Cadastral map and parcel diagram

When researching Japanese property, two foundational records matter: the cadastral map (地図, chizu) and the land register (登記簿, tōkibo). The cadastral map shows the physical shape and location of parcels; the land register records rights. Neither is complete on its own. What follows explains how to read a cadastral map, its accuracy limits, and when you must move from map research to a licensed boundary survey.

What a cadastral map is in Japan

The Japanese cadastral map is the parcel-boundary map maintained by the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局) for each jurisdiction. It is part of the cadastral survey system administered under the Land Survey Act and the Registration Act. The map shows parcel boundaries, parcel numbers (地番, chiban), and the shape of each land unit, but it does not show who owns the land. Ownership is recorded separately in the land register (登記簿, tōkibo).

The key distinction for property research:

The cadastral map (地図, chizu) shows geometry, where boundaries lie on the ground.
The land register (登記簿, tōkibo) shows legal facts, who owns the parcel, what mortgages or easements are attached, and the registered area.

The two are maintained by the same Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局) but are separate documents. A parcel number on the map does not by itself prove ownership; it only identifies the physical location. Ownership is proved by the land register entry for that parcel.

Kōzu and related diagrams

The term kōzu (公図) refers to the older cadastral drawings created during the late 19th-century land-tax reform. These are not survey-accurate maps; they were compiled from field sketches and village records, so boundaries can be distorted, rotated, or missing entirely. Kōzu are still held by Legal Affairs Bureaus and are sometimes the only historical evidence of a parcel’s original shape.

Related diagrams you may encounter:

地図 (chizu), the modern cadastral map maintained by the Legal Affairs Bureau. It is the parcel-boundary map and is increasingly digitised.
地積測量図 (chiseki sokuryō-zu), a survey diagram prepared for a specific parcel when it was registered or subdivided. It shows measured distances and angles for that parcel only.
地図に準ずる図面 (chizu ni junzuru zumen), a map treated as equivalent to a cadastral map when the cadastral map has not yet been prepared for the area.
不動産登記法第14条地図, the cadastral map maintained under Article 14 of the Real Property Registration Act; this is the parcel-boundary map for registered land.
公図 (kōzu), a public map, typically the old tax map, showing parcel shapes but not accurate boundaries.

Accuracy limits and when a survey is required

Cadastral surveys in Japan were compiled over decades and under different accuracy standards. Older maps, especially in rural and mountainous areas, can show parcel shapes and positions that differ from the on-the-ground reality by several metres. The Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局) maintains the current cadastral map, but the land register and the cadastral map are separate documents; a parcel’s registered area may not match the map’s area, and neither may match the physical ground. When a discrepancy appears, the legal boundary is determined by a licensed land and building surveyor (土地家屋調査士) using the survey procedures, not by the map alone. For urban parcels, the map is typically accurate to within a few centimetres; in rural areas, older maps can have errors of several metres.

Commission a boundary survey when:

the parcel is irregular in shape,
neighbouring owners dispute the boundary,
the registered area differs materially from the map,
a redevelopment project needs a precise site plan for a building confirmation application.

What the cadastral map is

The cadastral map (地図, chizu) shows the shape, position, and parcel number (地番, chiban) of each land unit. It is separate from the land register (登記簿), which records rights: ownership, mortgages, easements, and other encumbrances. The map shows geometry; the register shows legal status. The two are linked by the parcel number, not by a single national identifier. In practice, the same parcel can appear under slightly different numbers or shapes across municipal tax documents, the cadastral map, and the land register, so cross-referencing is part of routine due diligence.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has been promoting digitisation of cadastral maps through the national land survey programme, but the completeness of digital coverage varies by region and by survey vintage. As of 2024, the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局) provides map access through its registration information system, and MLIT publishes the National Land Numerical Information (国土数値情報) dataset for GIS analysis. Neither constitutes a single national cadastral portal covering every parcel with survey-grade accuracy. The cadastral map (地図) is maintained separately from the land register (登記簿); the two are related but not automatically synchronised. A parcel’s boundary on the map may not match the area stated in the register, and corrections require a licensed land and building surveyor (土地家屋調査士) to prepare a boundary confirmation and registry application.

Kōzu and the modern map

Kōzu (公図) are the older, hand-drawn cadastral maps created under the former Land Tax Reform of the Meiji era (1873-1881). They show parcel shapes and numbers, but were never surveyed to a uniform standard. In rural areas, kōzu can be severely distorted, with positional errors of several metres, because they were compiled from local land-tax documents rather than from a national geodetic survey. The modern cadastral map (地図) is the digitised successor, but the transition is incomplete. MLIT’s cadastral survey programme (国土調査) has been running for decades, and many parcels still lack a modern surveyed map; in those cases, the kōzu remains the only boundary drawing. The legal effect of the two maps differs: the land register describes rights, while the cadastral map is a survey record; a discrepancy between them does not automatically change ownership, but it signals the need for a boundary survey by a licensed land and building surveyor (土地家屋調査士).

How the records fit together

The Japanese land registration system is fragmented. Ownership and encumbrances are recorded at the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局) in the land register (登記簿), while boundaries and geometry are recorded on cadastral maps maintained separately. There is no single national portal that combines both. For a redevelopment or purchase decision, pull the register, the cadastral map, the urban planning map, and the municipal fixed-asset tax register separately, then reconcile the entries. The cadastral map is the 地図 (chizu), also called the 公図 (kōzu); the term 地図 in this context does not mean an ordinary street map but the parcel-boundary map kept by the Legal Affairs Bureau. The land register and the cadastral map are separate documents and can disagree; when they do, the register’s parcel area is the legal figure, while the map shows the physical boundary on the ground. The fixed-asset tax register is maintained by the municipality, not the Legal Affairs Bureau, and can list a different area because it is used for taxation rather than ownership.

The cadastral map is the 地図 (chizu) held by the Legal Affairs Bureau, and it is the public record of parcel boundaries. It is not a single national map; it is a collection of local sheets, each tied to the jurisdiction of the Legal Affairs Bureau that maintains it. The land register (登記簿) identifies each parcel by a land number (地番) and records the owner, area, and any mortgages or easements, but the register does not itself show the boundary geometry. The cadastral map supplies that geometry. The two documents are separate; a parcel number on the register must be matched to a parcel number on the map, and discrepancies are common.