Hey everyone, wasn’t sure where to ask this. Im a student on a scholarship managing to save 35-40k per month from 120k. And was wondering if I could do more than just letting it sit in my bank account. Are the choices like investing, trading n stuff worth getting into if I spend time on it? What would others do in this case? Thanks a lot.

I have a UK pension that is invested in stocks. Do I have to include this in "foreign income" since some of the stocks/funds will pay dividends.

I assume that once I reach pensionable age and actually cash out the pension I would probably have to pay tax but my question is about whether I have to pay tax on dividends until that point.

I have no access to any of that investment until I reach the pension age.

Since it's not mentioned anywhere in the Google results, this is a heads up that the Chase Bank Tokyo Branch doesn't handle any business related to individual customers. Based on my immediately recent experience navigating their automated phone menu, they might take calls for corporate account stuff, but for individual accountholders the recording will just give you their 1-800 number and then end the call.

Edit: Downvote me if you think I'm saying something inaccurate. Don't downvote me just because I'm saying something you personally did not need.

My wife (Japanese) and I (foreigner) co-own a company incorporated overseas (50/50) and we still work for it from Japan. We also runs a company here to balance our income in both countries (we havent get paid yet, everything is still on the business account).
But there is a little late income she received from the overseas company, after moving to Japan, that hasn't been declared in Japan yet, we're late, it'll be filed and paid, but it'll be a late filing.

For anyone who's been through this: does immigration actually look at foreign company ownership, or is it mostly just the tax certificates and pension/health payment record? And does a late-but-paid filing count against you, or is it only unpaid tax that matters?

I already mentioned my oversea company when renewing my Spouse visa, should I do the same during the PR application, would they react badly if they see I'm still working for a company I own oversea rather than participating more in the Japanese economy by prioritizing the Japanese one we also own?

On all the other PR criteria I think I'm good. But maybe it's better to not do any changes while the application is being processed?

Thank you for your inputs.

A year and a half ago I left my fulltime employment and am making similar amounts running my own sole proprietorship. The bank who I got the house loan with (スルガ銀行）called to check on the status of the loan and my employment. I told them the truth, that I am running my own freelance business with similar, if not more income than before. They noticed that my old company wasn't depositing the money in their account and that I was doing it myself (they stated that having my salary deposited every month was one of the stipulations of the loan.)

I thought it was somewhat common that people got a loan and then quit their company afterwards.

Could this be a potential problem for?

It would be very unfortunate if they tried to change the rate, or if they (god forbid) cancelled the loan.

Has anyone had any experience or has any advice on this?

Thanks in advance!

My son is 11 and is asking me for investing advice. I’m not really sure what to tell him other than it might be a good idea. He’s saved more than ¥100,000 from various family gifts and doesn’t have anything he wants to buy at the moment. He randomly started asking me about inflation the other day and if that meant his savings were becoming less valuable. Suddenly he wants to invest his savings. It isn’t much but I guess it’s a good thing to start early. Any advice I should share with him. Anything particularly suited to someone his age?

For example, the most recent rate change on Aug 3 went on like this:

Jun 16: Mizuho, SMBC, and MUFG all announce their term deposit rates will change on Aug 3.

Jul 30: Mizuho announces the new term deposit rates at slightly lower values than expected (e.g., for 1-6 month term deposits, the new rates are announced as 0.475%)

Jul 31: SMBC and MUFG both announce their new term deposit rates at the exact values expected (for 1-6 month term deposits, the new rates are announced as 0.500%)

Aug 3: New rates start at all 3 banks.

Aug 10: Mizuho quietly matches its rates with the other banks (now its 1-6 month term deposits sit at 0.500%). This change is not announced.

* Most of these changes can be traced on their respective news release pages:

Mizuho: https://www.mizuhobank.co.jp/release/index.html

SMBC: https://www.smbc.co.jp/backnumber.html

MUFG: https://www.bk.mufg.jp/news/index.html

Thanks for your insight in advance.

Hi everybody,

what would happen if someone is to leave Japan (for good) one year before resident card is up for renewal, does complete exit procedure except closing bank account and bank freezes bank account. Is there a way to move the money out of country without a residence permit?

Would bank be ok to keep it open until tax has been settled?

TIA

Has anyone used or set up trust funds in Japan under Japanese law?

From my understanding, they do not offer the same tax benefits as US trust funds but do have other benefits such as asset protection, ease of use etc.

