Planning Tools and Resources
A checklist you can tick off at your own pace, plain notes on what common documents are for, questions to ask about costs, and links to official sources in Japan. Nothing on this page asks for your personal details.
Shukatsu Readiness Checklist
Twelve small steps, in a sensible order but not a required one. Tick each when it is done. Your ticks are saved only in this browser, on this device, and are not sent to us; clearing the browser’s site data will clear them.
Nobody finishes this in an evening. Pick whichever step feels lightest, and leave the heavier ones for a better day.
Twelve steps
What Each Document Is For
People are often unsure which papers matter and which are optional. The notes below describe, in plain words, what each one is for in Japan. They are an orientation, not a set of forms: we do not supply templates, because a will or a guardianship deed has to meet legal requirements of form that a licensed professional or a notary can check.
Will (遺言書, yuigon-sho)
A will says who receives which of your assets. In Japan the two common forms are a handwritten will, which must meet strict formal requirements and can be deposited with a Legal Affairs Bureau, and a notarial deed will, made with a notary. Ask a notary or a lawyer which form suits your situation.
Care and Treatment Wishes Note (人生会議, ACP)
A written note of the care and treatment you would and would not want, and who you trust to speak for you. In Japan it guides your family and doctors but is not generally binding in the way a will is. The conversation with your own doctor matters as much as the page.
Asset and Account List
A private list of bank accounts, policies, property and debts, with a note of where each paper is kept. It is not a legal document. It is what saves a family weeks of searching.
Funeral and Memorial Wishes
The kind of farewell you would like, who should be told, and any existing grave, temple or columbarium arrangements. It has no legal force, but it gives your family something to follow instead of guessing.
Digital Account List
A list of accounts and where the recovery information is kept. Leave passwords out. Each provider has its own rules about what it will release to a family, so listing the account does not guarantee access.
Guardianship Arrangements (成年後見, 任意後見)
Arrangements for someone to manage your property and contracts if you can no longer do so yourself. They involve a notarial deed or the family court, and are handled by a judicial scrivener, a lawyer or the court itself.
Please note: this page is general information, not legal, tax or medical advice. The rules on wills, registration, guardianship and tax change, and they depend on your circumstances. Check with a licensed professional or the office concerned before you rely on anything here.
Costs to Ask About
We do not publish cost calculators. Costs vary widely by region, by the choices you make and by provider, and a single number on a web page would mislead more than it helps. Here are the costs people most often ask about, and who to ask.
Making a will
A notary office sets the fee for a notarial deed will, and it depends on the value of the property involved. A lawyer or scrivener who advises on the contents charges separately. Ask each for a written estimate.
Inherited real estate
Registering inherited property involves a registration tax and may involve a professional’s fee. A judicial scrivener can quote for the work, or you can ask the Legal Affairs Bureau how to do it yourself.
Inheritance tax
Whether any tax is due depends on the size of the estate and who inherits. A tax accountant or your tax office can tell you; this site cannot, and does not offer a calculator.
Funeral and memorial
Funeral providers, temples and cemeteries quote their own prices, and the style of ceremony changes the total a great deal. Ask for itemised written quotes from more than one provider.
Official Sources
When you need the rules rather than our summary, go to the organisations that set or explain them. These links open in a new tab. We do not control those sites and cannot vouch for every page on them.
- Japan Legal Support Center (Houterasu)A public organisation that provides information on Japan’s legal systems and consultation services. Pages in English are available.
- Japan Federation of Bar AssociationsThe national body for lawyers in Japan, with English information about finding legal help.
- Japan National Notaries AssociationInformation about notary offices and notarial deeds, including wills. Mostly in Japanese.
- Ministry of JusticeThe ministry behind the Legal Affairs Bureaus, which handle property registration and the storage system for handwritten wills. Search the Japanese pages for 自筆証書遺言書保管制度.
- National Tax AgencyOfficial information on Japanese taxes, including inheritance tax, with some pages in English.
- Ministry of Health, Labour and WelfareGovernment information on health and care. Guidance on advance care planning (人生会議) is published in Japanese.
If You Would Like Company
The tools above are enough for many people to make a start alone. If you would rather talk it through, we can go through the checklist with you and tell you plainly which steps belong to a licensed professional. The first conversation is free.