Research Guides
Practical playbooks for due diligence, zoning checks, hazard review, and registry workflows in Japan.
45 guides
Best Tools For Property Research In Japan
A neutral guide to the main websites and data sources used to research property in Japan, and where Japan Property Research fits in the workflow.
Read guideJapan Property Research Vs Official Sources
When to go straight to government and registry sources, and when JPR is the faster way to work.
Read guideHow To Research Property In Japan
A start-here overview of how property research works in Japan, what to check first, and which deeper guides to use next.
Read guideThe Property Research Workflow In Japan (Step-By-Step)
A step-by-step guide to the full property research workflow in Japan, from listings and lot numbers to registry checks, zoning, hazard maps, and land prices.
Read guideJapan Property Due Diligence Checklist
The core checks buyers, agents, investors, and developers should run before moving forward on a property in Japan.
Read guideHow To Find A Lot Number In Japan
A practical guide to finding lot numbers in Japan, resolving street addresses to parcels, and connecting listings, maps, registry records, and land research.
Read guideHow To Check Zoning And Hazard Maps In Japan
A practical guide to checking land-use constraints and disaster risk before you underwrite or buy property in Japan.
Read guideHow To Check Property Ownership In Japan
A clear guide to checking who owns a property in Japan, what the registry shows, and how to request official records.
Read guideHow To Obtain Property Registration Records In Japan
A practical guide to requesting Japanese property registration records, what information they contain, and when to use them.
Read guideWhat Is Touki In Japan
A plain-English guide to what people mean by touki in Japanese real estate, which official records are involved, and when buyers actually need them.
Read guideHow To Get Touki Online In Japan
A practical guide for English-speaking buyers, agents, and investors who need Japanese property registry records online and want to avoid ordering the wrong document.
Read guideWhat Is A Lot Number In Japan
An explanation of Japan’s lot number system, why it differs from street addresses, and why it matters for land and registry research.
Read guideHow Foreigners Research Real Estate In Japan
A practical guide for foreign buyers, investors, and researchers who need to understand listings, lot numbers, registry records, and land data in Japan.
Read guide10 Red Flags Foreign Buyers Miss In Japanese Property Listings
A practical checklist of listing red flags foreign buyers should screen early, before spending time and money on deeper due diligence in Japan.
Read guideHow Foreigners Buy Property In Japan
A practical, end-to-end guide for non-Japanese buyers: legal framework, financing, documents, the closing process, and post-closing taxes.
Read guideJapan Property Tax Guide
Fixed asset tax, city planning tax, acquisition tax, and what foreign owners need to plan for in Japan.
Read guideJapan vs Thailand Property Tax: What Thai Buyers Actually Pay
Annual holding tax, buying costs, capital gains, and foreign ownership rights in Japan compared side by side with Thailand.
Read guideAkiya Guide For Foreign Buyers In Japan
What akiya (abandoned houses) really are, where to find them, hidden costs, rebuild restrictions, and how to evaluate one before buying.
Read guideHow To Find Akiya For Sale In Japan (Akiya Banks & Listing Sites)
Where akiya listings actually live: municipal akiya banks, national portals, English-friendly options, and the step-by-step process from inquiry to purchase.
Read guideHow To Order A Japan Property Registration Record In English
What the registration record (登記事項証明書) covers, how the official routes work, and how to order land and building records entirely in English through Japan Property Research.
Read guideHow To Check Condo Ownership In Japan
What makes a Japanese condo (mansion) unit’s registration record different from a house’s land and building records, and how to order the right one.
Read guideHow To Check Land Boundaries In Japan
What the cadastral map (公図) and boundary survey (地積測量図) actually show, why registered land area can differ from the real area, and how to check both before you buy.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has A Mortgage
How to find out whether a property in Japan still has a registered mortgage, where it shows up on the registration record, and what it means for closing.
Read guideHow To Read A Japanese Property Registration Record
A section-by-section walkthrough of the touki (登記) record — the property description, ownership history, and mortgages — with an interactive sample in English.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Is Rebuildable
What "re-construction not permitted" (再建築不可) means in Japan, why road frontage causes it, and how to check before you buy or plan a teardown.
