Registering Address and Name Changes for Real Estate Is Now Mandatory: Within 2 Years, Fine Up to JPY 50,000New rule: if an owner of land or a building moves or changes a company name, fix the record within 2 years
From April 1, 2026 (Reiwa 8), owners of registered real estate (individuals and corporations) must apply to register a change of name or address within two years of the change. Failing to do so without a justifiable reason may result in an administrative fine of up to JPY 50,000. Unregistered changes made before the start date must also be registered by March 31, 2028.
- April 1, 2026Mandatory registration of address and name changes starts (within two years of the change)
- May 15, 2026Smart change registration for corporations starts in stages by category, based on this date
- From mid-December 2026For individuals, confirmation notices from the Legal Affairs Bureau are sent in stages
- March 31, 2028Deadline for registering changes made before the start date and still unregistered
Key points
- Applies to registered owners of land and buildings. This includes corporations as well as individuals; for corporations, changes of name and address are covered
- The deadline is two years from the date of the change. Changes made before the start date (April 1, 2026) and not yet registered must be registered by March 31, 2028
- The fine is up to JPY 50,000. Even if the registrar becomes aware of a violation, the court is not notified right away; it is notified only if no application or request is made without a justifiable reason after the registrar sets a reasonable period and urges compliance
- Smart change registration: individuals file a "search information request" (free); for corporations, if the real estate registry contains a corporate number, the Legal Affairs Bureau verifies it and registers the change on its own authority at no cost. Individuals living abroad and corporations without a corporate number are excluded
What to do in practice
- List real estate owned by the company or held in officers' names whose registration has not been updated after a head office move, name change or relocation
- Decide whether to file the change registration yourself or to use smart change registration (search information for individuals, corporate number for corporations)
The names and addresses of owners of land and buildings are written in the registry book of the Legal Affairs Bureau. From April 1, 2026, if you move or a company changes its name, you must fix that record within two years. If you do not, you may have to pay a penalty-like fee (called an administrative fine).
- 1. A changeYou moved, or a company changed its name or head office
- 2. Within 2 yearsApply to the Legal Affairs Bureau to fix the address or name
- 3. An easy wayIf you file a request in advance, there is also a system where the Bureau checks and fixes it after a change
Points
- If an owner of land or a building changes address or name (for a company, name and address), it must be fixed within two years of the change
- Changes made before the new rule that are still not fixed must be fixed by March 31, 2028
- Without a justifiable reason, you may have to pay an administrative fine of up to JPY 50,000
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
- Administrative fine
- Money a court decides you must pay when you did not follow a rule
- Ministry of Justice: Ministry of Justice: Mandatory registration of address and name changes
- Ministry of Justice: Ministry of Justice: Q&A on mandatory registration of address and name changes
- Ministry of Justice: Ministry of Justice: About smart change registration
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.