| Japanese(ro-maji) | English | Description |
| 不動産 (fudōsan) | Real Estate | Land and Buildings |
| 東京 (Tōkyō) | Tokyo | The Capital of Japan |
| 購入 (kōnyū) | Purchase | Purchase. |
| 外国人 (gaikokujin) | Foreigner | Person without Japanese Nationality |
| メリット (meritto) | Merit / Advantage | Advantages / Strengths |
| デメリット (demeritto) | Demerit / Disadvantage | Disadvantages / Weaknesses |
| 手続き (tetsuzuki) | Procedure / Process | Process |
| 買付証明書 (kaitsuke shōmeisho) | Purchase Application / Letter of Intent to Buy | Document Indicating Intent to Purchase |
| 重要事項説明 (jūyō jikō setsumei) | Explanation of Important Matters | Pre-contract detailed explanation of the property and contract terms by a licensed real estate transaction specialist |
| 売買契約書 (baibai keiyakusho) | Sales and Purchase Agreement | Legally binding contract for real estate sale and purchase |
| 手付金 (tetsukekin) | Deposit / Earnest Money | Deposit (earnest money) paid by the buyer to the seller at the time of the sales contract |
| 登記 (tōki) | Registration | Officially recording the property rights with the Legal Affairs Bureau |
| 所有権移転登記 (shoyūken iten tōki) | Ownership Transfer Registration | Registering the transfer of property ownership from the seller to the buyer |
| 司法書士 (shihō shoshi) | Judicial Scrivener | Legal professional specializing in real estate registration procedures |
| 税金 (zeikin) | Tax | Taxes incurred when purchasing, owning, or selling real estate |
| 印紙税 (inshi zei) | Stamp Duty | Tax imposed on the sales contract (e.g., stamp duty) |
| 登録免許税 (tōroku menkyo zei) | Registration and License Tax | Tax imposed at the time of real estate registration (e.g., registration license tax) |
| 不動産取得税 (fudōsan shutoku zei) | Real Estate Acquisition Tax | One-time tax levied at the time of real estate acquisition (acquisition tax) |
| 固定資産税 (kotei shisan zei) | Fixed Asset Tax | Tax imposed on property owners as of January 1 each year (fixed asset tax) |
| 都市計画税 (toshi keikaku zei) | City Planning Tax | Tax imposed on property owners within urban planning areas, collected together with fixed asset tax (city planning tax) |
| ローン (rōn) | Loan | Loan for purchasing real estate (e.g., mortgage loan) |
| 納税管理人 (nōzei kanrinin) | Tax Agent / Tax Administrator | Person who handles tax procedures on behalf of a non-resident taxpayer (tax agent) |
| 宣誓供述書 (sensei kyōjutsu sho) | Affidavit | Document authenticated by a notary public in the non-resident’s home country submitted instead of a residence certificate or seal registration certificate |
| 在留カード (zairyū kādo) | Residence Card | Identification card (Residence Card) issued to foreigners residing in Japan for the medium to long term |
| 住民票 (jūminhyō) | Certificate of Residence | Certificate of residence issued by a Japanese municipality (Jūminhyō) |
| 印鑑証明書 (inkan shōmeisho) | Seal Certificate | Certificate of registered seal (Inkan shōmeisho) |
| 宅地建物取引業法 (takuchi tatemono torihiki gyōhō) | Real Estate Transaction Business Act | Law regulating real estate transactions (e.g., the Real Estate Brokerage Act) |
| 外国為替及び外国貿易法 (gaikoku kawase oyobi gaikoku bōeki hō) / 外為法 (gaitamehō) | Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act | Law stipulating reporting obligations for real estate acquisition by non-residents (e.g., Foreign Buyers’ Reporting Act) |
| 重要土地等調査法 (jūyō tochi-tō chōsa hō) | Important Land Survey Law | Law that sets forth regulations on the transaction of land important for national security (e.g., Act on Regulation of Land Transactions) |
| 区分所有法 (kubun shoyū hō) | Building Unit Ownership Act | Law governing the rights and management of condominium (unit ownership) buildings (e.g., the Condominium Law) |
| 管理組合 (kanri kumiai) | Management Association | Management organization composed of condominium unit owners (owners’ association) |
| 管理費 (kanrihi) | Management Fee | Fees for daily maintenance and management of a condominium (monthly maintenance fee) |
| 修繕積立金 (shūzen tsumitatekin) | Repair Reserve Fund | Reserve fund for major repairs of a condominium (repair reserve fund) |
| 内覧 (nairan) | Property Viewing / Inspection | Visiting the property in person (property viewing) |
| 現状有姿 (genjō yūshi) | As-is Condition | Delivering the property in its current (as-is) condition |
| 仲介手数料 (chūkai tesūryō) | Brokerage Commission / Agent Fee | Commission paid to the real estate agent |
| 賃貸 (chintai) | Lease / Rent | Leasing or renting real estate |
| 家賃 (yachin) | Rent | Fee paid when renting a property (rental fee) |
