Japan property registration (tōki), explained: what proves you own it.

What is tōki, the Japanese property register?

Tōki is real property registration, administered by the Ministry of Justice's Civil Affairs Bureau through the Legal Affairs Bureaus. The register publicly records the physical condition of a property, such as the land and building, and the rights over it: who owns it and what is charged against it. Anyone buying should read it before signing.

Because the register is public, a buyer can check who is recorded as owner and what is charged against the property before paying anything.

Why does registration matter if I already paid?

Because payment does not protect you against third parties; registration does. Under Article 177 of the Civil Code, a transfer of ownership of real property can be asserted against third parties only once it is registered. That is why in Japan the balance is paid and the transfer is filed on the same day.

The same-day filing is done by a judicial scrivener (shihō shoshi), who is authorised to act for clients before the Legal Affairs Bureau. There is no notary step in an ordinary purchase. Buyers overseas commonly sign a power of attorney.

What document do you get as the owner of Japanese property?

A notice of Registration Identification Information (tōki shikibetsu jōhō): a 12-character code that replaced the old paper title certificate, the kenrisho. Keep it safe and private. It is what you need later to sell the property or to mortgage it, so it matters more than any printed copy of the register.

Store it the way you would store a password: whoever holds it holds the key to the next transaction.

What must a foreign owner living abroad put on the register?

Since 1 April 2024, an owner with no address in Japan, individual or company, must name a domestic contact (kokunai renrakusaki) in the registration application: a person in Japan, with their consent and seal certificate. It can be a relative, a company, a real estate firm or a judicial scrivener. Foreign owners also give a romanised name.

Line up the contact person before settlement day, not on it. The scrivener cannot file without the consent and the seal certificate.

What changes on the Japanese register in October 2026?

From 5 October 2026, every new registered owner, whether by purchase, gift or inheritance, declares a nationality to the Legal Affairs Bureau. It applies to Japanese and foreign owners alike. The nationality is recorded for the government and is not printed on the public register. The rule was promulgated on 31 March 2026.

This is reported by the press and the Tokyo Judicial Scriveners' Association; the ministry's ordinance text was not located for this page. Separately, a non-resident buyer still files the FEFTA report within 20 days: the ownership rules in full.

What does registering the transfer cost?

The registration and license tax on a transfer by sale is 1.5% of the assessed value for land until 31 March 2029, and 2% for the building, cut to 0.3% until 31 March 2027 only for a qualifying residence with a municipal certificate. The judicial scrivener's own fee is not a set percentage, so ask for a quote.

Whether a non-resident investor can use the 0.3% building rate is uncertain: it needs a municipal residential-use certificate, which in practice ties it to the buyer's own home. Budget 2% on the building. Every cost in one table: Japan property buying costs.

Header photo: Panoramio user 1572443, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. All credits: image credits.