DECADES OF EXPERIENCE SERVING CLIENTS AROUND THE WORLD
About Legacy Tomodachi
Legacy Tomodachi is a service for solving legal matters of inheritance in Japan. Part of the STK Group, Legacy Tomodachi’s services are backed by the foremost provider of international legal consulting services in Japan.
The advantage of Legacy Tomodachi is a dedicated team of in-house experts with judicial scrivener (shiho-shoshi) and administrative scrivener (gyosei-shoshi) accreditation in addition to consultants experienced in handling international inheritance matters. With a team of professionals including native speakers of English, Chinese, and Korean, in addition to Japanese, we are committed to providing first class service.
Our motto is “no case is impossible.” We have the can-do attitude, experience, and resources to successfully reach settlements that no other team in Japan can handle.
Whether you reside within Japan or outside of Japan, Legacy Tomodachi is a partner you can trust to provide timely legal advice and assistance.
STK Group has over a decade of experience in providing legal services, with a dedicated team with over 50 years of combined legal experience and problem-solving ability. Our group stands out as the foremost judicial scrivener corporation that specializes in matters involving overseas clients and assets.
Where other firms in Japan will refuse or outsource such projects, we pride ourselves in being able to navigate Japan’s legal system to meet the needs of both foreign nationals and Japanese citizens. In addition to Legacy Tomodachi, STK Group’s network of companies include specialists in incorporation, real estate, international contracts, legal translation & interpretation, and global consulting among other related services.
GROUP PRESIDENT
Masato Sasaki
President & Representative Judicial Scrivener
STK Group
Masato Sasaki is founder and representative judicial scrivener of the STK Group. After establishing the STK Group in 2007, Masato has built STK Group into the foremost facilitator of legal matters involving foreign nationals and management of overseas assets.
When referring to the business approach cultivated at STK Legal Services, Masato says, “Some legal procedures are difficult, but nothing is impossible.” By taking on projects and cases that other firms are unable to handle and by maintaining a high standard of customer service, the STK Group has grown into a highly productive business with over 40 employees across its offices in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Singapore. Masato has been integral to this success.
Born and raised in Tokyo, Masato is a graduate of Chuo University’s Faculty of Law. Masato enjoys playing golf and spending time with his family.
OUR TEAM
Partner Administrative Scrivener
A lifelong resident of Tokyo, Yongsu Gen is Partner at STK Group and a licensed administrative scrivener. An expert in solving complex cross-border legal procedures, Yongsu has helped thousands with Japanese visa applications as well as inheritance procedures.
After graduating from Tokyo’s Wako University, Yongsu built a career as an administrative scrivener, joining the STK Group in 2007. With Korean roots giving him native ability with the Korean language, Yongsu is passionate about helping clients build meaningful business relationships in both Korea and Japan.
Satoshi Iseki 🇬🇧🇯🇵
Partner Judicial Scrivener
Manager, Osaka Office
Satoshi Iseki is Partner at STK Group and Manager of the STK Group Osaka Office. Born in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, Satoshi spent 5 years living and working in Canada. After returning to Japan and receiving accreditation as a licensed judicial scrivener, Satoshi joined the STK Group in 2014.
With an analytical mind and a passion for problem solving, Satoshi is a seasoned expert in solving complex matters of inheritance. Outside of work, Satoshi enjoys playing the guitar and has experience as a professional musician.
Mikio Sasaki 🇬🇧🇯🇵
Associate
With over a decade of experience leading overseas branches of a major Japanese firm in London, Amsterdam, and Istanbul, Mikio is supports client relations for Legacy Tomodachi. Hailing from Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, Mikio is experienced in client relationship management and making sure customers get the best support.
A graduate of Shinshu University’s Faculty of Economics, Mikio is a licensed administrative scrivener who specializes in inheritance, in addition to incorporation and immigration procedures. In his free time, Mikio enjoys tennis, swimming, and skiing.
Konan Ishida 🇨🇳🇯🇵
Associate
A native of Shanghai, China, Konan joined the STK Group in 2014 after graduating from Keio University’s Faculty of Law. Fluent in Japanese in addition to his native Chinese, Konan enjoys helping clients solve complex problems and helping them build both business relationships as well as relationships with government offices.
