Insights
Guides to financing property in Japan
Answers to the questions buyers ask before they finance an apartment in Japan, whether they live here or overseas: who can borrow, which properties qualify, what it costs and how a purchase completes.
Start here
Can a foreigner get a mortgage in Japan?
Who can borrow, which apartments qualify, the rate and fees, and how to buy from abroad, in one guide.
Read the guide →Browse by topic
Who qualifies, and which properties we lend on.
The rate, the down payment and the fees on a purchase.
Every step from the first inquiry to settlement.
Refinancing, equity release and renting out.
General information, not financial advice. Product terms are set out under Loan terms, all costs under Fees, and the qualifying tests under Eligibility.
Can a foreigner get a mortgage in Japan?
Yes, foreigners can own property in Japan and can get a mortgage in Japan to buy it, including as non-residents. Many Japanese lenders require permanent residency, Japanese income or residence in Japan.
Which properties qualify for a mortgage in Japan
In Japan, whether you can get a mortgage depends on the property as much as on you. YEN LOANS lends only against a strata-titled residential apartment (condo) built in reinforced concrete (RC or SRC) and completed in 1990 or later, in Greater Tokyo, Kansai, Aichi (Nagoya), Fukuoka or Hokkaido (Sapporo), and outside central Tokyo within a 10-minute walk of a railway station.
How much cash you need to buy property in Japan
With YEN LOANS, your down payment is at least 35% of the purchase price, or at least 50% for second homes, short-term rentals and loans over ¥250M. It is higher if the independent valuation comes in below the price, because the loan is based on the lower figure.
Getting a mortgage in Japan from overseas
Yes. You can arrange a YEN LOANS mortgage on a Japanese apartment entirely from overseas, without living in Japan, traveling there or holding a Japanese bank account.
How variable-rate mortgages work in Japan
A YEN LOANS mortgage has a variable rate: 1-month TIBOR + 3.50%, with interest charged at each month’s rate. Your monthly payment stays the same for twelve months at a time, then is recalculated at the current rate.
Japan mortgages for US citizens
A US citizen who lives and earns in the United States can apply to YEN LOANS for a Yen mortgage on an apartment (condo) in Tokyo, Osaka or another of our five metropolitan areas. YEN LOANS accepts income evidence such as US tax returns in English, and does not require a Japanese bank account, visa or residency.
Buying an apartment in Japan to let or as a holiday home
You can finance a Japanese apartment you plan to let, or to use as a holiday home, with a YEN LOANS mortgage, while living abroad. How you plan to use it sets the loan: up to 65% of the valuation for a long-term let, and up to 50% for a second home or a short-term rental.
How closing works when you buy property in Japan
Closing, called settlement (決済, kessai) in Japan, is the day a Japanese property purchase completes. Your loan and your own funds pay the seller, ownership passes to you, and the transfer and your mortgage are registered together at the Legal Affairs Bureau.
Refinancing and equity release in Japan
If you own an apartment in Japan, you can move its existing loan to YEN LOANS (refinance), borrow against it to take out cash without selling (equity release), or do both at once. YEN LOANS lends up to 65% of the apartment's current value from an independent valuation, or 50% for second homes, short-term rentals and loans over ¥250M, on the same terms as a purchase.
Japan mortgages for US military and SOFA personnel
YEN LOANS decides eligibility by the passport you hold, so a US passport holder with SOFA status meets the nationality test wherever they are posted. No Japanese visa, residency status or bank account is required.