Read guideLeasehold Vs Freehold Property In Japan
What shakuchiken (leasehold land) actually means, why the property registry does not always show it, and how to check which one a listing is before you buy.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has Unregistered Inheritance
What souzoku touki (inheritance registration) is, why Japan made it mandatory in 2024, how an unresolved inheritance shows up on the registration record, and what it means for your purchase timeline.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Is Farmland
What 地目 (land category) means on the registration record, why Japan restricts buying and converting farmland under the Agricultural Land Act, and how to check before you get attached to a listing.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has An Unregistered Building
What 未登記建物 (an unregistered building) means in Japan, why it is common on akiya and rural land, and how to check before you buy or apply for financing.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has A Provisional Registration
What kari touki (仮登記, provisional registration) means, why it can outrank a later purchase even on a clean-looking title, and how to check for one before you buy.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has A Seizure
What 差押 (sashiosae, a court or tax seizure) and 仮差押 (a provisional seizure) mean on a Japanese property’s registration record, how they differ from a mortgage, and what they mean for a purchase.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has An Easement
What 地役権 (chiekiken, an easement) means on a Japanese property’s registration record, how it differs from the automatic right of passage over landlocked land, and how to check for one before you buy.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has Multiple Owners
What 共有 (kyouyuu, co-ownership) and 持分 (mochibun, an ownership share) mean on a Japanese property’s registration record, why selling the whole property needs every co-owner’s consent, and how to check before you buy — or buy into a share.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Meets Earthquake Standards
What 新耐震基準 (Japan’s 1981 earthquake standard) means, why the building confirmation date — not the completion date — is what decides it, and how to check which standard a property was built under before you buy.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has Soil Contamination
What 土壌汚染対策法 (the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act) requires, why a clean registration record says nothing about contamination, and how to check before you buy former factory, gas station, or industrial land.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has A Sitting Tenant
What happens to an existing tenant’s lease when a Japanese property is sold, why most leases never show up on the registration record, and how to check before you buy occupied property.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has A Repurchase Clause
What 買戻特約 (kaimodoshi tokuyaku, a registered repurchase clause) means on a Japanese property’s registration record, why it can let the original seller reclaim the property years later — even from a buyer who purchased it from someone else — and how to check before you buy.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has Illegal Construction
What 違反建築物 (an illegal building) means in Japan, how it differs from a legally grandfathered 既存不適格 building, and how to check before you buy — since a registered building can still violate the Building Standards Act.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has Buried Cultural Properties
What 周知の埋蔵文化財包蔵地 (a known buried cultural property site) means, why it triggers a 60-day notice before construction, and how to check before you buy or build — since it never shows up on the registration record.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Has A Private Road
What 私道 (shidou, a privately owned road) means for a Japanese property’s access, why ownership and legal road status can differ sharply from what a paved street suggests, and how to check who owns the road before you buy.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Condo Has Unpaid Management Fees
What happens to unpaid management fees and repair reserve fund contributions when a Japanese condo unit is sold, why the registration record never shows them, and how to check before you buy.
Read guideHow To Check If A Japanese Property Is A Stigmatized Property
What jiko bukken (事故物件, a stigmatized property) means in Japan, why a past death on a property almost never appears on the registration record, and how to check before you buy or rent.
Read guideHow To Check Floor Area On A Property In Japan
What the registered floor area (床面積) on a Japanese property’s registration record actually measures, why a condo’s registered number is normally smaller than the one in the listing, and how to check the right figure before you buy or apply for a mortgage.
Read guideHow To Check Official Land Prices In Japan
What 地価公示 (chika kouji), 基準地価 (kijun chika), and 路線価 (rosenka) actually measure, why none of them is the market price, and how to use Japan’s free government price databases to sanity-check an asking price before you order the registration record.
Read guideHow To Check Inherited Property In Japan From Overseas
A practical guide for Japanese nationals and other heirs living abroad: how to identify a property you inherited, check its registration status, and complete the mandatory inheritance registration (相続登記) without living in Japan.
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