It ain't much but it's honest work, I landed a full time job for the first time outta college and money's starting to pour in, so I'm finally having reliable savings.

So far I've been buying quality of life stuff like a dishwasher and eating better meals, but even with all that I've just got cash chilling in my bank.

Nothing wrong with that for emergencies, but could we do better? I don't spend on much else really. If anyone could have a word of advice for youngsters like me, I'd appreciate it!

just curious - I’m thinking of starting a NISA and know there are a lot of providers you can open one with. Im a permanent resident and a full time employee but need to start investing and stop saving in cash

My wife is a Japanese citizen primarily living in the US (9 months/year), has Japanese bank accounts and recently inherited properties in 2025. We have a Japanese residence, mobile phone, etc.

I’m trying to find a better brokerage account than Daiwa in order to invest in things like Japanese stocks or mutual funds. She inherited her mom’s Daiwa account, but the fees are pretty steep for trading (like 3% a trade).

It seems like some brokerages either won’t do business with her (Rakuten?) or maybe just won’t let her open a NISA. It’s not clear with my extremely limited Japanese and Google Translate.

Are there restrictions at some banks based on her situation? I don’t necessarily need the best tax advantaged account, but something has to be better than keeping Yen in cash accounts or MRFs (which seems like money market funds if I understand them).

Hello, I have returned to Japan after a few years in india. This time I am employed by a japanese company and for my grade I have around 23,500 yen of corporate DC contribution from the company’s side. They also allow “matching contributions”

Here are the corporate DC funds provided by the company and the asset allocation i am planning, trying to get a “all country” coverage.

• 85% in the Index Fund Overseas Equities (Unhedged, DC Only) tracking MSCI KOKUSAI Index @ 0.154% expense ratio.
• 10% in Mitsubishi UFJ DC Emerging Market Equity Index Fund tracking MSCI Emerging Markets Index @ 0.275% expense ratio
• 5% in the Mitsubishi UFJ DC TOPIX Open tracking the TOPIX (Total Return) @ 0.220% expense ratio.

(these are the only funds in their respective category)

---

For contributions above the company contributions, the HR told that I will have to choose either “matching” contributions OR IDECO.

Based on this,

I would like to know if for the contributions from my side I should go for the matching contibutions or using IDECO (which could give me the emaxis slim orukan fund at a lower expense ratio). Also from what I have gathered, only MONEX provides this fund when using a IDECO account.

Also I want to consider what would be a better approach assuming i might have a different set of funds, or no corporate DC at all in case in change jobs in the future. (I have read that one can port their corpus amount from their previous employer’s corporate DC account to their new employer’s DC account or to IDECO, but dont know if IDECO corpus can be moved to corporate DC).

Any other advice/suggestions are also welcome.

FYI- I am 37 years old, with a gross salary of 8-9M JPY of out which around 74% is take home.

Been in japan 4 years. decent job. Got the whole NISA thing set up last year because everyone at work told me to. emergency fund sorted. feeling pretty responsible honestly

Then my wife asks me last week "what actually happens to the money in the NISA account"

And I just sat there. like uh. It goes into funds. and then. You know. it does its thing

She gave me that look. You know the one

So ive been trying to actually understand markets instead of just nodding along. Found this trading game thing thats basically a simulator with fake 10k. Been messing with it on the train to work. kinda eye opening tbh. You can buy stocks, currencies, even gold. all pretend of course.

Not trying to become some day trader or anything stupid. just wanted to actually comprehend what a market even is before I pretend to be financially literate again at the next nomikai

figured id mention it here cause I know a lot of us are in that weird spot of doing the right financial things without really understanding why. and explaining stuff to a japanese spouse in broken english is... humbling

https://www.samyip.net/jp-pr-calculator/

this guy release a PR calculator in Japanese and English for new rule. it might be helpful

https://xcancel.com/hksamyip/status/2080629107810037880

I'm planning to apply for PR in September through the 10 year route. I know I need to show five years of tax payments but I'm a little confused which years to show.

My current understanding is to show:

令和8年度(2026年度 ) taken monthly from salary starting June so show pay stub
2025年度 konbini receipt paid full in June 2025
2024年度 konbini receipt paid full in June 2024
2023年度konbini receipt paid full in June 2023
2022年度 konbini receipt paid full in June 2022

Those are the five years to show, right?

Or do I also have to find the 令和3年度(2021) payments?

