Work out which inheritance or will procedures you need, starting with your situation
Collecting family registers (koseki), identifying heirs, preparing an estate division agreement, dealing with financial institutions or vehicle procedures, or preparing a will: you do not need to know the name of the procedure. Tell us about your family and what you are having difficulty with. We will distinguish the support you need from matters that require consultation with another professional.
Start with the stage that best describes your situation
Procedures after a family member has died
We check any will, the heirs, assets and debts, and procedures with deadlines, then organize the documents needed and the institutions involved. For an overview, you can also read about the order of inheritance procedures and deadlines (in Japanese).
Preparing a will while you are well
We consider how to prepare and store a will based on your wishes, family, and assets. You can ask about our will preparation support (in Japanese) even before you have decided on all the details.
Our main areas of support
Family register collection and heir investigation
We identify the family registers needed and assist with investigating the heirs and organizing the documents.
See the scope of family register collection and heir investigation (in Japanese)
Estate division agreement preparation
We put the division agreed by all the heirs into a written agreement for use in the relevant procedures.
See the scope of estate division agreement preparation (in Japanese)
Legal heir information chart
We help check family registers, prepare the legal heir information chart (hōtei sōzoku jōhō ichiranzu), and submit the request to the Legal Affairs Bureau.
See the scope of support for legal heir information charts (in Japanese)
Inheritance procedures for bank accounts and related assets
We check each financial institution’s required documents and assist with account closure, payment of account balances, and related procedures.
See the scope of support for bank account inheritance procedures (in Japanese)
Vehicle ownership changes
We review the vehicle inspection certificate and what you want to do, then identify the procedures for the inherited vehicle.
See the scope of support for vehicle ownership changes (in Japanese)
Will preparation support
We listen to your wishes and help with choosing a type of will and preparing to make it.
What a gyoseishoshi can help with, and the roles of other professionals
A gyoseishoshi is a Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist. Our office assists with heir investigation and the collection of family registers and other documents needed for it, as well as charts showing family relationships for inheritance and estate division agreements whose terms have already been agreed. For bank account and vehicle procedures, we check whether the relevant institution allows representation and which steps you must handle yourself.
- Inheritance registration for real estate: We advise consulting a judicial scrivener (shiho-shoshi).
- Inheritance tax returns and individual tax assessments: We advise consulting a tax accountant (zeirishi).
- Negotiations or dispute resolution between heirs: We advise consulting an attorney (bengoshi).
- Renunciation of inheritance and family court procedures: Depending on the matter, we explain what to check with the court or an appropriate professional.
A gyoseishoshi does not represent you in every procedure. Before you engage us, we confirm the work to be handled and the scope of the agreement and fees.
You can request help with only the parts you need
You can ask us to collect family registers, prepare an estate division agreement from terms already agreed, or assist with only some of the banks involved. We distinguish the work you will carry out yourself from the work you want us to handle, and check whether the same documents can be used for more than one procedure.
Please tell us at the outset if agreement has not been reached, you are concerned about debts, an heir cannot be contacted, or there are similar circumstances. These may affect which deadlines or professional contacts should be checked first.
We begin after you have checked and agreed to the scope and fees
We review your family situation, assets, the institutions involved, and the documents you already have. Our estimate distinguishes the gyoseishoshi’s professional fee, additional work, and the main out-of-pocket costs. If fees for other professionals are needed, those are also checked separately from our office’s fees.
From an initial enquiry to engaging our services
- Tell us, as far as you can, about your current situation and what you would like help with.
- We identify the procedures, the scope of support, and the documents to prepare.
- We explain the work and fees. The agreement is made and work begins only after you have agreed to the terms.
Questions about our support
Can I contact you if I do not know what to request?
We start with your family situation, what you know about any will and the assets, and the difficulties you are facing. You do not need to research the name of the procedure before getting in touch.
Can I ask for help before I have all the documents?
We review what you have and prepare an estimate that also considers whether you need help collecting missing documents. We will explain the documents formally required for each requested service and each institution receiving them.
Can I also ask about registration and inheritance tax?
You can contact us to help organize the situation, but registration is handled by a judicial scrivener and tax matters by a tax accountant. We distinguish what needs to be checked with each professional from the support our office can provide.
Can I engage you if the heirs are in dispute?
A gyoseishoshi cannot represent heirs in negotiations or dispute resolution. If a dispute or negotiation is involved, we advise consulting an attorney.
Start by telling us what you need help with
You do not need to have decided exactly which tasks to entrust to us. We will work with you to identify the procedures needed and what to check next.
Please tell us your preferred language. We will confirm whether we can assist in that language.
References on the system and procedures
Information from public bodies and the institutions handling the procedures was checked on 9 September 2026. The documents actually required and how they are handled must be checked against the individual circumstances and the receiving institution’s latest guidance.