How we check a house
Every house page shows checks, costs and risks that are computed automatically from the Japanese listing and from public government data. This page explains the rules, so you can judge how far to trust them. They are indicative; they never replace a licensed agent, a surveyor or a judicial scrivener.
Foreign-buyer check
Four questions, each green (fine), amber (to confirm), red (understand before you commit) or grey (the listing does not say):
- You own the land: green for freehold (shoyūken); red for leasehold (shakuchi-ken), where you only rent the land.
- Rebuild & road access: red if the listing says the house cannot be rebuilt (saikenchiku-fuka), if the plot is in an urbanisation control area, or if road frontage is under 2 m; amber for a narrow road (under 4 m), a required setback or a private road; green for a public road of 4 m or more.
- Earthquake standard: green if built from June 1981 (the “new seismic standard”); amber before that.
- Paying for it: green for houses up to ¥15M (cash purchases are normal); amber above that or for old wooden houses, because Japanese banks mostly lend to residents and give little value to old timber.
Foreigners have exactly the same property rights as Japanese citizens. These checks are about practical risk, not eligibility.
Cost estimate
The agent's fee uses the legal maximum (3% + ¥60,000 + 10% tax; 4–5% tiers below ¥4M). Registration tax, acquisition tax and the scrivener's fee are ranges based on typical assessed values and rates. A repairs reserve appears for houses built before 1981 or older than about 35 years. Property tax and the non-resident tax-agent fee are yearly. Two lines are fixed by law (the agent's maximum fee and the contract stamp duty); everything else is a typical range, not a quote. The numbers are estimates for budgeting, not tax advice.
Hazard risk
When a listing gives its map position, we read the official layers at that point: worst-case river flood depth, tsunami inundation and sediment-disaster warning zones (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan hazard map portal), and the 30-year probability of intensity 6-lower or stronger shaking (NIED J-SHIS). Listing positions can be approximate, and “not in a zone” does not mean zero risk. Always check the address on the official hazard map and the local municipality's map.
Prices and currencies
Prices are the asking prices on the Japanese listing. Prices are shown in US dollars by default, with the yen asking price in brackets; you can switch the main currency at the top of the page. Conversions use the daily European Central Bank reference rate (refreshed every few hours) and are for orientation only: the real cost depends on the rate your bank gives you on the day.
Where the houses come from
Houses are gathered from Japanese real-estate portals and agents, translated and checked by us. Japan Houses is not an estate agent: we never sell the house, and when you ask a question we forward it to a licensed agent for that house.