Transferring Money Overseas After Selling Property in Japan: Wise & Banking Guide | 渋谷の不動産売却なら株式会社Assetters | ブログ

Once your property sale closes, the proceeds are remitted in Japanese Yen (JPY) into a Japanese bank account. Moving large sums of capital overseas involves strict Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks, SWIFT fees, hidden exchange rate markups, and daily transaction limits. For foreign sellers without an active Japanese bank account, coordinating settlement transfers directly to overseas accounts requires meticulous advance planning with judicial scriveners and banks.

Traditional Japanese major banks charge substantial wire fees and apply unfavourable FX spreads (often 1.5% to 3% off mid-market rates). For a 30 million JPY sale, this can mean losing hundreds of thousands of Yen in hidden fees.

Using international money transfer services like Wise (formerly TransferWise) allows you to convert currency at the true mid-market rate with upfront transparent fees. However, Wise enforces per-transfer limits (e.g., 1 million JPY per transaction in Japan), requiring structured batch transfers or specialized Wise Multi-Currency account setups.

Japanese financial institutions will freeze or flag large outbound international transfers unless proper documentation is provided. You must supply: (1) Executed Real Estate Sales Contract (売買契約書), (2) Statement of Settlement (清算書), (3) Proof of Tax Payment/Withholding, and (4) Verified ID/Passport.