The Akiya Due-Diligence Playbook

What you can’t get anywhere else

These five are missing from every akiya guide and checklist we could find. They are the reason this Playbook exists.

• 1

  The legal-trap judgment, not just the list

  Farmland (農地法), Urbanization Control Area (市街化調整区域), leasehold vs freehold, and the 1981 seismic line each have a decision tree — what disqualifies you, what is recoverable, and what to ask before you can tell them apart. A checklist marks the box; this walks the judgment.

• 2

  The April 2026 foreign-owner report (外為法 Form 22)

  Since April 2026, every non-resident acquiring property ownership must report it within 20 days — the old own-residence exemption is gone. No other akiya guide covers it. You get the self-file steps and who may submit for you.

• 3

  How to read the 重要事項説明

  The mandatory disclosure document is where the deal-breakers are legally written down — if you can find them. A field-by-field walkthrough of where the traps hide and which blank fields to challenge.

• 4

  The legal commission cap — and the unlicensed gap

  Overseas buyers are routinely charged many times the legal cap by unlicensed 'facilitators'. The fee formula, the low-cost akiya special cap, and how to tell a licensed agent from someone operating outside the law that is supposed to protect you.

• 5

  How to interrogate city hall — in Japanese

  Which division to walk into (building guidance, city planning, agricultural committee, tax) and the exact bilingual script to read out. This is the complete version of the question list the free check generates.

What’s inside

1. 1
   How to use this PlaybookScope, and what this is not.
2. 2
   The rebuild trap (接道・再建築不可)Road-frontage duty and how to test it.
3. 3
   Zoning traps (市街化調整区域)Reading the city-planning map.
4. 4
   Farmland in the bundle (農地法)The Article 3 / 5 permission wall.
5. 5
   Leasehold & title traps (借地権・底地)What right you are actually buying.
6. 6
   The 1981 line (旧耐震)Dating the building, and what it costs you.
7. 7
   Interrogating city hall (英日対訳スクリプト)The complete bilingual question script.
8. 8
   Reading the 重要事項説明A field-by-field walkthrough.
9. 9
   Agents, licenses & the fee ceilingVerify the license, check the cap.
10. 10
    True cost before you signAssessed value, and the costs listings skip.
11. 11
    FEFTA Form 22 — the foreign-owner report (外為法)The April 2026 all-cases duty, self-filed.
12. 12
    Appointing a tax agent (納税管理人) yourselfThe one-page form, and the paid alternative.
13. 13
    WorksheetsWalk-away criteria, comparison, timeline.

How this differs from a due-diligence checklist

Inexpensive DD checklists for Japanese property already exist, and a good checklist is worth having. Here is what a checklist does and what this Playbook adds — so you can decide whether you need both, or just one.

Questions

Is this a substitute for legal or tax professionals?

No. It is educational information — a self-service procedure with sources you verify yourself. Filing, brokering, and formal advice are the exclusive work of licensed professionals in Japan, and the Playbook points you to them at each step rather than replacing them.

Do you sell or introduce properties?

No. We hold no stake in any transaction and introduce no specific property or agent. That neutrality is the whole point of the free check, and it carries into the Playbook.

Will the rules be out of date?

The figures are verified against FY2026 Japanese law, including the April 2026 changes, and time-limited reductions are dated. When a rule that affects akiya buyers changes, the Regulation Watch note flags it.

What format is it, and how is it delivered?

A print-ready PDF, delivered on purchase. No account to create on this site, and nothing about your property is sent to us.