外国人の相続登記と売却 Inheritance Registration and Sale for a Foreign National
韓国籍のA様（配偶者）からのご自宅マンション売却に関するご相談。
【事案の概要と初期対応】
- 被相続人は日本人男性B様。相続人はA様および先妻との間の子C様（長年連絡不通）。
- まず、A様と一緒に役所へ行き、B様の出生から死亡までの戸籍謄本を取得し、法定相続人を確定。
- C様と推定される住所への訪問、手紙の投函を試み、C様との接触に成功。
【遺産分割協議と登記準備】
- A様、C様、弊社の三者で面談を実施し、特に争いはなさそうだったため、後日司法書士作成の案文をもって遺産分割協議について合意。
- 合意内容： A様が単独で不動産を相続し売却。売却後に代償分割金をC様に支払う。
- 韓国領事館、法務省出入国在留管理庁への同行等を通じ、韓国籍A様の家族関係証明書等、相続登記に必要な渉外書類一式を収集・準備。
- 司法書士を交えて遺産分割協議書を作成し、相続登記の申請準備を完了。
【不動産売却・決済】
- 売却活動を行い、不動産事業者への売却（買取）を決定。
- 売買契約締結後、相続登記を申請し、決済準備を整えた。
- A様は売却後すぐに韓国へ転居を希望されていたため、代償金のC様への送金完了後、売却代金全額の韓国の銀行への海外送金手続きを東京のハナ銀行へ同行し支援。
- 売却代金の確定申告については、日本の税理士と連携。A様が出国される前に引き合わせを行い、税務手続き（納税管理人選任含む）への移行をサポートした。
【結語】
一連の手続きを完了し、A様は韓国へ転居されました。その後、お礼のご連絡や、日本へ転居されるご親族の住居探しのご依頼もいただくなど、継続的なサポートに繋がっています。（2019年完結事案）
誰でも異国で困難を抱えれば不安でどうしていいか分からなくなると思います。かなり手間がかかり、手数料等を考えると割に合ったのかどうかは分かりませんが、自分自身の経験にもなり、お客様にもとても喜ばれ、気持ち的にもうれしい案件でした。この案件の最重要ポイントは、戸籍の取り方や手続きの仕方ではなく、お客様と一緒に問題解決にあたる伴走型のサポートだったと思います。
A consultation was received from Ms. A (Korean national, surviving spouse) regarding the sale of her residence condominium.
Decedent: Mr. B (Japanese national).
Heirs: Ms. A (spouse) and Mr. C (child from a previous marriage, who had been out of contact for many years).
First, accompanying Ms. A to the local government office, we obtained Mr. B's family register (Koseki Tohon) covering his birth to his death to determine the legal heirs.
We attempted to visit the presumed address of Mr. C accompanying Ms. A, and had Ms. A mail a letter to him, successfully establishing contact.
A three-party meeting (Ms. A, Mr. C, and our company) was held. Since there seemed to be no particular dispute, an agreement on the division of the estate was reached later based on a draft prepared by a judicial scrivener.
Ms. A would solely inherit and sell the real estate. After the sale, a compensatory share (Daisho-Bunkatsu-Kin) would be paid to Mr. C.
We assisted Ms. A, a Korean national, with visits to the Korean Consulate and the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, successfully collecting all necessary international documents, such as the Certificate of Family Relations, required for the inheritance registration.
An Estate Division Agreement was then drafted in consultation with a judicial scrivener, and preparation for the inheritance registration application was completed.
We marketed the property and finalized the sale (buyout) to a real estate operator.
After the sales contract was concluded, we applied for the inheritance registration and prepared for the final settlement.
As Ms. A wished to relocate to South Korea immediately after the sale, we accompanied her to Hana Bank in Tokyo to assist with the procedure for overseas transfer of the entire sales proceeds to her bank in South Korea, following the completion of the compensatory payment to Mr. C.
For the final tax return (Kakutei Shinkoku) of the sales proceeds, we coordinated with a Japanese tax accountant. We arranged a meeting between Ms. A and the tax accountant before her departure, supporting the transition to tax procedures, including the selection of a Tax Agent (Nouzei Kanrinin).
The series of procedures was successfully completed, and Ms. A relocated to South Korea. Since then, we have received subsequent thank-you contacts and even requests to assist her relatives moving to Japan with their housing search, leading to an ongoing relationship of support. (Case concluded in 2019)
I believe anyone facing difficulties in a foreign country would feel anxious and unsure of how to proceed. Although this case involved considerable effort, and it is debatable whether the work was financially commensurate with the fees, it was an incredibly rewarding experience for us. Not only did it contribute to our own expertise, but the client's immense gratitude made it a deeply satisfying project.
The most crucial aspect of this case was not the technical details, such as obtaining the family register or processing the paperwork, but rather the accompanying, hands-on support we provided by tackling the problem side-by-side with the client.
