Owned Real Estate Record Certificate System Starts (February 2, 2026): A List of a Registered Owner's Properties, Fee JPY 1,470 to 1,600A new system gives a list of all land and buildings a person owns
The owned real estate record certificate system started operating on February 2, 2026 (Reiwa 8). The registrar issues a certificate listing the real estate for which a specific person (including a corporation) is the registered owner. Heirs can also apply, which helps them identify real estate that needs inheritance registration. The fee is JPY 1,470 to 1,600 per certificate per search condition.
- 1. Search conditionDecide the owner's name and address (for a corporation, name and address), etc.
- 2. ApplicationApply on paper or online and pay the fee
- 3. SearchThe registrar searches the system and lists the real estate the person owns as registered owner
- 4. IssuanceThe certificate is issued (if none is found, a certificate stating so)
Key points
- Applicants can be the registered owner (including corporations) and their heirs or other general successors (agents may also apply)
- The fee per certificate per search condition is JPY 1,600 for paper applications (paid with revenue stamps), and for online applications JPY 1,500 for mailed delivery and JPY 1,470 for over-the-counter delivery. The fee is charged and not refunded even if no real estate is found
- Real estate registered under a name or address different from the search condition on the application (name, address, etc.) is not included. Real estate of different people with the same name may be included
- Not covered: real estate whose registry is not computerized, real estate with only registration relating to the description of land or buildings, and applications still under review that are not yet reflected in the registry
What to do in practice
- When an inheritance occurs, add obtaining this certificate to the steps as a way to avoid missing real estate in the deceased's name
- If the owner has moved or changed its name, consider also searching with the old address or old name (properties that do not match the registered entry are not extracted)
When a family member dies, it is hard to know every piece of land and every building they owned. From February 2, 2026, a new system lets the Legal Affairs Bureau make a list of "land and buildings where this person is the owner" and issue it as a certificate.
- ○Applies: Land or a building registered with the owner's name and address you wrote in the request
- ×Does not apply: Land or a building recorded with a different way of writing the name or address
- ×Does not apply: An application still under review that is not yet in the registry
- ×Does not apply: Something that only has registration about the description of the land or building
Points
- The owner, or the heirs of a person who died, can ask the Legal Affairs Bureau
- The fee is 1,470 to 1,600 yen for each search condition
- If the name or address is written differently from the registry, the property may not appear on the list
What the words mean
- Registration (toki)
- A system that records who owns land and buildings in the Legal Affairs Bureau books so anyone can check
- Heir
- A person who takes over the property of someone who died
- Ministry of Justice: Ministry of Justice: About the owned real estate record certificate system
- Ministry of Justice: Asahikawa District Legal Affairs Bureau: Owned real estate record certificate system starts operation on February 2, 2026
This article summarizes and explains materials published by government agencies and is not advice on any individual case. Rules can change, so for actual procedures and decisions always check the latest original materials and consult professionals such as tax accountants or labor and social security attorneys. English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese versions are translations prepared from the Japanese articles for convenience. If anything differs, the Japanese text and the original source take precedence.