Buying from overseas

You do not need to live in Japan — or ever have visited — to own property here. Non-resident foreigners hold full freehold title. Purchases are routinely completed remotely through a power of attorney given to a bilingual agent and a judicial scrivener (司法書士), who handles title registration.

What you need

A notarized affidavit in place of Japan's residence certificate, a way to remit funds (large transfers are reported under FX rules — normal and legal), and since 2024 a domestic point of contact registered with the title for non-resident owners — your agent or scrivener typically serves this role.

If you rent the property out

Appoint a property manager (typically ~5% of rent). Rental income of non-residents is taxable in Japan — corporate tenants must withhold 20.42% at source, and you file an annual return; most treaty countries then credit the Japanese tax. Get individual tax advice.

Every listing page here shows the area's actual MLIT transaction records — the same sanity check a local buyer would make, readable from anywhere.

Search homes across Japan → See market data →

Sources: MLIT land-price surveys 2025 (Official Land Prices & Prefectural Survey) and the MLIT real-estate transaction database — actual anonymized records, not listings. Operated as a product study by Scrum Value Agents Inc., Minato, Tokyo (svachain.com). Listings on the main site are placeholder samples; market statistics are real official data.