Who we lend to
Built for buyers the domestic market leaves out
YEN LOANS exists for creditworthy buyers of Japanese residential property — Japanese nationals and foreign nationals alike — who do not fit domestic retail lending, because they live abroad, earn abroad, hold their assets abroad, or have no Japanese residency, income or bank account.
A licensed principal lender, not a broker. We make our own lending decisions and hold each loan directly, under a Tokyo Money Lending Business license (Governor of Tokyo (1) No. 31998) — not placing you with a third-party lender. All lending is priced at 1-month TIBOR + 3.50%.
Who we lend to
Common borrower profiles
The situations we finance most often — each shown with a real YEN LOANS transaction, figures rounded and details generalized for confidentiality. If yours is close but not listed here, it is still worth telling us.
Living abroad, buying in Japan
A national of a listed country — including Japanese nationals — buying a Japanese apartment from overseas.The barrier
Domestic lenders require locally-filed Japanese tax returns and a Japanese bank account you cannot provide from abroad.
How we help
We underwrite against your documented overseas income and settle remotely — no Japanese financial history, residency or bank account needed.
Borrower JourneyAn Australian buyer living overseas, securing a central Tokyo home ahead of relocating to Japan — financed with YEN LOANS while all income still sat offshore.
An investment or second home
Buying to let, or to keep as a second home.The barrier
Short-term and holiday rentals fall outside most lenders' terms, and without a Japanese bank account, servicing the loan from overseas is difficult.
How we help
We arrange a property manager at settlement to service the loan from Japan — and collect rent where the property is let.
Borrower JourneyA Chinese national buying two rental apartments in Osaka with an initial interest-only period — no Japanese income, bank account or residency, arranged entirely from abroad.
A foreign national resident in Japan
Living in Japan but outside retail-lending parameters.The barrier
Domestic lenders treat permanent residency as mandatory and struggle to assess income not filed on Japanese tax returns.
How we help
We do not require permanent residency or Japanese tax returns, and assess your global income and offshore assets directly.
Borrower JourneyA foreign national resident in Japan without permanent residency, buying a high-value central Tokyo apartment — approved as a structured exception above the standard maximum.
Buying on a return to Japan
A buyer with deep ties to Japan, purchasing on a move back.The barrier
Once you live abroad, domestic lenders treat you as a foreign borrower — and heritage or a past life in Japan counts for little.
How we help
We assess your full profile — foreign earnings, assets, and pension or retirement income. Japanese residency is not required.
Borrower JourneyAn American couple — both former Japanese nationals — returning to Japan and buying in central Tokyo, borrowing modestly against a high-value asset to avoid selling offshore holdings.
Releasing equity from a property you own
Raising cash against a Japanese apartment you already own.The barrier
Domestic lenders rarely refinance or release equity for non-resident owners, and selling to raise the cash can trigger a capital-gains event.
How we help
We lend against your property's current value, releasing equity with no sale or disposal.
Borrower JourneyAn owner resident in Japan releasing equity from a central Tokyo apartment they hold — about ¥100M released after refinancing the prior loan, with an initial interest-only period, with no disposal and no capital-gains event.
Each example reflects an actual YEN LOANS transaction. Figures are rounded and details generalized for confidentiality; individual borrowers are not identified. The all-in rate shown for each is its fixed rate over 1-month TIBOR at the time it funded; because the loan tracks 1-month TIBOR, the rate moves with it, so current pricing will differ. Where a case was approved outside our standard criteria this is stated, and is an exception on its own facts rather than a term we offer.
How we work with you
No Japanese income, residency or bank account required
- No Japanese income.
- No Japanese visa or residency.
- No Japanese bank account.
- No Japanese translation of your documents.
- No need to travel to Japan — settlement can be completed remotely.
Our teams work in English, Japanese, Mandarin and Korean, and income evidence is accepted in English, Chinese or Japanese; offer documents are issued in English. Eligibility is decided by your nationality — the passport you hold — with the full list of eligible countries and regions, and the property and income tests, on the Eligibility page.
New to buying in Japan? A 13-page guide for overseas and foreign-resident buyers: the asset, what is specific to Japan, how a purchase works, where financing fits, and how we help.
Where we cannot help
When YEN LOANS is not the right lender
Stated plainly so you do not spend time or an application fee on an inquiry that cannot proceed.
- Buyers who hold neither a passport from one of our eligible countries and regions, nor Japanese Permanent Residency held by certain other nationals — regardless of where they live, their income, or their deposit.
- Properties outside our current metropolitan areas — a location we do not lend in today.
- Purchases of property types we do not lend on — detached houses, pre-1990 or non-RC/SRC buildings, and the other exclusions.
- Loans below ¥15M or above ¥525M.
Close to the line, but not quite?
A detached house in an eligible metro, a resort location, or a property just outside our current parameters? Our lending is expanding. Register your interest and we will keep you posted, with no obligation.
Meeting these descriptions does not by itself constitute an offer of finance, and past cases are not a promise of any commercial term. The all-in rates shown were the rates applying when each loan funded — pricing is set at 1-month TIBOR + 3.50% and moves with TIBOR, so current pricing will differ; see loan terms or the repayment calculator. Where a case was approved outside our standard criteria this is stated in that case, and is an exception on its own facts rather than a term we offer. Every inquiry is subject to the eligibility screen and, thereafter, to credit assessment, valuation and security review under the Money Lending Business Act (MLBA). YEN LOANS K.K. — Money Lending Business Operators License: Governor of Tokyo (1) No. 31998. Effective annual rate (実質年率) within 14.6%, calculated on the principal net of fees; late-payment charge up to 20.0% p.a. Applications are subject to careful review and may be declined. Please check the terms of your agreement and borrow within your means. 慎重な審査の結果、お申込みの意に沿えない場合がございます。ご契約内容をご確認のうえ、ご利用は計画的に。 The approved Japanese disclosure is published in full under 貸付条件の表示.