Japan property cost calculator

Glossary

What each line above actually is, who bills it, and the FY2026 rate behind the number.

Stamp duty 印紙税 · inshizei

A national tax on the purchase contract itself. You pay it by buying revenue stamps and affixing them to the signed document, so it never appears as a bank transfer. The amount is banded by contract price rather than charged as a percentage.

¥1,000 from ¥1M to ¥5M, ¥5,000 to ¥10M, ¥10,000 to ¥50M, ¥30,000 to ¥100M. Buyer and seller each stamp their own copy. Reduced bands run to 2027-03-31.

Agent commission 仲介手数料 · chukai tesuryo

What the brokerage charges for introducing the property and handling the transaction. The Real Estate Brokerage Act sets a legal maximum, not a fixed price, so it can be negotiated downward. The seller pays their own agent separately.

Capped at 5% up to ¥2M, 4% + ¥20,000 up to ¥4M, then 3% + ¥60,000, each plus 10% consumption tax. Since 2024, vacant houses and land at ¥8M or less may instead be charged up to ¥330,000 including tax.

Registration & license tax 登録免許税 · toroku menkyozei

A national tax due when the change of ownership is entered in the property register at the Legal Affairs Bureau. Until that entry is made you are not the owner of record, so this is not optional. It is charged on the assessed value, not on what you paid.

Land transfer at a reduced 1.5% through 2029-03-31. Buildings at 0.3% for an owner-occupied used house, 2.0% otherwise, or 0.15% for a qualifying new build. Mortgage registration adds a further 0.1% to 0.4% of the loan.

Acquisition tax 不動産取得税 · fudosan shutokuzei

A one-off prefectural tax on acquiring real estate. It catches overseas buyers out more than any other item, because the prefecture mails the notice months after closing — typically three to six — long after the purchase feels finished.

3% of assessed value. Residential land is assessed at half, then reduced by a credit of at least ¥45,000; an owner-occupied home meeting the size and age rules deducts up to ¥12M from the building base. Reductions run to 2027-03-31.

Judicial scrivener 司法書士 · shiho shoshi

A licensed registration specialist, not a tax. The scrivener checks the title, drafts the registration application, and files it at the Legal Affairs Bureau on the day of settlement. Buyers living abroad usually also need one for the affidavit that stands in for a Japanese residence certificate.

Roughly ¥80,000 to ¥150,000 for a straightforward transfer. The registration and license tax is normally paid through them, so the invoice you receive is larger than their own fee.

Total one-time

The five closing items added together: everything you pay once to become the registered owner, excluding the purchase price. Shown as a share of the price so you can sanity-check any listing at a glance.

Usually 6% to 10% of the purchase price. Cheap akiya sit at the high end, because the flat commission cap and the fixed scrivener fee do not shrink as the price falls.

Fixed asset tax 固定資産税 · kotei shisanzei

The annual municipal property tax, billed to whoever is the registered owner on 1 January. One notice arrives in spring, payable in four instalments. Municipalities revalue property every three years.

Standard 1.4% of assessed value. Residential land up to 200 m² is taxed on one sixth of its assessed value, the excess on one third.

City planning tax 都市計画税 · toshi keikakuzei

An additional annual municipal tax funding roads, sewers, and other urban infrastructure. It applies only inside a designated urbanisation promotion area (市街化区域), so genuinely rural akiya often escape it. It appears on the same notice as fixed asset tax.

Up to 0.3% of assessed value. Residential land up to 200 m² is taxed on one third, the excess on two thirds.