Foreign Names on Japanese Property Registration Records

When you buy real estate in Japan, the owner’s name and address are recorded in the real estate registration records. If you are a foreign national, your passport shows your name in the Latin alphabet, yet the registration documents may show your name written in katakana, and you may wonder whether this is correct.

In Japanese real estate registration, names are recorded in Japanese script. In addition, since April 2024, the romanized name of a foreign owner is also recorded.

Japanese Script and Romanized Names

In the owner section of the registration records, your name is written in Japanese script. As a general rule, this means katakana, the Japanese script used for foreign words and names. However, people who have names in Chinese characters (kanji), such as people from China or Taiwan, may also register their names in kanji. In that case, the characters are converted into standard Japanese kanji (joyo kanji), so they may differ from the simplified characters used in China.

Since April 1, 2024, when a foreign individual becomes a registered owner, the romanized name is recorded in parentheses after the name in Japanese script. For example (these are fictional examples):

• In katakana: スミス・ジョン (SMITH JOHN)
• In kanji: 洪吉童 (HONG KILDONG)

The romanized name supplements the name in Japanese script. The official name in the registration records is the name in Japanese script; the property is not registered under the romanized name alone. As a general rule, the romanized name is written entirely in capital letters, with a space between the surname and the given name, and in the same order as the registered name in Japanese script.

Please note that romanized names are recorded only for owners who are foreign individuals. They are not recorded for the name of a foreign company that owns property, or for the names of people other than the owner, such as a mortgagee.

When Is the Romanized Name Recorded?

The romanized name is recorded together with a registration that makes a foreign national a new owner. The main examples are:

• Registration of the transfer of ownership when you acquire property by purchase, gift, inheritance or otherwise
• Registration that records the owner of a newly built building for the first time
• Registration that updates or corrects the owner’s name when it has changed or was registered incorrectly

In these cases, the romanized name is entered in the application for registration, and a document confirming it (explained in the next section) is submitted with the application.

The registrations of people who became owners before April 2024 do not include a romanized name, unless one was added later upon request. This does not make the registration invalid, and the romanized name will not be added automatically. If you wish to add your romanized name, you, as the owner, can request that it be recorded, separately from any sale or other registration.

There are also exceptions in which the romanized name is not recorded, such as when the registration is made under an alias (tsushomei).

Documents Confirming the Romanized Name

To record a romanized name, you need a document showing that the spelling is your own. Which document you use depends not on where you currently live, but on whether you are registered as a resident in Japan (i.e., whether you have a certificate of residence).

• If you are registered as a resident in Japan: a copy of your certificate of residence (juminhyo) showing your romanized name
• If you are not registered as a resident in Japan and have a passport: a copy of your passport
• If you are not registered as a resident in Japan and do not have a passport: a written statement, signed by you (or bearing your name and seal), stating that the romanized name is yours and that you do not have a passport

The passport copy must be of a passport that is valid on the date the application for registration is filed. Copy the pages showing your name, expiration date and photo, add a statement to the copy that it is identical to the original, and sign it (or affix your name and seal). Documents written in a foreign language must be accompanied by a Japanese translation.

A copy of your certificate of residence can also serve as the document proving your address for the registration. However, this document is used to confirm the spelling of your romanized name; its purpose is separate from proving your address, confirming your nationality or verifying your identity. Even when the same passport is used for more than one of these purposes, the requirements are not necessarily the same.

Check How Your Name Is Written Before Signing

If you settle on one way of writing your name at the start, for the application for registration, the sales contract, the power of attorney and other documents, you will avoid having to correct them later. Before any documents are prepared, please check the following:

• How your name will be written in katakana (or kanji)
• Whether the spelling of your romanized name matches your passport or certificate of residence
• If you have already registered property in Japan or have a certificate of residence in Japan, whether your name matches how it appears there

The romanized name is recorded with the spelling shown in your passport or certificate of residence. You cannot freely choose an English nickname or another spelling that you use in daily life.

There is more than one way to write a name in katakana. For example, the name Michael could be written as マイケル (Maikeru), ミシェル (Misheru) or ミカエル (Mikaeru). At Kobe Legal Partners, we ask you how your name is pronounced and confirm the katakana spelling with you. If you already use a particular katakana spelling in Japan, as a general rule, we use the same spelling.

Please note that a difference in how your name is written in different documents does not, by itself, prevent you from buying or selling property. However, an additional document showing that you are the same person may be required. If you notice a difference, please consult us before signing any documents.

Nationality Filing Is a Separate Procedure

For foreign owners, there is also a procedure for providing information about nationality to the Legal Affairs Bureau (nationality filing, or “kokuseki-to no moshide”). This is a separate procedure from recording the romanized name, and its purpose and the documents required are not the same. We explain nationality filing in our article on nationality information in real estate registration.

Consultations for Foreign Property Owners

Kobe Legal Partners is a firm of shiho-shoshi and gyosei-shoshi lawyers, and we have handled many real estate registrations for foreign nationals. We assist with the registrations needed when you buy or inherit property in Japan. If you are unsure how your name should be written, you are welcome to consult us before any documents are prepared.

When you contact us, please let us know:

• Your name as shown in your passport
• Your nationality
• Your country of residence, and whether you are registered as a resident in Japan
• The type of registration you are planning (purchase, inheritance, gift, new construction of a building, etc.)

You do not need to send us every page of your passport when you first contact us. We will let you know which documents are needed after hearing about your situation.