I don't remember what I was thinking about at the time but I changed my address in my Chase account to my home in Japan. I don't have an actual address in the US, but had just given Chase my parents California address, since moving to japan 6 years ago. So of course now they have informed me they will be liquidating my traditional IRA at the end of January.

Does anyone have any recommendations on where I can transfer the entirety of the IRA to, some institution that will allow a US citizen living (perhaps permanently) abroad to open an IRA account and contribute? Should I move it to a different type of account? Are there still potential tax liabilities if I am able to successfully transfer the money out to some other IRA before they liquidate? I feel like I kind of screwed myself here - did I?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

I was crunching some numbers for my 年末調整 and realized that I technically get ‘income’ from the little bit of excess electricity I sell back to the grid from the solar panels on my primary residence (The panels are for my personal electricity use, but a little excess always gets sold back to the grid every month).

Obviously 2026 isn’t over, but these are estimates just for a simulation:

Let’s say I got ¥20,000 in 2026 from these payments (selling to grid). The data from my home battery app tells me I generated about 4600kWh from my panels in the year, and I sold 1350Kwh back to the grid.

My electricity company reported that I bought 1070 kWh in the year, paying a total of ¥55,700 for the year.

I originally paid cash for the panels and battery set up for ¥2,990,000 in 2025.

The ‘income’ seems fairly inconsequential given all this, but is there a certain way I need to calculate and report something about this on my 確定申告 in the spring? Is there a threshold where the amount is required to be reported (if it seems like I’m under, I’d rather not bother crunching the numbers). I’m going to have to do my 確定申告 myself this year.

(Also, this isn’t something you even estimate for the 年末調整 is it?)

I moved to the US last April and will come back this November to close my bank account. I did this because my last check, taxes and rental deposit was all coming in at different times.

But it seems that Shinsei didnt send a letter to my forwarding friends house and it bounced so they closed my ATM withdrawal until the address was updated.

I can see my money in the online banking and when I try to update the address it sends a code to my old phone. ( i did 1 million things to leave and forgot to fix the phone on the web page. Hot damn man)

I filled out the online inquiry form. But I hold 0 hope.

I will be in Japan for a week in November. Do you think this can be resolved and I can get my money in that time. Or what should I do?

Thank you so much for any advice.

Let's say I purchased 100 shares in 2022 and 100 in 2023, all in the same funds. I have the option of selling partially, so will the bank know that I'm withdrawing only the 2022 amount if I enter just 100 shares? I'm using Rakuten.

I am going to hire a tax accountant to help me file my 2026 taxes. The contract is asking for ¥240,000. Seems expensive. I retired, or entered semi-retirement on August 1, 2026. I'm living on investment income right now. I had to sell ETFs and use cash dividends for income starting from September.

So while it's probably not super complicated compared to other people who have many investments, etc., I'm not sure I could handle filing it myself. I guess there is an e-tax online method for filing taxes. But I'm also not fluent in Japanese.

The breakdown for fees is:

• ¥155,000 Compliance
• ¥35,000 Foreign Stocks
• ¥35,000 Foreign Tax Credit calculation
• ¥15,000 Overseas Assets Reporting

Does anyone use a cheaper tax representative to handle their taxes in Japan? Because I'm not sure that I can pay this every year.

Any suggestions or advice would be deeply apprecaited.

My spouse is currently quoting Financial Planners for some of our savings

However based on my experience from back home (foreign national, 36 yo) I was wondering whether there are services where we can deposit part of our savings into and choose different types of risk, exposure, and hopefully tax benefits out of these maneuvers

I looked into SMBC asset management, or Sumitomo Securities, since that's my own bank

However I was hoping for a private supplier, with its own, modern interface, where can link our accounts and pour our efforts into

I appreciate any input on this

Where are you guys (foreigners) investing your savings, and what's the best mechanism to deduct taxes on the process?

Thanks in advance

Any other Prestia users having sudden issues with incoming USD transfers?

Have been steadily receiving payments for invoices over the past year with absolutely no issue, then last month all my USD remittances starting incoming as JPY, already converted at a less than ideal rate.