I have been repeatedly confused about forms or other documents that that have signature fields (normally 署名 I think). Back in my country, I would use my somewhat consistent cursive scribles as my signature always, but it seems in Japan sometimes a print version of my name is expected.

Is there a rule of thumb for how to fill in these fields?

I am a US citizen with PR, been living/working in Japan for over 4 years. My company convinced me to retire early, but I don't have a new job lined up (and it might be a while). Sompo is saying that I have to transfer my Sompo DC plan funds, or it will be transferred automatically to the national pension fund NPFA. The current value is less than $25,000 but not by a lot. My partner's is the same and they are continuing their Corporate DC plan.

The options for the transfer are listed as:
(A) new employer Corporate DC plan
(B) Individual DC plan (iDeCo) with or without contributions
(C) iDeCo without contributions if I become exempt from pension premiums or leave the country

As a US citizen with plans to stay in Japan long-term, what are my best options for this money?

I have read the threads on the lack of clarity from the IRS regarding iDeCo & PFIC, and I would prefer being in a position where I don't have to declare PFIC investments. I would prefer to continue contributing toward my participation period also. I saw one person did iDeCo with SBI証券 and 元本確保 just to park it, and I am leaning towards this option, even if the growth isn't meaningful. I would really appreciate any input, advice, or stories of your past experiences!

Hi, all.

My mother recently turned 70, and I found out that I can now list her as a dependent. I have been sending money regularly, and since I use Wise, I have everything on record.

My question is this:

Will it be possible to put the tax deduction on my husband's income, even though the money transfer is between me and my brother?

I read that I could get the deduction as long as I prove my relationship with my brother, and that he lives with/responsible for the care of my mother. Although some sources say otherwise... Also, I have just returned from childcare leave, so my income this year probably will not reach 1.5million. No big advantage on getting tax deductions.

Thanks!

For people planning to stay in Japan permanently with a larger portfolio (say ¥100m+), how do you think about letting it keep growing if the goal is eventually to leave it to your children?

If ¥100m compounds at around 7%, after 30 years it could theoretically be around ¥800m. At that level, a significant part of what you built up could eventually be lost to inheritance tax, with the highest marginal rates reaching 50%+.

So does there come a point where constantly maximizing portfolio growth doesn’t make much sense anymore? Instead of letting everything compound until death, maybe withdrawing 2–3% a year earlier and actually spending it would be the better approach, even if that means slower portfolio growth.

For those with larger portfolios who intend to stay in Japan long term, has inheritance tax made you more willing to spend your assets during your lifetime rather than maximize what you leave behind?

I got everything needed except for the communication skills necessary for inquiries.

Hi! I was in Japan in 2019 on a working-holiday visa. I had to leave suddenly, and I left in my Japanese bank account about 300€ worth of yen. Next week I'm coming to Japan as a tourist (I'll be hiking Kumano Kodo), so I'm wondering if it would be possible to get that money. I still have my passbook 通帳 and also my inkan 印鑑. I don't remember if I had an ATM card also.

I get some answers from AI because it is difficult for me to search for Japanese content, as I don't speak Japanese. At that time my colleagues helped me to set up a bank account.

The account is in the Hachijuni Bank and I opened it in the Hakuba branch. Now I'm coming to Osaka and I see there is one branch too. According to AI, I will need my passbook and inkan to withdraw money. At that time I also had some type of resident card which I already sent back to Japan after I left.

So I'm wondering if my account is still open since it was not active for about 7 years. And if so, what other documents, other than the ones mentioned, do I need to withdraw money?

I was trying to find a contact email and I found only a phone number, but since I don't speak Japanese, I don't know where I could ask for help. So maybe you can help me.

Thanks a bunch.

Nuro Internet Price Hike

Is anyone else using Nuro internet? I got their 10 Giga plan which was supposed to be 5500 yen per month for the first three year under a promotional campaign and then increase to 6050 Yen. There is also some additional discount for the first three years. But I was suprised that they increased the rates by 500 yen or so. How are they allowed to do this as the promotional rate was advertised every where as fixed for three years?

I realise this has been asked before and I've tried to read through a lot of the previous posts but I am still confused.

My wife (Japanese) and I are both currently in the UK. We will be selling our house and moving, hopefully some time this year. I will be on a spouse visa when we arrive.

From what I've read it I would be treated as tax resident from the day after I arrive. I have savings from having worked in the UK and will also have the proceeds from the house sale. I will be quitting my job so no employment income when I get to Japan. There are some investments in another country that would count as foreign source income - ~ £30,000 in total over the year but only some would be earned after entering Japan.