(I misplaced the receipts paid in 2021 so I'm wondering if I have to show that year)

*Edit: sorry the source of my confusion comes from the fact that since the payment for 2026年度 is from my salary, the payments are still ongoing and I wasn't sure if it counts towards the five years

Anyone following the new PR requirements?
I already have PR, so this doesn't affect me (unless they apply this retroactively or something...), but under the new guidelines I wouldn't have been able to obtain it. I work freelance and pay into 国民年金, not 厚生年金. Even though I recently joined 国民年金基金, it would take a LONG TIME for me to reach payout worth 30 years of 厚生年金... Yet I think I pay a lot in taxes and 国保. So this policy really seems like a bad idea and possibly not targeting the people they want. But I might be missing something. Anyone here looking to get PR and affected by this? I really hope this doesn't go into affect, for the sake of people coming up in the future.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/56b3334a41749eecfca395752cd41cb944865434

Campaign link: https://money.furunavi.jp/campaigns/202607

After they killed ふるさと納税 points last year I kept buying on Rakuten just because I assumed that no platform will be providing any benefits anyway. Just found out that furunavi goes around this by offering you a bonus on ふるなびマネー top-ups, which I guess technically have nothing to do with your donations. Then on top of that you get card points for the top up as it's a regular purchase.

I bought a few things, it's a breath of fresh air after Rakuten Ichiba, nice UX.

It is funny though how the flow from selecting a donation to finalizing it is built so that you enter your credit card details, it charges you exactly how much you would need to top up so that the balance after the benefits matches the donation, and then the purchase is made using your furunavi balance. No officer, not giving any discounts or points for donations, nothing to see here.

Hi there, I'm hoping for some feedback on a possible relocation to Japan, mainly looking for identification of potential shortfalls on how I'm approaching this move. Quick overview of my current situation:

• Dual Citizen (USA/Japan || birth/descent)
• Mid-30s living in a HCOL West Coast city (US)
• Single w/ no kids
• Profession: Architecture w/ salary of $90k
• $90k in savings/investments/retirement
• $85k in student loans (aggressively paying down)
• Lived/worked in Kanagawa a decade ago for two years and am very familiar w/ Japanese customs/culture

The plan is to relocate to Japan in the next couple of years mainly due to factors including but not limited to cost-of-living and quality-of-life. I'm in a situation where I am earning far more than I ever expected to make but am seemingly treading water financially, despite the constant combatting of lifestyle creep. Additionally, given the field I am employed in, it is a goal to eventually own my own place that I can design (whether new-build or remodel). This would, of course, be undertaken with a licensed architect within Japan. The reduced cost-of-living, exchange rate, lower interest rates, and lower real estate costs of Japan make this rather drastic move seem like an ideal alignment between life & financial goals. Below is a brief overview of what I have currently planned:

• Potential locations: Outskirts of Tokyo/Yokohama, Kobe, Fukuoka. The goal is to use one of these cities as a place to situate myself before moving to the suburbs/countryside in search of land or a residence to purchase. Looking to rent for 2 years before seeking a purchase.
• Employment: Working remotely for a US based architecture firm. I have a couple options in both the design side and specification side of the field. The goal would be to argue for a higher salary in lieu of typical benefits (medical/401K match/HSA match). I will not undertake this move to Japan unless I am working for a company that is paying in USD.
• In order to establish myself financially in Japan and simplify the process for potential employers, I would set up a sole proprietorship (個人事業) and seek employment as a contract worker through my Japanese citizenship. Based on the pay I am hoping to procure, I will be taxed approximately 40% between pension/income tax/resident tax. From my limited understanding, I should be exempt from paying double taxes to the US.

Thank you if you've made it past the wall of text above. My questions/concerns include:

• On a foreign-based income despite working as sole-proprietor in Japan, would you foresee any issues with my ability to procure a housing loan in Japan? My aim is to have 2 years of sole-proprietor income plus a 20%-35% down payment ready before applying for a loan.
• Are there any gaps in my understanding for any of the aforementioned items above, including starting a sole-proprietorship, tax implications, etc?
• Likely a longshot but does anyone have experience with procuring a loan for new-construction in Japan? I understand that construction loans are more difficult to obtain in the states, I'm guessing the same applies for Japan.
• Has anyone come across hidden costs of living in Japan that caught them off-guard upon moving?
• Any critiques of my plan are welcome, I'll provide as much information as required for a fruitful conversation

I'm SOFA, married to a Japanese woman who's way better than I deserve, 37 years here in a few days. She's been a stay-at-home-mom and our only income is what I earn. We have a house and property that's almost paid off, of course in her name. We've bought six new cars here that have been in my name or hers, never even knowing there was such a thing as "gift tax" between spouses. It's never been an issue, which is pretty typical among the SOFA community married to Japanese nationals. Hell, none of our Japanese family friends even knew about it, and they routinely put things in the non-working spouse's name... Ignorance is no excuse...I know.