I spoke with Prestia and they traced a selection of the transactions, indicating that unlike prior months, these transactions were now hitting 3 intermediary banks instead of 1.
This month, in an effort to be explicit, we added a ‘DO NOT CONVERT’ instruction tag (72) to the transfers and they still came in as JPY.

Nothing has changed in how I or my clients bill each other. Source and Destination banks/accounts remain the same, so this seems like some arbitrary banking change that no one can seemingly answer to.

Just wondering if anyone else has been having similar issues?

I returned to my home country from a year abroad in Tokyo a couple months ago, throughout my time there I lived in student accommodation and received different utility bills each month. I received an email from the university I stayed at last month stating that they had communicated with Tokyo Electric Power Company, and could not suggest any method for paying the electricity bill that was delivered to my dorm mailbox after I had left (the bill due for electricity usage in my final couple of weeks there). Apparently international payments aren't possible, the university asked if I knew anyone in Japan that could pay this for me. I was unable to find anyone, and the university in question said that they could not suggest any alternatives.

I'm pretty concerned about how having an unpaid bill could affect me in the future if I return to Japan, has anyone else had this situation and can recommend any general suggestions I might look at for sorting this out? Otherwise is this not as bad of an issue as I'm thinking it will be? The university seems pretty indifferent to my fate. Thanks

Can anyone recommend reliable travel insurance for the US?

It will be a short stay, less than 2 weeks. I want to avoid a nightmare scenario where I need to be admitted to a hospital in an emergency and am on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses.

A financial hit like that would wipe our years of gains in my investment portfolio!

Any recommendations?

EDIT - I will update this thread with final decision - the provider I chose and the cost.

My wife and I are planning to sell our property in the EU as long as I still have the NPR status. However, my wife is Japanese and has to pay tax on foreign source income. We bought the property more than 10 years ago when we lived in the EU. It was paid in EUR without any JPY involvement. The lawn was in EUR too. Sales will be in EUR as well. I learned from AI that the NTA transfers the EUR into JPY at the day of purchase and at sales date. At purchase the rate was 115 JPY/EUR. Now it is 177 JPY/EUR. That inflates the capital gain by more than 100%. We already lived some years in the EU and had nothing to do with JPY. Because JPY conversion was not involved in our purchase we just could not do the capital gains on the exchange rate the NTA bases the tax on. I am told that there is no chance to avoiding paying tax for capital gains never occured. Does anybody have experience or knows a tax consultant who can help in case there is a chance to pay only tax on the real capital gain meaning on the gain in EUR transferred into JPY at property sales date.

i recently moved to japan on work visa, 2 months ago, and I am planning to buy a car

i have a us llc that I own, as single owner, and i am not a us resident.

The car costs will be around 25-30k usd, and I want to move money from my llc bank account to myself in japan for this payment

What is the best way to do this, without getting into a maze of paperwork?

I am also wondering if dealerships here would accept payments directly from my llc us bank account?

I am planning to buy the car in cash full, since there's little chance of me securing a car loan with monthly payments

Same as title

As a US citizen, in Japan less than 5 years, if I take an IRA distribution (no penalty) this year but have no remittances to Japan and no other US-source income:

1. Do I report it when filing in Japan?
2. If I do not report it on my Japanese taxes, can last year's carryover FTC in the US be applied to cover any tax bill in the US (up to the allowable FTC amount for this year)?

Thank you

I’m a Japan PR holder but relocated overseas about two years ago.
I own an apartment in Tokyo, which has appreciated approximately 40% over the past two years. It’s currently rented out, and the rental income more than covers my monthly mortgage repayments and management fees.

However, I have a few concerns:

Mortgage: I’m still on a residential mortgage rather than an investment property loan. I’m unsure how long I can maintain this arrangement now that I’m no longer residing in Japan, or whether the bank might eventually require me to refinance or repay the loan. (Bank is aware on this and we are connecting annually).

Rental income tax: I haven’t been able to file my Japanese rental income tax returns due to incomplete documentation. This has been weighing on me, and I’m concerned about the potential implications of filing late. I have, however, continued paying my annual property taxes.