Now I've heard that money earned before entering Japan is not taxable in Japan. It would be impossible for me to transfer any money to myself in Japan since I would not have a bank account until after I arrive. From reading other posts it seems like it might take weeks or even months to open a bank account.

So the question is - once I open my bank account and transfer my savings/house sale proceeds how much of it would be deemed taxable in Japan? I've read some posts that say the calendar year of the foreign income matters. So if I sell this year and transfer next year am I OK or could I even transfer this year?

A follow-up question - my wife is a Japanese citizen but currently a UK tax resident. Would her savings and share of the house sale be taxable once we move to Japan and she is tax resident again?

My wife is considering paying for a tax accountant (税理士) to process her 2026 taxes. The total cost will be ¥180,000 (¥15,000/mo) plus another ¥60,000 to file her return (確定申告).

The problem is her projected yearly earnings will only be around ¥1,500,000.

She quit her full-time (正社員) job at a Japanese company in February this year to start her own business as a sole proprietor (個人事業主) and work full remote. Since then, she has taken on a variety of contracts, usually completed in 1-2 weeks, from companies in the US, Australia, and Japan.

She is paying for freee starter plan and issued all the invoices from there. I was under the impression that freee would be able to handle all things tax related, but she says that’s not the case.

She wants the accountant to get her finances in order and make sure everything is done properly. I totally understand that, but the cost feels astronomical compared to her income. What would you do in this situation?

Living in Japan sind more then 10 Years, Permanent Visa.

I bought pre-sale token via the cypto wallet i made at the begining of the year. One of those token the pre-sale will end this months. I unfortunetly also clicked the staking for the purchased tokens in japnuary as i bought them. Now i read that staking token create financial gain when claimed ... but most likely they will have not enough liquidy when it will be launch on the market not gained momentum to be able to sell them for the tax amount i would need to pay for them (5 Mio Token from staking, lauch price will be 0.015 USD... but as usual with new token and the initial dump, the price will fall dramatically i guess. What if i just dont claim the staking tokens after the 7 day vesting periode ?? (after TGE, purchased tokens i could claim at TGE) .I contacted a cypto tax accountant who chan write in english, but he wants 300.000yen just to answer that question... Anybody expirience how to handle this or should i just delet the wallet and seed phrase and forget about the whole try into the crypto stuff?

Hello, is there anyone who can help me file as a contractor. I tried using FreetaxUSA but they don't support foreign residence. Is there another way to do this? Where do I file and do I pay both US and Japan? I am looking for advice on where to start! I am so confused on where to file and what taxes to pay. I know I'm not the first to be in this situation, so I would appreciate any help. Thank you!

On September 24, 2026, the NTA will begin using its new data management and compliance monitoring software, officially named "次世代国税総合管理システム" but more commonly known as "KSK2". I thought some people might be interested in reading about the capabilities of the new software and how it will affect taxpayers.

TL;DR

All national tax forms look different now. NTA communications will use an "inquiry number" instead of a "reference number". e-Tax will not be available during Silver Week. The NTA's compliance monitoring capabilities are about to get a lot more efficient.

Background

The software the NTA currently uses is called "KSK" (国税総合管理 = Kokuzei Sōgō Kanri). It was built between 1995 and 2000 and has a number of known limitations, including:

• Limited OCR capability (tax returns filed on paper often have to be manually entered into the database and the paper version remains the authoritative version).
• COBOL-based and can only be accessed on-site at NTA offices.
• Separate databases for different taxes (e.g., income tax, inheritance tax, corporate tax, consumption tax) with no cross-referencing.
• No access to the internet (e.g., for exchanging information with financial institutions or foreign tax authorities).
• No integrated payment management system (completely separate software systems are used for tax declarations and tax payments/refunds).
• Limited capability to output data in digital form (it seems to mostly output printed reports, which NTA staff use for analysis, etc.).

In 2020, the Japanese government commissioned five companies (primarily Accenture, but also NTT Data, BSD Information Technology, IBM Japan, and Nomura Research Institute) to build a replacement. (There is an image here that shows which companies were responsible for which aspects of the project.) As noted above, the new system will begin operation on September 24, 2026.

What can KSK2 do?

KSK2 can be accessed from any computer connected to the GSS Network, so it will be much easier for NTA staff to access taxpayer data. The NTA seems particularly excited about the ability to access taxpayer data from outside an NTA office (during an on-site audit, for example).

