Editorials Jul 29, 2017
Land plots with unknown owners
The government needs to take measures to deal more effectively with land plots that remain unregistered.
National / Crime & Legal Jul 19, 2017
Government panel looks to exempt homes left to surviving spouses from inheritance distribution
A government advisory panel Tuesday proposed excluding houses left to spouses of 20 years or longer by deceased partners from inheritance considerations when their estates are dispersed to heirs. The measure is expected to help surviving spouses financially by making sure they get more of ...
Business | YEN FOR LIVING Feb 11, 2017
Resorting to adoption to avoid inheritance tax
by Masako Tsubuku and Philip Brasor
Revisions to the inheritance tax went into effect in 2015, and related statistics for that year were recently made public by the National Tax Agency. The main change had to do with the basic deduction. Before 2015 the deduction equaled ¥50 million plus ¥10 million ...
Entertainment News May 11, 2016
Colorado inmate claims Prince is his dad, seeks DNA test
A Colorado prison inmate has filed a paternity claim with a Minnesota court against the estate of Prince, the latest claimant in what could grow into a long line of people asserting that they're entitled to a piece of the musician's fortune. Carlin Q. Williams, ...
Entertainment News Apr 27, 2016
Sister says Prince left no known will; vast millions may be at stake
Prince's sister believes the superstar musician didn't have a will and asked a Minnesota court on Tuesday to appoint a trust company to temporarily oversee his multimillion-dollar estate. Tyka Nelson, Prince's only full sibling, said in the court filing that immediate action was necessary to ...
Editorials Aug 20, 2015
Time is ripe for inheritance reform
Some Civil Code provisions regarding inheritance date all the way back the Meiji Era. It's time to bring them into the 21st century.
Business / Economy Nov 28, 2013
Tax-free gifts unlocking retiree savings
by Mayumi Otsuma and Keiko Ujikane
Shoko Iwasaki looked for years for a tax-free way to pass down a lifetime of savings to her grandson. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has offered the 71-year-old an answer with a program now helping unlock pensioners' hoarded wealth. "I'm so grateful for this tax measure, ...
National Nov 12, 2013
Bill leveling inheritance rights hit for falling short
The Cabinet approved a bill Tuesday to amend the Civil Code so that it will grant the same inheritance rights to legitimate and illegitimate children in line with a Supreme Court decision in September, but critics say it falls short. The Diet is expected to ...
Editorials Sep 6, 2013
Belated justice in inheritance cases
It is unfortunate that it took so long for the Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional a Civic Code provision that discriminated against children born out of wedlock.
National / Crime & Legal Sep 4, 2013
Top court shoots down unequal inheritance rights
by Tomohiro Osaki and Reiji Yoshida
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court declares unconstitutional the Civil Code clause that denies full inheritance rights to heirs born out of wedlock.
National | CHUBU CONNECTION Aug 2, 2013
Salesman sets out to prevent inheritance fights
As an insurance salesman in Tsushima, Aichi Prefecture, Hisao Ito, 55, has seen times when family members and relatives fight over inheritances. To reduce such disputes, Ito established the Japanese Inheritance Association, bringing together lawyers, tax accountants and judicial scriveners to study past cases. The ...
National / Crime & Legal Jul 10, 2013
Top court may annul inheritance disparity
The Supreme Court convenes its Grand Bench to consider disputes over a Civil Code provision for less inheritance for illegitimate children, indicating it may reverse its earlier interpretation of the provision as constitutional.