article 35 of the Real Estate Brokerage Act (宅地建物取引業法, Takken-gyō-hō). In outline: before a sale contract is concluded, the licensed agent must have a takken-shi explain specified matters to the buyer, using a written document the takken-shi signs. The takken-shi must show their licence card (宅地建物取引士証) if you ask. The statute is at e-Gov Law Search, 宅地建物取引業法 (Japanese only).
Two changes matter to buyers today:
The explanation must come before the purchase contract is concluded (契約成立前), and it must be given by a takken-shi, not by any sales staff member. In practice it is commonly held at the agent's office on the day of signing, often immediately before the contract itself. The statute does not set a number of days, so the safest habit is to ask, in writing, for the draft 重要事項説明書 several days before. That gives you time to translate it, compare it with the listing sheet (マイソク) and ask questions when you are not under pressure. The document you receive on the day is different from the contract (売買契約書); the contract is covered separately under Article 37, and both need reading.
Layouts differ by agent, but the standard items for a used house and its land run in roughly this order.
| Section (JP) | What it tells you | What to look for on an akiya |
|---|---|---|
| 物件の表示・登記記録 (権利関係) | Address, land and building registry details; owner; mortgages, liens or other rights | Does the seller's name match the registry? Old inheritances that were never registered, co-owners, or 抵当権 still attached |
| 法令上の制限 | Zoning (用途地域), building coverage ratio (建ぺい率), floor-area ratio (容積率), urbanization control area (市街化調整区域), other permits | In a 市街化調整区域 you may not be able to rebuild or extend freely; see our guide |
| 私道負担・接道 | Which road the lot faces, its width, and any private-road share or set-back (セットバック) | Lots not touching a 4 m road for 2 m usually cannot be rebuilt; see 再建築不可 |
| 飲用水・電気・ガス・排水 | Whether water, electricity, gas and drainage are connected, and what work is needed if not | Public sewer (公共下水) versus septic tank (浄化槽); LP (propane) gas; well water |
| 災害警戒区域・ハザードマップ | Landslide, sediment and other designated zones, and the location on the water-hazard map | Check the zone yourself too; the explanation shows location, not a safety judgement |
| 石綿・耐震診断・建物状況調査 | Whether asbestos surveys, seismic diagnoses or a building inspection (建物状況調査) were done and, if so, a summary | Usually records only what exists. Many old houses have none, so "none" is normal but should prompt your own inspection |
| 契約解除・手付金・違約金 | Termination rules, deposit (手付金), penalties, and any loan-related cancellation (ローン特約) | Whether the deposit is forfeited if you walk away, and until when |
| 契約不適合責任 | The seller's liability for defects that do not match the contract (契約不適合責任) | Akiya are frequently sold with that liability limited or excluded (免責); this must be written down |
| その他 (告知事項など) | Additional disclosures, special conditions, management or common-area fees | Any 告知事項; see the kokuchi jiko guide |
The duty falls on licensed businesses (宅地建物取引業者). If a seller and buyer deal directly, or if a municipal akiya bank only makes an introduction and no licensed agent handles the deal, there may be no statutory disclosure document and no takken-shi obliged to explain anything. Requirements and roles differ by municipality; see our overview of akiya bank conditions for foreigners. If you are in that position, a common approach is to hire a licensed agent or a judicial scrivener (司法書士) for the transaction, and to insist on the same checks in writing.
The 重要事項説明書 records legal and infrastructure facts and whatever the seller and agent know. It does not tell you the roof is sound. Many akiya have no records of asbestos or seismic surveys, which the document will simply state as "none". A house built before 1981 needs its own look; see the pre-1981 seismic standard.
You may be shown a 15-page document and asked to sign the same hour. The Japanese wording is what counts. A verbal summary in English from a sales representative is not a substitute for reading the text. This is the main risk for foreigners buying a house in Japan: not a missing document, but a document nobody helped them read.
There is no official tariff. Professional translation of a 10 to 20 page real-estate document is usually quoted per page or per character and varies widely between providers, so ask for a fixed quote after sending a sample. A bilingual agent, a judicial scrivener who works in English, or a licensed architect for the physical side each charge separately. Budget for this before the deposit, not after. On the deposit itself: where the seller is a licensed dealer, the Brokerage Act caps the earnest money (手付) at 20% of the price (Article 39, same e-Gov text). That cap does not apply to a private individual seller, so the deposit is whatever the contract says.
Reading a 重説 in a language that is not yours is hard. Start with the free 12-point checklist for the questions above, or get the official zoning, hazard and transaction data for one specific listing in a $49 report.
Get the free 12-point checklist Get a $49 risk report for a specific listingThe law requires the explanation before the contract is concluded, and does not fix how many days earlier. You can ask the agent in writing to send the draft ahead. Agents commonly accommodate this, but it is a request, not a legal right to a set number of days.
Not under the Real Estate Brokerage Act, which binds licensed businesses. If no licensed agent is involved there may be no statutory disclosure document. You can hire a licensed agent or a judicial scrivener to do equivalent checks, and you rely more on the seller's civil-code liability.
The document and explanation are normally in Japanese, and the law does not oblige an agent to provide English. Bring an interpreter, look for a bilingual agent, or have the document translated before you sign. The Japanese version is the binding one.
This 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.