Glossary
Shiho-shoshi (judicial scrivener)
A licensed legal specialist who files your ownership registration at settlement; ownership cannot transfer without one.
The shiho-shoshi is the person who makes you the legal owner. At the settlement table they verify everyone's identity, confirm the title is clean and the seller's old mortgage will be cleared, then give the signal for funds to move and file the ownership transfer at the Legal Affairs Bureau the same day. Their fee is usually around 80,000 to 200,000 yen, separate from the registration tax they collect and remit for you. They are neutral to the transaction, not your advocate, and most work only in Japanese, so bring an interpreter for the settlement meeting.