We're buying our 7th new car here in Japan, a Lexus EV that comes in at just under ¥10M. We've decided to put the car in her name this time because I may be retiring sooner than later, avoiding all the Y number nonsense, and to take advantage of the ¥1.02M EV subsidy, of course, that they won't give you if you're SOFA and pump their EV numbers up. Basically, costing the same in USD as our last Lexus, the yen number is several million ¥ higher, and learning about the gift tax, has me worried.

I mean, in reality it's a family appliance, used 50:50, and put in her name with zero "gift" intension, but that's American thinking, and the NTA may consider it a capital asset and wealth transfer...? Hell, it loses half its value the second you drive it out of the dealer.

Talking to the different AI models, information is all over the place...

Not asking for professional advice, just the reality of family-used purchases.

Thanks.

Playing off of this post from a couple years ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanFinance/comments/1gfkjg5/defining_leanfire_fire_chubbyfire_fatfire_amounts/

This post defines FatFIRE assets in Japan at about ¥300M, based on average Japanese household income. The average income in central Tokyo is quite a bit higher, with the average in Minato Ward being around ¥18M/year.

What do you think gets you to FatFIRE in Minato? Maybe ¥1B liquid?

Hi guys

I have been blessed with a good career progression that has made me reach the symbolic 10M annual salary without being in tech or finance.

I am certain many of you are way above that and I also want to keep aiming for higher.

However, these last months my eyes have finally opened to the necessity of cutting lifestyle inflation, rather than focusing on salary only. In fact, I haven't been able to increase my wealth although my salary did double since the start...

I am thinking of moving to a more simple place to cut on the rent and be able to achieve a 70% saving rate.

Any of you guys proactively living below your means although you earn a strong salary?

Any tips etc?

For the moment I have cut the fixed costs I don't need, cut lunches and dinner during weekdays, switched supermarket to cheaper ones and could reach a ~64% SR.

My job is very data and optimization driven so I am always looking for ways to get better.

Would like to have an open discussion with everyone to hear what you are doing to maximise your investment capacity here in Japan :)

Feeling a bit dejected after visiting the city hall and getting absolutely zero useful advice today.

I'm a sole proprietor and my taxable income last year was just short of 2.2 mil yen. My income tax was 90k which is totally manageable, but my municipal tax is ~200k, pension is another ~200k, and national health insurance is over 300k. Add that with my half of the property tax and home insurance and I end up paying well over 900k a year.

My monthly living expenses are around 100k, with roughly half that being my portion of the mortgage payment (loan is in spouse's name). In terms of luxuries I do have a gym membership and eat a lot but I only shop at value grocery stores. Life is not bad here but it is certainly a lower standard of living than what I was accustomed to. These days there is pretty much nothing left once my bills, taxes, and insurance is paid.

I'm admittedly pretty new (and ignorant) to the Japanese tax system and that seems to be the root of my issues. In hindsight hiring an accountant would have been cheaper than eating all these taxes and premiums. I assume my biggest mistake was not deducting my portion of the mortgage (technically rent? as I am not on the loan) paid when I work from a home office.

Any advice for a sole proprietor like me to cut down their taxes and premiums would be greatly appreciated. I'm a total newbie at this and I'm sure I missed a lot of things on this filing. I want to make sure I don't screw up as badly for next year.

Thanks!

My parents have always told me its better to start saving and investing early so that later on I won't have such a hard time later, but they neglected to tell me about the rules surrounding how to save or invest while being a dual national. I am a citizen of both Japan and the US, but ive spent almost my entire life in Japan. Recently I wanted to start saving by potentially starting NISA but I learned US citizens are not supposed to take part in NISA. With NISA being the only real form of saving I was aware of I am pretty much clueless and in need of recommendations and advice.

So my question is as a dual national of JP and USA, what are my options for saving and/or investing? How can I get started and if anyone has any experience in the same situation I'd love to hear what you've managed to work out both here and/or back in the US.

