# Japanese — Real Estate Sub-Lexicon

Auto-generated from translation experience. Maps Japanese real estate legal terms to
their correct English equivalents.

## Core Real Estate Terms

| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 不動産 | real property / real estate / immovable property |
| 動産 | movable property / personal property |
| 土地 | land |
| 建物 | building |
| 区分所有建物 / マンション | condominium / sectional ownership building |
| 専有部分 | exclusive-use portion / unit |
| 共用部分 | common area / common elements |
| 敷地 / 宅地 | site / building lot |
| 地目 | land category / land use designation |
| 地番 | lot number (chiban) |
| 家屋番号 | building number |
| 所有権 | ownership / title |
| 共有 | co-ownership / joint ownership |
| 持分 | share / undivided interest |
| 地上権 | superficies right (chijōken) |
| 賃借権 (土地) | lease right (over land) |
| 定期借地権 | fixed-term land leasehold |

## Sale and Purchase Terms

| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 売買契約 | sale and purchase agreement |
| 売主 | seller / vendor |
| 買主 | buyer / purchaser |
| 売買代金 | purchase price |
| 手付金 | earnest money / deposit |
| 解約手付 | cancellation deposit |
| 中間金 | interim payment |
| 残代金 | balance of purchase price |
| 物件調査 / デューデリジェンス | property investigation / due diligence |
| 重要事項説明 | important matters explanation (jūyō jikō setsumei) |
| 仲介 / 媒介 | brokerage / mediation |
| 仲介手数料 | brokerage commission |
| 引渡し | delivery / handover |
| 所有権移転登記 | registration of transfer of ownership |
| 瑕疵担保責任 (旧) / 契約不適合責任 (新) | defect warranty (old) / non-conformity liability (new) |

## Registration and Title Terms

| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 不動産登記 | real property registration |
| 不動産登記法 | Real Property Registration Act |
| 登記簿 / 登記記録 | property register / registry |
| 表題部 | title section (physical description) |
| 権利部 甲区 | section A (ownership) |
| 権利部 乙区 | section B (encumbrances) |
| 登記事項証明書 | certificate of registered matters |
| 所有権保存登記 | initial ownership registration |
| 仮登記 | provisional registration |
| 登録免許税 | registration and licence tax (UK) / registration and license tax (US) |

## Lease Terms

| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 賃貸借契約 | lease agreement / tenancy agreement |
| 賃貸人 / 大家 | lessor / landlord |
| 賃借人 / テナント | lessee / tenant |
| 賃料 / 家賃 | rent |
| 共益費 / 管理費 | service charge / common area maintenance (CAM) charge |
| 原状回復義務 | obligation to restore to original condition |
| 定期借家契約 | fixed-term building lease |
| 普通借家契約 | standard building lease (with statutory renewal) |
| 正当事由 | justifiable grounds (for non-renewal) |
| 立退料 | relocation compensation / eviction compensation |
| 転貸 | subletting |

## Zoning and Planning Terms

| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 都市計画 | city planning / zoning |
| 用途地域 | use zone / zoning designation |
| 建ぺい率 | building coverage ratio |
| 容積率 | floor area ratio (FAR) |
| 建築基準法 | Building Standards Act |
| 開発許可 | development permit |
| 農地転用許可 | agricultural land conversion permit |
| 市街化区域 | urbanisation promotion area (UK) / urbanization promotion area (US) |
| 市街化調整区域 | urbanisation control area (UK) / urbanization control area (US) |

## Section Headings

| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 目的物 | SUBJECT MATTER |
| 売買代金及び支払 | PURCHASE PRICE AND PAYMENT |
| 引渡し及び登記 | DELIVERY AND REGISTRATION |
| 担保権 / 負担 | ENCUMBRANCES |
| 表明及び保証 | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES |
| 賃貸借条件 | LEASE TERMS |
| 管理 | PROPERTY MANAGEMENT |
| 一般条項 | MISCELLANEOUS |

