What to Do When Someone Dies in Japan: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death

   • Hospital or clinical deaths: When a death occurs in a hospital or clinic in Japan under natural medical care, the attending physician issues the official Medical Death Certificate (Shibou Shindansho), which forms the right-hand side of the statutory A3 Death Notification form (Shibou Todoke) regulated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Ministry of Justice [1] [6].
   • Deaths at home under ongoing medical supervision: If your family member died at home while receiving regular home visits from a physician for a known condition, call the visiting doctor immediately; if the physician confirms natural death within 24 hours of the last examination, they issue the Shibou Shindansho directly [6].
   • Unexpected, accidental, or unattended deaths: If the death was sudden, accidental, or occurred without recent medical attendance, do not move the body and call the police (110) rather than an ambulance [6]. Police forensic officers and a medical examiner (kansatsu-i) or police physician conduct an external inspection (kenshi) or forensic autopsy and issue a Post-Mortem Examination Certificate (Shitai Ken'ansho) on the right side of the Shibou Todoke form [1] [6].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Municipal Civil Registry

   • Competent authority and 7-day statutory deadline: Under the Family Register Act (Koseki-ho) overseen by the Ministry of Justice, a cohabiting relative or legal informant must submit the completed Death Notification (Shibou Todoke paired with the Shibou Shindansho or Shitai Ken'ansho) within 7 days of learning of the death (or within 3 months if the death occurred abroad) to the municipal ward, city, or town office (Shiyakusho / Kuyakusho) of the place of death, the deceased's registered domicile (honseki-chi), or the informant's address [1].
   • Issuance of the Cremation or Burial Permit: At the exact time you submit the Shibou Todoke, submit the application for a Permit for Cremation or Burial (Kasou / Maisou Kyokasho). The municipal office stamps and issues this permit immediately, as no cremation or burial may take place in Japan without it [1] [6].
   • Obtaining official death records: Because the original Shibou Shindansho is retained by the municipal office and forwarded to the Legal Affairs Bureau under the Ministry of Justice, obtain several certified copies of the Shibou Shindansho from the hospital before filing, and request certified extracts of the updated Family Register (Koseki Tohon for Japanese citizens, typically updated within 7 to 10 days) or the Residence Record Deletion Certificate (Juminhyo no Johyo, which applies to both Japanese nationals and foreign residents) or a Certificate of Acceptance of Death Notification (Shibou Todoke Juri Shomeisho) [1].
3. 3

   Arrange Cremation, Burial, or International Repatriation

   • Local cremation and interment: Under Japan's Graveyards, Burials, etc. Act, cremation cannot legally occur within the first 24 hours after death (except for specified infectious diseases) [6]. Engage a licensed funeral director (sougisha) to transport the deceased, hold the wake (tsuya) and funeral service (kokubetsushiki), present the municipal Kasou Kyokasho at the crematorium, and receive the cremated remains paired with the stamped Cremation Certificate needed for interment in a cemetery or columbarium (noukotsudou) [1] [6].
   • International repatriation of remains or ashes: If your family member was a foreign national or if the remains or cremated ashes must be transported abroad, the funeral provider coordinates: (a) a Certificate of Acceptance of Death Notification (Shibou Todoke Juri Shomeisho) and certified Shibou Shindansho [1], (b) an official embalming certificate (ibo shochi shomeisho) and non-infectious disease clearance from an accredited medical institution, plus hermetically sealed zinc-lined coffin certification (for uncremated remains) [6], and (c) notification to the deceased's embassy or consulate in Japan and customs/quarantine clearance at the departure airport.
   • Apostille and document legalisation: Japan is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Official Japanese municipal death certificates (Shibou Todoke Juri Shomeisho) and Koseki Tohon extracts destined for use abroad can receive an Apostille free of charge from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo or Osaka.
4. 4

   Notify Social Security, Pension, Health Insurance, Tax, and Financial Authorities

