Inheritance

Some people think they have nothing to do with inheritance unless they are rich.  Legally, however, it is a legal issue that everybody has to go through when a family member dies.

Unless the deceased leaves a will, spouses and certain relatives automatically inherit positive property,  rights, obligations and negative heritage such as debts. Therefore, it is a prevalent legal issue, and it has both advantages and disadvantages.

In addition, it is necessary to have a legacy division conference among the heirs to decide who inherits what kind of estate, and it often causes disputes. On the other hand, things often become complicated if one of the  heirs dies before the legacy is divided. The trouble becomes most serious when a part of the legacy is real estate, to which a registry is required.

Our office supports the drafting of a heritage division agreement so that the property left by the decedent can be effectively utilized and distributed appropriately by the heirs. On top of it, our office provides full support to resolve disputes among heirs as an attorney for mediations and proceedings when inheritance becomes a legal issue.

Also, in globalization, Japanese people die leave assets in foreign countries, foreign residents in Japan die leaving assets in Japan, and some heirs are foreign nationals. Inheritance has become so international that there is an increasing need for the knowledge of specialists.

Our office is actively working on such international inheritance.