## Notes

- **Land and buildings as separate properties**: Under Japanese law, land and buildings are
  separate objects of ownership. A building can be owned by a different person than the land
  it sits on. This is fundamental to Japanese real estate law. Always identify ownership
  of both land and building separately.
- **"重要事項説明"**: A mandatory disclosure by a licensed real estate broker (宅地建物取引士)
  before any real estate transaction. Covers legal restrictions, physical condition, and
  transaction terms. No exact Western equivalent — closest is a vendor's disclosure or
  property information form. Translate as "important matters explanation" with note.
- **"借地借家法" (Land and Building Lease Act)**: Protects tenants' rights extensively.
  Standard leases (普通借家) renew automatically unless the landlord has "justifiable
  grounds" (正当事由) for non-renewal. Fixed-term leases (定期借家) do not renew
  automatically but must be in writing. Flag the lease type.
- **"敷金" / "礼金"**: 敷金 (shikikin) is a security deposit — refundable. 礼金 (reikin)
  is key money — non-refundable. The 2020 Civil Code reform codified shikikin rules
  (Art. 622-2). Transliterate and explain both terms.
- **"原状回復" (restoration obligation)**: Tenants must restore the premises to original
  condition upon lease termination. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and
  Tourism (MLIT) publishes guidelines on what constitutes "normal wear and tear" (通常損耗)
  vs tenant damage. Flag this obligation in translation.
- **"司法書士" (judicial scrivener)**: The professional who handles property registration.
  Not a lawyer but has exclusive competence for registration matters. Translate as
  "judicial scrivener" or "registration agent" and note the role.

## Standard Bilingual Dictionary (2006) — Additional Mappings

| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 占有 | possession |
| 登記 | registration |
| 登記簿 | registry / register |
| 登記原因 | cause of registration |
| 本登記 | definitive registration (following prior provisional registration) |
| 抵当権設定登記 | registration of creation of mortgage |
| 永小作権 | emphyteusis (Japanese-specific real right — perpetual tenancy over land for cultivation) |
| 永小作人 | emphyteuta (holder of emphyteusis) |
| 地役権 | easement / servitude |
| 賃借権 | leasehold right (right in rem once registered; otherwise contractual) |
| 借地権 | land-lease right (collective term for superficies and land-lease under Land Lease and House Lease Act) |
| 借家権 | house-lease right |
| 定期借家権 | fixed-term house lease |
| 敷金 | security deposit (refundable — distinct from 礼金) |
| 礼金 | key money / gift money (non-refundable, paid to landlord at lease commencement — Japanese-specific) |
| 更新料 | renewal fee (Japanese-specific — paid by tenant on lease renewal) |
| 原状回復 | restoration to original condition (tenant's obligation at lease end — now partly codified Art. 621 Civil Code post-2020 reform) |
| サブリース | master-lease with sub-leases structure (typical Japanese real-estate-management arrangement — not merely "sublease") |
| マンション | apartment building / condominium (loanword; strata-title residential block) |
| 区分所有 | sectional ownership / condominium ownership (Condominium Act — 建物の区分所有等に関する法律) |
| 区分所有権 | unit ownership |
| 敷地利用権 | site-use right (right to use the land under the condominium) |
| 管理組合 | management association (of condominium unit owners) |
| 管理規約 | condominium bylaws / management rules |
| 標準管理規約 | standard condominium bylaws (MLIT model) |
| 重要事項説明書 | important matters explanation (mandatory pre-sale disclosure under Real Estate Transaction Business Act — 宅建業法) |
| 宅建業 / 宅地建物取引業 | real estate transaction business |
| 宅地建物取引士 | licensed real-estate transaction specialist |
| 不動産取得税 | real property acquisition tax |
| 固定資産税 | fixed asset tax |
| 都市計画税 | city-planning tax |
| 土地建物 | land and building |
| 筆 | parcel / lot (cadastral unit) |
| 筆界 | parcel boundary |
| 境界確定 | boundary determination |
| 都市計画区域 | city-planning area |
| 建築確認 | building confirmation (pre-construction regulatory check) |
| 接道義務 | road-access obligation (Art. 43 Building Standards Act — 2-metre access to a 4-metre-wide public road) |
| 公図 | official land map |
| 地積 | land area |
| 測量図 | survey map |
| 司法書士 | judicial scrivener (qualified to handle real-property registration) |