Konan is well-versed in matters of inheritance involving real estate and is a licensed real estate transaction agent. When he is not helping Chinese and Taiwanese clients, Konan enjoys watching American movies and playing RPG games.
Lihua Cui 🇨🇳🇰🇷🇯🇵
Associate
A native of Heilongjiang Province, China, Lihua enjoys helping clients using her native-level Chinese and Korean language ability. Lihua joined the STK Group in 2016 after graduating from Kanagawa University in Yokohama.
Lihua is a student of Qigong, an ancient Chinese exercise and healing technique, and also enjoys watching Japanese and Chinese comedy.
Yuan Zhong 🇨🇳🇬🇧🇯🇵
Associate
With fluent language ability in English and Japanese, Yuan is in charge of Chinese and Hong Kong-related clients and assets. Yuan joined the STK Group in 2018 after graduating from Keio University Law School with an LL.M. in Global Legal Studies.
A native of Jinan, China, Yuan obtained his BA in Translation and International Laws from China Foreign Affairs University and spent time studying abroad at University of California, Berkeley. On his days off he enjoys discovering amateur comic works in Akihabara and taking short train tours.
THE STK GROUP OF COMPANIES
- STK Legal Services
Japan legal navigator. Licensed judicial scrivener and administrative scrivener corporation. - STK Properties Co.Ltd.
Japan real estate consulting. Specialists in managing corporate and individual real estate transactions.
- STK Global Consulting Pte.Ltd.
Your partner in Japan legal affairs. Decades of experience helping foreign nationals do business in Japan. - STK Advisors Co.Ltd.
Asset management advisory. Helping Japanese abroad manage diverse assets and cross-border tax compliance.
OUR SERVICES
Inheritance Settlement
Losing a loved one is never a happy time. In Japan, inheritance procedures can quickly become complicated when the deceased is a foreign national. There are several documents, procedures, and other steps necessary to take care of settling an estate under Japanese jurisdiction.
For those living far away from the deceased, Japan’s inheritance procedures can be difficult and stressful because all documentation must be submitted in a particular way in Japanese. Non-resident heirs usually need to either visit Japan several times to settle the estate or leave it in the hands of relatives, often in both cases with little assurance whether everything has been done correctly. Without reliable and objective advice in matters of Japanese inheritance law, many end up with unsatisfactory results or worse, legal disputes among heirs.
Legacy Tomodachi offers full support for inheritance procedures involving foreign nationals in Japan. From creation of necessary documents, to initiating procedures to transfer assets such as bank accounts on your behalf, you can depend on us. Legacy Tomodachi is here to help you navigate Japanese inheritance procedures to conclusion.
Examples:
- Inheritance cases where the heir(s) live outside of Japan.
- Cases inside Japan where the deceased is a foreign national.
- Instances where the heir(s) cannot speak Japanese.
Legacy Tomodachi specializes in solving international inheritance procedures in a prompt and professional manner.
Legacy Planning
Legacy Tomodachi specializes in legacy planning that alleviates the burden of inheriting assets in Japan. Every year, countless international inheritance procedures in Japan lead to unfortunate and unsatisfying conclusions, often because of a lack of forward-planning. We are experts in helping clients plan their legacy so that their family will not be faced with a sudden heavy inheritance tax burden or have unfortunate disputes over distribution of assets that can lead to acrimony and years of litigation.
Legacy planning, also known as estate planning, is the process of developing a strategy and plans that enable you to preserve and pass on what’s most important to your family. There are several aspects that require careful thought and professional advice tailored to each individual situation.
Inheriting real estate in Japan can be cumbersome, especially for non-residents. In the case where several heirs inherit a single property, sometimes it makes sense to sell the property to satisfy the wishes of all heirs.
Legacy Tomodachi is part of the STK Group of companies, which has a full service real estate division. The team at STK Properties has over 50 years of combined experience in handling real estate transactions. From residential homes to vacation homes, apartment buildings, and large commercial properties, Legacy Tomodachi can facilitate sales and provide consultation, simulations, and full document facilitation in English, Chinese, and Korean.
Last Will and Testament
A last will and testament is a legal document that gives an accurate description of all of your assets in addition to your intentions for their distribution to heirs.
The amount of time the Japanese inheritance process requires can differ greatly depending on the type of will that is left. When a foreign national passes away in Japan, generally there are several legal documents that must be submitted by all heirs in order to begin inheritance procedures.