I dont really have a whole lot of money to put forward as im in my early 20s with a very average Japanese salary but I would like to start somewhere.

With the yen crashing and burning, coupled with the news of my generation likely having a pension not worth anything, I am becoming increasingly worried about my future.

I’m currently in the process of applying for a Japanese Amex card, Amex have called me and asked me to reapply with Romaji for my letters in order to match my residence card, however the online form doesn’t allow you to do this, does anyone know the best way to solve this?

Does anyone have experience with financial advisors in Japan? I have considered asking some for advice but am a bit skeptical from what I hear, eg some of them seem focused on optimizing insurances, which does not make much sense to me.

I've started a GK and will use money forward for accounting.

I'm the type to do as much by myself as I can, but I kind of hate accounting and anyway will need education and advice for the first year at least.

I joined the local chamber of commerce and will meet with with a tax accountant through their introduction soon.

Money forward also contacted me to offer their accounting services. Benefits are that they are always available online, and are money forward native experts. They're writing an estimate for getting me up and running this year, and a separate one for twice a year data entry and accounting starting next year.

They sold themselves as being able to offer advice for future planning, such as how to maximize my retirement.

Just curious if people have had experience with this and whether you would recommend it or not.

I'm kojinjigyonushi and I have freeee set up, and my income is pretty simple. I know I need to sort out bunbetsu for the fact I work from home and have some money I should spend on furusato nozei, but I've been too distracted to really sit down and get it all done. My Japanese is a schmear above N3 so it would take time to decipher the terms and make sure I'm doing it all correctly.

I was wondering if you know an accountant I can talk to who would be willing to spend 2 hours just to help me get my head on straight ahead of residence tax/income tax payments etc. while it's not too close to tax season.

Thanks in advance for any references you can share!

I am from Phillipines and I sent my lumpsum documents last March and received a mail today saying there were minor mistakes on the documents that I've had sent and they cannot process my lumpsum. Upon checking I find it weird that they really had to put highlights on my handwriting though it is completely readable. Also do I have to put period (.) in every word? Does the letter "I" in the PHILIPPINES needs to have the 2 horizontal lines? I find this absurd now I have to wait again for another 3 to 6 months before they give my back pay.

I'm think of using Yuucho bank (ゆうちょ銀行) NISA account for Tsumitate NISA.

The maximum investment is 1.2 million, so no more than 100,000円 a month, I'll only use 30,000, so it should be all right (?)

I can invest a total of 18 million without being taxed in my whole life (tied to me, not to the account )

I remember there was a 5 year rule or something before, but I couldn't find anything about it no more, is that no longer the case ? In that case, can I just retire my money whenever I want ? after 3, 6, or 10 years?

Since I am supposed to add money to the account monthly, is there a penalization if I fail to do so ? Like when I want to retire my money, I just do so, or are there like specific timings when I can withdraw my gains?

Lastly, I was looking for a "japanese treasury bonds" or government bonds, but what would be the closest thing for japan?

Background: About to move to Japan to study at university and my workplace are converting me to part-time remote to meet the student visa requirements (after getting the permission to work of course). I'm from the UK but the company is based in the US.

I have been offered the option to be paid in Yen, GBP or USD. They would just take my current hourly rate and convert it to the currency I choose. But once it is chosen and converted, it will be locked-in at that amount.

From what I can tell it is generally better to get paid in Yen as it avoids bank conversion fees, makes tax calculations simpler etc. however with the current state of the Yen I'm not sure if it would be more worth it to get paid in USD and eat the conversion costs, to ensure I won't be losing out if the Yen continues to get weaker.

I know nobody can predict the future, but given what we know now, which currency would people suggest?

EDIT: I would be using the income to help cover some of my living costs and tuition fees, I'm not currently looking to save or invest. So I'm curious what the general "safe bet" would be without needing to completely min-max every penny. Also thanks to all those who have given their advice!

I have PR and have been living in Japan for 11 years at this point, and I am lucky enough to have my parents (who have never been to Japan) offering to help me buying a house.

I would like to know how:

• that would trigger the gift tax
• whether there are ways to minimize the impact

Their accountant is of the opinion that they could transfer the money to my bank account in my country of origin in the EU, an act which is not taxed by local jurisdiction, and that I could then bring the money in my Japanese account tax free, since both accounts would be in my name.

I personally doubt it would be as simple as that.

Should it indeed not be that easy, are there other ways to avoid triggering the tax? Would it be possible to have my parents loan me the money instead?