What it really costs to buy a ¥1M house in Japan

Buying costs for a ¥1,000,000 home

• Broker fee仲介手数料

  Standard fee

  ¥55,000

  Maximum if the agency applies the low-price rule

  ¥330,000

  The standard fee is the usual cap: 5% of the first ¥2 million, 4% of the next ¥2 million and 3% of the rest, plus 10% consumption tax. Since July 1, 2024, on a home of ¥8 million or less, the agency may charge you up to ¥330,000 including tax instead, but only if it explains the fee and you agree to it before you sign the brokerage contract. Both are caps, not prices: you can ask for less.

• Registration tax登録免許税

  ¥14,000

  2% of the assessed value, the standard rate for a transfer by sale, paid when the title is registered in your name. Land and some homes get lower rates, so this line errs on the high side.

• Real estate acquisition tax不動産取得税

  ¥21,000

  3% of the assessed value, the rate for land and homes, before reductions. Residential land and many homes qualify for reductions that cut it a lot, sometimes to zero. The prefecture bills it a few months after you buy.

• Stamp duty印紙税

  ¥500

  The revenue stamp on your copy of the sale contract, set by price band at the reduced rates for contracts signed by March 31, 2027.

• Judicial scrivener司法書士

  ¥100,000

  A typical fee for the scrivener who registers the transfer. It varies with the property and the paperwork, so ask for a quote before you sign.

Both taxes use the assessed value (固定資産税評価額). We assume 70% of the price, ¥700,000. The real figure is on the property's tax certificate, and on a cheap rural house it can be above or below the price.