Finalizing all of the necessary procedures to inherit real estate, bank accounts, etc. in Japan can take several months, and sometimes more than 1 year. If there is a heir who cannot be reached or does not cooperate with the inheritance procedures, the process stops.
There is a way to expedite the inheritance process through proper pre-planning of your legacy. For those who create a notary certified last will and testament, there is an expedited inheritance process that takes less time and requires fewer paperwork. This is possible because the details of all heirs, assets, and distribution are confirmed and certified by the notary public at the time of creation.
The will creation professionals at Legacy Tomodachi can help you create a notary certified last will and testament. Japanese notaries create certified wills in the Japanese language, which enables quick submission at family court in the event of inheritance, but can leave foreign nationals unsure whether their will has been reflected 100%.
We offer a full-service notary certified will creation system that starts with a conversation in your native language. Our consultants who are native speakers of English, Chinese, and Korean will create an original draft in your native language that will serve as the template for the Japanese certified document.
Legacy Tomodachi has unparalleled will creation knowhow. Let us help you using decades of combined experience in international inheritance, including overseas assets in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, as well as translation and interpretation between English, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.
Contact Legacy Tomodachi today to learn more about how to create a last will and testament that effectively protects your legacy.
Canadian citizen with assets in Japan
The deceased was survived by a wife, a Japanese national, as well as three children. Two of the children were living overseas in the US, and one was living with the mother in Japan.
When the mother passed away, the children asked for our assistance in settling the estate. The primary asset of the deceased’s estate was several parcels of real estate, to which the deeds were still in the father’s name. Although there were no disputes between the heirs, the process was complicated due to two of the heirs residing outside Japan.
We settled the estate by selling the real estate and dividing the proceeds among the three heirs. Completing the process for registration and sale of Japanese real estate with non-resident parties required negotiation with local authorities and several documents obtained from Canada, but we were able to settle the entire inheritance in six months.
The sale of the real estate was handled by our group company STK Properties.
US citizen with assets in Japan
The estate of the deceased included cash assets as well as several properties in Japan.
The wife of the deceased reached out to us in order to settle the estate to which herself and two children from a previous marriage are heirs. The children from the previous marriage were both living overseas in the US and Australia respectively, whom we contacted to inform of the total assets of the estate and assist through all of the necessary procedures.
We assisted in negotiating an agreement between the heirs where the deceased’s wife inherited the properties, and the two children inherited the cash assets. Although the process required official documents from Australia and the US, we were able to settle the entire inheritance in under three months.
Sweden national with assets in Japan
The deceased was the husband of the client and of Swedish nationality, and the client and her daughter were both Japanese nationals. They requested that we arrange documents and certificates that were required for inheriting the deceased’s international and domestic savings, as well as inheritance registrations in connection to domestic real property. The deceased had two other children with his ex-wife, one who was of Swedish nationality and was a resident of Sweden, and another who had married a Finnish national, moved to Finland and adopted Finnish nationality.
In Japan, inheritance is governed by the law of the home country of the deceased, so it was necessary to look into the laws of Sweden. However, there was not much literature or reference materials available in Japanese and most of it was out of date. Because of this, we referenced materials such as English versions of unofficial translations published by the Swedish Government, and Swedish originals that we had translated to English. After confirming the scope of inheritance as well as the governing law we translated these documents into Japanese and submitted them to the Legal Affairs Bureau. The Bureau then confirmed that there were no issues with the registration application that our team had formulated based on the laws and relevant information we had researched. This allowed us to arrange the necessary documents for the client’s case.
As well as translating the list of assets and other materials to English, getting in touch with the heirs living abroad, and researching laws and referring them to the Legal Affairs Bureau, we contacted both heirs in Sweden and Finland directly regarding the certificates and affidavits that were necessary to prepare outside of Japan, and smoothly acquired the certificates. Both of them were able to find a public notary nearby who could certify an affidavit in English, and the public notaries used a draft English affidavit that we had created. In the end, because we were able to get certification from public notaries in both countries, we arranged the necessary certificates and completed the real property registration procedures.
After this the client and her daughter used the materials that we had created for other procedures in connection to financial organizations, and completed all the inheritance procedures.
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