Landowners in Japan to Be Able to Register Personal Information, as Government Seeks to Curb Unclaimed Plots

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:48 JST, January 26, 2025

To prevent land from going unclaimed, the Justice Ministry will start a program in April in which landowners will be able to register personal information such as the phonetic reading of their name and their birth date with the Legal Affairs Bureau offices, it has been learned.

In April 2026, a system will be introduced that requires landowners to note their change of residency should they move. Before then, the ministry wants to make it possible for registrars to investigate changes of residency.

Under the current system, landowners are not required to record their change of residence when they move. This has led to land going unclaimed. The new program will allow registrars to detect changes of residence based on the personal information that landowners have provided.

Registrars will contact landowners via email to confirm their change of residence and register the change on their behalf. This will mean that even if landowners fail to record their move, they will not be held in violation of the obligation. They will be able to register their personal information online or in writing.