   • Japan Pension Service notifications and survivor pensions: Report the death to the Japan Pension Service within 10 days (for Employees' Pension Insurance / Kosei Nenkin) or 14 days (for National Pension / Kokumin Nenkin) to stop ongoing retirement payments and claim unpaid pension accrued up to the month of death (Mishikyu Nenkin), Survivor's Basic Pension (Izoku Kiso Nenkin), Survivor's Employees' Pension (Izoku Kosei Nenkin), or the Lump-Sum Death Payment (Shibou Ichijikin) [2] [5].
   • Health insurance and funeral expense grants: Return the deceased's health insurance card or My Number health insurance credential and Long-Term Care Insurance (Kaigo Hoken) card to the municipal office within 14 days (for National Health Insurance / Late-Stage Medical Care System for the Elderly) or to the employer's health insurance society [5] [6]. Apply for the statutory funeral grant (Sozai-hi under municipal National Health Insurance, typically JPY 30,000 to JPY 70,000, or Maiso-ryo of JPY 50,000 under Employees' Health Insurance) within 2 years [5].
   • Commercial banks and quasi-final income tax return: Once a Japanese bank is notified of an account holder's death, all sole bank accounts are immediately frozen until succession documentation is presented [1]. Under the rules of the National Tax Agency, if the deceased had self-employment, rental, or reportable income requiring a tax return, the heirs must file a quasi-final income tax return (Jun-Kakutei Shinkoku) and pay any income tax owed within 4 months from the day after learning of the death [3].
5. 5

   Administer the Estate, Succession, and Inheritance Tax

   • 3-month deadline for renunciation or qualified acceptance: Under the Civil Code of Japan, heirs automatically inherit both assets and debts unless they file a petition for Renunciation of Inheritance (Sozoku Hoki) or Qualified Acceptance (Gentei Shonin) with the Family Court (Katei Saibansho) within 3 months of learning of the death and their status as heir [4].
   • Probate of wills (Kennin) and estate division (Isan Bunkatsu Kyogisho): If the deceased left a handwritten will (Jihitsu Shosho Yuigon) that was not stored in the Legal Affairs Bureau's registry, do not open a sealed envelope yourself; submit it to the Family Court for formal verification (Kennin) [1] [4]. A Notarial Deed Will (Kosei Shosho Yuigon) or a handwritten will deposited under the Ministry of Justice storage system does not require Family Court Kennin [1] [4]. If there is no will, all statutory heirs must sign and seal (with registered Jitsuin seals and Inkan Shomeisho certificates) a formal Estate Division Agreement (Isan Bunkatsu Kyogisho) to unfreeze bank accounts and transfer assets [1].
   • Mandatory real estate inheritance registration and 10-month Inheritance Tax return: Under the revised Real Property Registration Act enforced by the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, heirs must register inherited real estate (Sozoku Toki) within 3 years of learning of the inheritance (or face an administrative fine up to JPY 100,000) [1]. If the net taxable estate exceeds the basic exemption of JPY 30 million + (JPY 6 million × number of statutory heirs), heirs must file an Inheritance Tax (Sozokuzei) return and pay the tax in cash to the National Tax Agency within 10 months from the day after death [3].
   • Cross-border heirs: If a statutory heir resides outside Japan or is a foreign citizen without a Japanese registered seal (Inkan), they execute a Signature Certificate (Shomei Shomeisho) at a Japanese embassy/consulate abroad or before a foreign notary (with Apostille) to validate the Estate Division Agreement [1].

   Step	Deadline	Authority
   1. Medical Death Certificate (Shibou Shindansho)	Immediately upon death	Attending physician or police medical examiner
   2. Death Notification (Shibou Todoke) & Cremation Permit	Within 7 days of learning of the death	Municipal Ward or City Office (under Ministry of Justice oversight)
   3. Pension & Health Insurance notifications	Within 10 to 14 days of death	Japan Pension Service and Municipal Health Insurance Division
   4. Renunciation of Inheritance / Quasi-Final Income Tax	Within 3 months (Family Court) / 4 months (Income Tax)	Family Court and National Tax Agency
   5. Inheritance Tax return & Real Estate Registration	Within 10 months (Tax) / 3 years (Real Estate)	National Tax Agency and Ministry of Justice Legal Affairs Bureau

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Civil Affairs and Legal Affairs Bureau - Family Register (Koseki), Inheritance Registration, and Will Storage — Ministry of Justice of Japan (MOJ)
2. [2]
   National Pension and Employees' Pension Insurance - Survivor Benefits and Death Notifications — Japan Pension Service (JPS)
3. [3]
   National Tax Agency - Quasi-Final Income Tax Return and Inheritance Tax Guide — National Tax Agency of Japan (NTA)
4. [4]
   Judicial System in Japan - Family Court Domestic Relations and Inheritance Procedures — Supreme Court of Japan (Courts in Japan)
5. [5]
   Social Security Programs Throughout the World: Asia and the Pacific - Japan (Survivor and Funeral Benefits) — U.S. Social Security Administration / ISSA
6. [6]
   Japan Health System Overview and Public Health Administration — World Health Organization (WHO)