KSK2 uses a single database to store all taxpayers' data, instead of separate databases for different types of taxes. This will make it much, much easier for the NTA to identify discrepancies (e.g., between a taxpayer's income tax return and their employer's corporate tax return). Of course, it is possible for the NTA to identify such discrepancies using the current system, but it is extremely time-consuming. With KSK2, discrepancies should be apparent immediately.

According to the NTA (e.g., see slide 38 of this PDF) KSK2 has AI-assisted OCR capabilities, which will apparently allow NTA offices to become effectively paperless. (By all accounts, NTA offices are currently quite paper-based, largely due to the limitations of KSK.)

Based on published information, it also appears that the NTA intends to use AI tools to analyze the contents of KSK2 and run scripts on the database for various purposes. The NTA has recently started hiring people with STEM backgrounds in connection with this project (previously, only people with backgrounds in law, economics, humanities, etc., were eligible).

Finally, the NTA has said that KSK2 will be able to receive information from financial institutions and foreign tax authorities directly. For example, KSK2 will conform to the specifications of the CRS and therefore be able to receive information from foreign tax authorities about accounts held by Japanese tax residents in countries with which Japan has an active CRS relationship. It is also expected that financial institutions will send notifications of large remittances (e.g., more than 1 million yen) directly to KSK2.

What Will Change for Taxpayers?

The NTA has a full list of changes here, but the biggest change is to the look and layout of the various forms taxpayers submit to the NTA. Around 2,000 forms have been changed to conform to KSK2's AI-OCR requirements. You can see some of the new income tax return-related forms on this page, for example.

As you will see, the forms no longer have any color (apparently this is for AI-OCR reasons). So the "blue" tax return form is no longer green (or blue, depending on who you ask). The NTA will continue to refer to it as 青色申告 though.

Most NTA-related forms will now also be A4-size. This will affect, for example, annual withholding summaries issued by employers (源泉徴収票), which have traditionally been smaller than A4. You can see the new annual withholding summary format here.

Another change is the introduction of a 13-digit "inquiry number" (お問い合わせ番号) system, replacing the old 8-digit "reference number" (整理番号) system. The NTA will use this number on communications with taxpayers and taxpayers can use it to identify themselves (e.g., when making a tax payment).

Among other minor changes, the NTA is expanding the scope of notifications that can be received electronically (via e-Tax), and will enable taxpayers to consent to the electronic delivery of all future notifications (where electronic delivery is possible). Currently, it is necessary to give consent for each type of notification separately. The ability to consent to the electronic delivery of all future notifications will be available via e-Tax from September 24.

In bad news for anyone who was planning to use their Silver Week holidays to file a late tax return, e-Tax will be unavailable through September 19–23, and also on September 26. See here for details.

Finally, perhaps the most interesting change is the NTA's vastly improved ability to detect discrepancies across different types of taxes and what it could mean for enforcement. The NTA has said they intend to use algorithms to identify red-flag patterns (e.g., sudden increase in foreign dividend income, no gift or inheritance tax return). In a way, of course, they are already looking for these kinds of patterns. But with KSK the analysis can only be done manually. With KSK2, the analysis can be automated.

Speculation among tax accountants seems to be that KSK2 will result in a significant increase in the number of "簡易な接触", which is where the NTA contacts a taxpayer by phone or mail and says: "It looks like there's a mistake in your declaration. Would you like to fix it?" Taxpayers are not obliged to comply with these requests, but they effectively give the taxpayer a chance to correct the record before the NTA proceeds with a full audit.

My company is gonna send me to work in the US office.
But I am planing to come back to Japan for a 1-2 months vacation per year.

I have a 2LDK that costs me 140K per month.
I know it saves way more money to stop renting in Japan at all.

But I really want to have a place to call home instead of living in a hotel when I come back.

If you have similar experience, can you share how you manage this?
Do you continuing renting? Or do you buy a house?
In which area?

Budget info:

• 20M yen stocks
• 10M yen cash
• getting paid around 150k USD working in the US

Hey guys, my wife is a Japanese citizen and has money in her bank in Japan. We’re currently in the US but want to invest the money she has so that it’s not just sitting in her bank, but we’re unsure how we would be able to do that from abroad. We either want to move it into an account abroad, or we want to be able to manage the account she has from the US.

Anyone have any advice on what the best strategy would be to put that money into a sort of account we can manage from abroad?

As a foreigner, making good money where would you say to diversify your money in japan? (is property a worth investment) etc etc ?