Property appreciation: Given the significant appreciation over the past two years, I’m wondering whether it makes more sense to realise the gains now or hold on to the property for another 10–15 years.
I’m not under immediate financial pressure to sell, and the apartment is generating positive monthly cash flow before taxes and other irregular expenses.

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation, particularly non-resident property owners.

Has anyone continued holding a residential mortgage after relocating overseas?

Has anyone dealt with late filing of rental income taxes as a non-resident?

Given Tokyo’s recent property appreciation, would you lean towards selling or holding for the longer term?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Edit for clarity: the mystery charges were shown on my app notification and email notification, but are not on my e-Navi statement.

Edit 2 for update 1: I fooled around with the online support and got basically nowhere again. (If you go to "charges I don't remember" there are 2 options: "just shown in the notification" and "also posted in e-Navi". The former just tells you to wait for it to be posted lol, the latter still doesn't work because it assumes it's been posted and there's a shop's name you can contact.) So I got my card canceled and another one sent and changed my password. I'm thinking to call the number on the back of the tomorrow morning to report the charges. Will update again.

Original post:

Hi all! I've had my Rakuten credit card for maybe 5 or so years now, and this month I've had some weird charges to my credit card, and while the obvious answer is "someone has my number and is making purchases," it's not that clear cut.

Last Friday the 16th I got 4 notifications of purchases throughout the day for 1man, 2man, 3man-ish amounts for things I didn't buy, as well as a double notification (with different time stamps) for something I did buy. I thought it was weird, but I had bought flights a few days prior and thought maybe they were a few days late to post the charge so I'll see how it plays out.

My big problem with Rakuten (maybe other cards in Japan are like this, maybe it's a Japan thing?) is that the charge notifications are so vague. It never lists the shop name, just the amount and time. I have to wait for it to post on my monthly usage statement before I see the shop name.

Anyway, now my charges for this month up to the 19th are showing on the monthly usage statement with the shop names, and those mystery charges aren't there. The total month's balance also reflects that the mystery charges aren't factored into this month's total. Also, the flights have posted under the correct name and amount and are not those mystery charges (the dates and amounts don't match).

Actually, the same thing happened about 3 years ago. I had a weird charge notification but it didn't show up on the statement, and the same day the next month got the same notification. I tried to figure it out at the time, but I couldn't get anywhere. The Rakuten help options were like an endless loop. I kept an eye on my statements and it didn't seem to have happened since then (until this month).

Has my card number been compromised and I'm getting taken for a ride? Or is this a weird Rakuten credit card statement malfunction/shortcoming? Has anyone else had a similar experience with their Rakuten or other credit card? Thank you in advance for any insight before I submerge myself into the abyss that is the online help menus ^^;

Hi there - I’m on a Working Holiday Visa working two part-time jobs as an independent contractor and planning to leave Japan in late March 2027. This is my first year in Japan, but since I’ll be staying into 2027 I understand this will become my “second year” and I’ll owe residence tax. (I know some people say WHV holders don’t pay this, but just to assume I have to-)

I’m really just trying to work out the amount of residence tax I’ll likely owe (I understand the 20.42% income tax, pensions, health etc.)

Google keeps telling me it’s 10% of my total income in 2026, but then other websites calculate it with taxable income, so 10% after deductions - but I’m pretty sure WHV holders don’t have the same deductions as Japanese citizens as we are still classed as non-residents?

Basically I’m really confused as to what my taxable income is when it comes to residence tax.

Does anyone have an idea about what the subsequent residence tax is likely to be for me as a WHV holder? Or could anyone with a previous Working Holiday Visa let me know roughly what you were charged?

Any help much appreciated

It's been almost two months since the last update on the sub's Take-Home Pay Calculator.

Investment income

New income types for investment income are available in the advanced mode income input:

• Capital gains/losses from the sale of securities
• Dividends
• Interest

Rules regarding different account types are applied automatically. The choice of whether to report income on a tax return or leave it to withholding can be made within each entry. Reported dividends can be elected to be taxed separately at flat rates or in aggregate with other income. For more general information on this, see the Guide to Designated (特定) Investment Accounts and Reasons to declare investment income.

