Can foreigners buy an akiya in Japan?

Yes. Japan places no nationality or residency restriction on buying land or houses. Some municipal akiya banks ask buyers to live locally or join community activities, so check each listing's conditions.

What does AkiyaCheck check?

Front road status and width, setback land loss, rebuild bans, zoning and urbanisation control areas, water, sewage and gas, official hazard maps, municipality records, and the all-in cost on top of the asking price.

Which listing sites work?

Any single property page: SUUMO, LIFULL HOME'S, at home, Kenbiya, municipal akiya banks and most agent websites.

Is this a legal survey or a substitute for a professional?

No. It is a screening tool that tells you what to ask and what to rule out. The city's building guidance office, a licensed broker and a judicial scrivener remain the authorities.

How much does it cost?

Three free checks a day without signing up. A full report is $10, and Pro is $149 a month for 100 reports, bulk scans of up to 10 links and branded PDFs.

Why can a cheap Japanese house not be rebuilt?

Most often because the plot does not touch a legal road for at least 2 m (Article 43), or it sits in an urbanisation control area where new building is restricted. Demolishing such a house can mean losing the right to build at all.

Akiya due diligence in English

Buy your Japanese home with confidence

Paste any listing URL. We check it against the city hall record and government maps, then flag rebuild bans, missing sewer or water, hazard zones and the true cost — before you contact the agent.

0–100 buyer-readiness score
City hall record cross-check
Official hazard & zoning maps
True all-in cost

3 free checks a day · No sign-up needed ·

Works withSUUMOLIFULL HOME'Sat homeKenbiyaCity akiya banksAgent sites

Listing URL — any property site

Works with any site that posts akiya or property listings — national portals, prefectural akiya banks, city hall vacant-house pages, or an agent's own site.

How it works

Paste the listing URL

Any single property page — a national portal, an agent's own site, or a city hall vacant-house page. 3 free checks a day without an account; unlimited with a free account.

Read and cross-checked

The page is read, then checked against other sites, the municipality's own record and official hazard and zoning maps.

Scored and graded

A 0–100 buyer-readiness score, a clear verdict, and the land a narrow road forces you to give up.

You get the report

Five chapters: Overview & verdict, Legal & risks, True costs, Location, and Next steps.

Old wooden Japanese countryside house with tiled roof

Sample report

See what a full report looks like

CONDITIONAL — SETBACK REQUIRED1978 wooden house · Komaki, Aichi

3.6 m road: 2.4 m² of land surrendered on rebuild
Mains water not connected, single septic tank
True cost, renovation band and negotiation points

Why check first

The hidden risks in cheap Japanese houses

A ¥1M akiya can hide problems that cost far more than the house. These are the ones AkiyaCheck looks for on every listing.

Every report

Five chapters, in the order a buyer needs them

1
Overview & verdict
0–100 buyer-readiness score, risk verdict and key facts.
2
Legal & property risks
Road, setback, zoning, rebuild status, hazards and title.
3
True costs
Closing costs, utility hook-ups, renovation band and yearly holding costs.
4
Location & neighbourhood
Map, stations, shops, schools and official land-price records.
5
Next steps
Field checklist, negotiation points and Japanese enquiry scripts, plus PDF.

Aerial view of a Japanese countryside town with rice fields and mountains

Who it's for

Built for buyers who can't read every Japanese clause

Buyer reviewing property documents and a site map

First-time foreign buyers

Understand a Japanese listing in plain English before you send a single email.

Renovated traditional Japanese interior with tatami

Renovators & second-home seekers

Know the renovation band and lifeline costs before you fall for the price.

Narrow lane between old wooden houses in a Japanese village

Minpaku & rental investors

Screen out rebuild traps and check short-term rental feasibility early.

Free for everyone

Free akiya tools

Learn

Guides for buying in Japan

All guides

Pricing

Start free, pay only for full reports

Free: 3 checks a day, no sign-up. 1 credit = 1 full report.

Home Buyer

$49/ month

15 reports, re-runs and updates each month
Extra credits $10 each
Exact road setback and land surrender figures
Japanese enquiry scripts and printable PDF reports

For consultants

Pro

$149/ month

100 reports, re-runs and updates each month
Extra credits $5 each
Bulk scan: up to 10 links with a comparison table
Your agency's branding on PDF reports

For teams

Agency

$299/ month

300 pooled reports each month, extra credits $3
Up to 5 team seats sharing the allowance
Bulk scan up to 25 links with CSV export
Branded PDFs and client share links

FAQ

Questions buyers ask

Free download

Get the free akiya buyer checklist

Rebuild rules, road access, zoning, utilities, hidden costs, the documents to ask for and what to check on a viewing — on one printable PDF.

Paste a listing before you enquire

Road, zoning, hazards, utilities and true cost in about a minute.

Buy your Japanese home with confidence

Listing URL — any property site

How it works

Paste the listing URL

Read and cross-checked

Scored and graded

You get the report

See what a full report looks like

The hidden risks in cheap Japanese houses

Rebuild bans

Narrow roads & setback

Missing water or sewer

Urbanisation control areas

Flood & landslide hazard

Leased land & paperwork