Inheritance
When a family member or relative passes away, it's necessary to go through inheritance procedures.
These procedures involve investigating and confirming the heirs, as well as researching and creating an inventory of the inherited assets. If required, an inheritance division agreement must also be drafted.
Inheritance procedures can be particularly demanding if the heirs include relatives you don't regularly interact with or those who live far away.
Main Services
- Investigation and Confirmation of Heirs
- Investigation of Inherited Assets and Creation of an Inventory
- Preparation of Inheritance Division Agreements
- Assistance with Drafting Documents for Inheritance Renunciation
- Comprehensive Support for All Inheritance Matters
Will
Japan's Civil Code stipulates three types of wills: the Holographic Will, the Notarized Will, and the Secret Will.
- Holographic Wil：This will is entirely handwritten by the testator, including the full text, date, and name, and must bear their personal seal (inkan).
By utilizing the Holographic Will Storage System, the need for probate at the Family Court is eliminated. - Notarized Will：This will is prepared by a public notary at a notary office, based on the testator's oral statement, and with at least two witnesses present. Although it incurs a fee, it is considered the most reliable type.
- Secret Will：In this type of will, the testator prepares the will, places it in an envelope, seals it, and then presents the sealed will to a notary public and at least two witnesses, declaring it as their will. This method is effective if you wish to keep the contents of your will confidential.
However, if there are any defects in the will's content itself, there's a risk that the will could be invalidated.
Even if you go to the effort of creating a will, it might become invalid due to deficiencies, or its contents could even lead to disputes among heirs. Therefore, we highly recommend consulting with a professional.
Main Services
- Assistance with Drafting Holographic Wills
- Assistance with Drafting Notarized Wills
- General Advice on Will Preparation
Guardianship
The Guardianship System is a legal framework designed to protect and support individuals whose decision-making abilities have become insufficient due to conditions like dementia, intellectual disabilities, or mental disorders.
It is broadly divided into the following two types:
Optional Guardianship System：This system allows individuals, while still having full decision-making capacity, to prepare for a future decline in their abilities. You can choose a trusted person (an optional guardian) and decide, via a notarized contract, what kind of support you'd like to receive in the future. The system becomes effective when the Family Court appoints an optional guardianship supervisor once your decision-making capacity has actually diminished.
Statutory Guardianship System：For individuals who already have insufficient decision-making capacity, the Family Court appoints a guardian or similar figure to support them with property management and legal actions like contracts. There are three types within this system, based on the degree of the individual's diminished capacity: guardianship, curatorship, and assistance.
Main Services
- Consultation and advice on the content of optional guardianship agreements
- Drafting of optional guardianship agreement proposals
- Support for creating asset inventories
- Support for filing petitions for the appointment of optional guardianship supervisors
- Assistance with drafting post-mortem administrative contracts
Family Trust
Family Trust is a system where you entrust your assets to a trusted family member, who then manages, operates, and disposes of those assets according to your wishes.
It's gaining attention as a new method for asset management and succession, enabling flexible control and inheritance that traditional systems like adult guardianship or wills may not fully accommodate.
Main Services
- Consultation and Consulting on Family Trusts
- Drafting of Trust Agreement Proposals (notarization is recommended)
- Support for Investigating Trust Assets
- Post-Trust Agreement Support
- Coordination with Other Professionals such as judicial scriveners and certified public tax accountant
VIZA Yamamoto Office
Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialists
108-A, 1st Floor, Chiba Port Town, 1-50 Toiya-cho, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, 260-0025, Japan
E-mail：info@gyousei-y.com
Phone number：+81 43 243 5090
Business hours：9:00～17:00（Except weekends and holidays）
We are available on weekday evenings and weekends with prior reservation.
We accept emails 24 hours a day, so if you are in a hurry, please contact us by email.