When investment income is entered into the calculator, there will be an "Optimize reporting options" accordion below the entered investment income. This shows a comparison of the outcomes of different choices and tells which set of choices maximizes the take-home amount.

Foreign Tax Credit

If you have income that is allowed to be taxed by a foreign nation according to Japan's tax laws and tax treaties, you can generally claim a foreign tax credit to reduce the amount of Japanese tax you owe. With this update to the calculator, enter foreign tax along with the foreign income. If the foreign tax is assessed via tax return, enter it in the "Additional Deductions & Credits" modal. For more information on the foreign tax credit in general, see this Guide to Japan’s Foreign Tax Credit.

Minimum Tax on Ultra-High Income

Since adding support for income types with flat tax rates (15%) which are below the minimum tax rate (22.5% now, 30% from next year) it is possible to input income that is subject to this minimum tax. Assuming only income subject to the 15% flat tax rate, one would need over 1 billion yen (10 oku) in income before they owe any additional tax. See this page from the NTA for details.

Not Supported

The following (and more) is not currently supported. If you would like to see something supported, let us know.

• Japanese Dividend Tax Credit (配当控除)
• Listed Securities Capital Loss Carryforward (上場株式等に係る譲渡損失の繰越控除)
• Income from securities other than "Listed Securities" (上場株式等)
• Carryforward of unused Foreign Tax Credit
• Real estate income

This set of features was a lot of work, but I think there is plenty of polishing left to do. We will continue to improve the UX based on feedback. Let us know if you have issues or feedback.

Edit (2026-10-26): Real estate income is now supported as well.

I'm interested in buying a stock(American company), but it cannot be purchased under NISA and can only be purchased under Tokutei and Ippan.

What are the complications I'll have to go through if I choose either?

I'm a company employee and my company handles all my taxes/nen matsu chosei etc.

If I ever sell those stocks, will I have to make separate filing by myself if I get any profit from those taxes? (No paper work if I sell it on loss?

I'm using Rakuten Shoken and am not a US taxpayer.

Can anyone please advise.

Need a little guidance on inheritance.

Mother passed away in 2023, no will but her intent was to pass on anything that was hers to me. The house she lived with my father passed onto him as there was no will and no cash. Then he sold the house in 2025 Feb. and later gave me a lump of funds in 2026 through our bank accounts based outside of Japan. I believe Japan won’t recognise inheritance from mother to me and this will likely be a living parent transferring early inheritance as he is above 60. The amount is under the 50m yen required to declare assets abroad so I don’t need to do that form.

A bit about me, on spouse visa since March 2025, didn’t speak to my father until necessary in 2026 which was when he did brought up transferring me a sum in connecting to mothers passing.

Am I correct that I will need to lodge during February- March 2027.

1. Souzoku-zei Shinkoku-sho (相続税申告書)
   2.i usuallylodge Kakutei Shinkoku (確定申告) with help of a firm.

And maybe something else ?

Appreciate some input on others who’ve had a similar experience. Happy to add any other details if queried.

Hello, long story short I am doing SDOP. I live in the U.S, but have Japanese foreign accounts overseas that happen to be solely in my name, opened by relatives decades ago when I was a kids.

One of these accounts is a Nomura account. I was able to obtain documents from 2020-2025, but nothing preceding. The account was apparently opened around 2000, so I have no idea what the cost basis of the account is or what was invested in it.

The Nomura account had an investment in something called, “Thai investment fund.” It paid out about 10000 yen and 8000 yen in dividends in 2020 and 2021, and the fund expired in 2022 with the money transferred into a Nomura MRF.

The MRF also received dividends between 2020-2025. 2020 had like 20 yen, 2021 had 15 yen, 2022 had 40 yen, 2023 had 90 yen, 2024 had 1200 yen, and 2025 had about 4000 yen in dividends from this Nomura account.

The Nomura account value seems to have ranged around 1.2-1.3 million yen from 2020-25, being about 8-10k usd. It was below de minimis but considering the distributions from MRF and Thai Funds, is this something I need to file a form 8621 with my SDOP application?