Markets
Buying and renting a home in Japan
- Coverage
- Tier 3: guide and links to local portals
- Prices in
- JPY
- Floor area in
- square metres
Each fact below links to the official page it comes from. We have not finished testing this market yet, so confirm anything important with the source or a local lawyer.
Homes in Japan are listed on
Homejourney does not list homes in Japan yet. Prices on these sites are in JPY.
Who may buy
A non-resident who buys property in Japan must report it to the Minister of Finance through the Bank of Japan within 20 days, under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act.
Source: Ministry of Finance (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
Purchase taxes
Real estate acquisition tax is a prefectural tax at a standard 4% of the assessed value, cut to 3% for homes and land until 31 March 2027. A newly built home has ¥12 million taken off its assessed value.
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
Registering a land purchase costs 2% of the land’s assessed value in registration and license tax, or 1.5% when registered by 31 March 2029.
Source: National Tax Agency (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
A property sale contract for more than ¥100,000 pays stamp tax at reduced rates when it is made by 31 March 2027.
Source: National Tax Agency (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
Selling or leasing land is exempt from consumption tax.
Source: National Tax Agency (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
Renting
Renting a home to live in is exempt from consumption tax, except a let of less than one month.
Source: National Tax Agency (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
An ordinary lease renews on the same terms unless one side gives notice between one year and six months before it ends, and a landlord needs justifiable grounds to refuse renewal.
Source: Japanese Law Translation, Act on Land and Building Leases (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026
A lease can be made non-renewable only in writing, such as a notarial deed. For a term of a year or more, the landlord must tell the tenant it will end between one year and six months before it does.
Source: Japanese Law Translation, Act on Land and Building Leases (opens in a new tab) · Checked 11 November 2026