Survey records

Japanese property records are not one database. They are split across local Legal Affairs Bureaus (法務局), municipal planning departments, and archived corporate registries. No unified national portal exists for private use. Survey records, the official maps, boundary drawings, and measurement documents, sit at the intersection of the land register (登記簿), the cadastral map (地図), and the fixed asset tax ledger (固定資産税台帳). The single fact that no competitor can state: only a licensed Land and Building Surveyor can file a boundary survey with the Legal Affairs Bureau, and that filing is what turns a private measurement into a legally recognised boundary.

What survey records actually contain

Survey records in Japan are not a single file. The two foundational documents are:

1. Cadastral map (地図 / chizu), which shows parcel boundaries, parcel numbers, and land category. Since the 2000s, most have been digitised, but the accuracy varies by region and survey date.
2. Land register (登記簿), the legal record of ownership, mortgages, easements, and other rights for each parcel. The register is divided into three sections: the heading (land identification), section 1 (ownership), and section 2 (encumbrances).

The cadastral map and the land register are maintained separately. A parcel’s map shape and its registered area may disagree, especially in rural areas where older surveys used less precise methods. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has been promoting the digitisation of cadastral maps, but as of 2024 the integration between the map layer and the registry layer is not complete, and gaps remain in mountainous and rural parcels.

What survey records do and what they do not prove

Survey records define the physical boundaries, area, and shape of a land parcel. They answer one question: where exactly does the parcel end and the neighbour’s parcel begin? They do not answer who owns the land. Ownership sits in the land register (登記簿), kept separately from the cadastral map. A boundary survey can confirm the physical position of a boundary, but it cannot, by itself, transfer ownership or resolve a dispute about who holds title. For that, you need the land register and, in inheritance cases, the koseki (family registry).

The cadastral map (地図) is the official parcel-boundary map maintained by the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局). It shows parcel shapes, parcel numbers, and road frontages, but it does not show ownership. The land register (登記簿) records the owner, mortgages, easements, and other registered rights for each parcel. In practice, the two systems are related but not fully integrated, and a boundary dispute can exist even when the register is clean.

How survey records are created and kept

Survey records in Japan are produced through a formal cadastral survey process. The relevant law is the Land Survey Act (測量法) and the Cadastral Survey procedures under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The Land and Building Surveyor (土地家屋調査士) is the licensed professional who conducts boundary surveys, prepares maps and drawings, and files applications with the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局). The Judicial Scrivener (司法書士) prepares the registration application itself.

How to locate and request survey records

Start at the Legal Affairs Bureau that holds jurisdiction over the parcel’s location. Each bureau keeps the land register and the cadastral map for its district. You can request:

• A land register transcript (登記簿謄本), which shows the current owner, parcel number, land category, and registered area.
• A cadastral map extract (地図写し), which shows the parcel shape, boundaries, and neighbouring parcel numbers.

Request both. Comparing them reveals whether the registered area matches the mapped area. If they differ, a boundary survey may be needed before any transaction, subdivision, or construction.

To request records in person, go to the bureau’s counter, fill out a request form with the parcel number (地番), and pay the fee (typically ¥600 per document). Bring the parcel number. If you do not have it, use the bureau’s public map terminal to locate the parcel on the cadastral map first. Staff will not conduct the search for you, but they will explain how to use the terminal.

To request by mail, download the application form from the Ministry of Justice website, include the parcel number, a copy of identification, and a postal money order for the fees. Turnaround is usually one to two weeks.

Online access is limited. The Legal Affairs Bureau offers an online registry information service (登記情報提供サービス) that provides land register transcripts, but cadastral map extracts are not always available digitally. Check the service’s coverage map before relying on it for a map extract.

How to read the documents

Once you have the land register transcript, check three things:

1. The heading section: confirm the parcel number, land category (地目), and registered area (地積). If the land category says “paddy field” (田) but the parcel is dry and developed, the registration is out of date.
2. Section 1 (ownership): note the owner’s name and address, the share of ownership, and the registration date. If the owner’s address is outdated, the registration may not reflect the current owner’s contact details.
3. Section 2 (encumbrances): look for mortgages (抵当権), easements (地役権), or leaseholds (賃借権). A mortgage that has been repaid but not cancelled will still appear and requires a cancellation filing.

On the cadastral map extract, locate your parcel by its number. Trace the boundary lines. Solid lines indicate surveyed boundaries. Dashed or dotted lines indicate unsurveyed or approximate boundaries, common in older rural maps. Note the scale and the survey date printed on the map. A map surveyed in 1980 using analogue methods has a wider margin of error than one surveyed with GNSS equipment after 2010.

When a licensed surveyor is required

Hire a Land and Building Surveyor (土地家屋調査士) in these situations:

• You plan to subdivide a parcel or merge two adjacent parcels. Only a surveyor can prepare the subdivision map and file it with the Legal Affairs Bureau.
• You are building near a boundary and need to confirm the exact line to avoid encroachment.
• A neighbour disputes the boundary location. The surveyor conducts a boundary confirmation (境界確認) with the adjoining landowner present and documents the agreement in writing.
• The cadastral map shows dashed boundaries or no map exists for the area. A survey is required to create a legally valid boundary record.

The surveyor will research the historical records at the bureau, conduct a field survey, set boundary markers, and prepare a boundary survey map (地積測量図). That map, once filed, becomes part of the official record. The surveyor handles the technical work; a Judicial Scrivener handles the registration filing if ownership or rights are changing.

Fixed asset tax records and what they add

The fixed asset tax ledger (固定資産税台帳) is kept by the municipal tax office, not the Legal Affairs Bureau. It records the parcel’s taxable area, valuation, and the taxpayer’s name. The taxable area may differ from the registered area because municipalities sometimes adjust valuations based on aerial photography or local surveys. Request a fixed asset tax certificate (固定資産税証明書) from the municipal office to see the valuation used for property tax calculations. This certificate is often required when buying or selling land, but it does not replace a boundary survey. It proves tax status, not boundary location.

Common gaps and regional variation

• Unsurveyed areas: In some rural and mountainous districts, no cadastral map exists. The Legal Affairs Bureau may hold only a schematic land registry map (公図), which is a rough index map with no survey-grade accuracy. Do not rely on a public map for boundary confirmation.
• Unregistered land: Land that has never been registered, or where the registered owner died decades ago and no inheritance registration was filed, will not appear in the land register. Resolving this requires a koseki trail and a court filing (相続登記).
• Digitisation gaps: MLIT’s cadastral map digitisation project is ongoing. Some maps are available as georeferenced TIFF or PDF files; others exist only as paper sheets at the bureau. Call ahead to confirm the format available for your parcel.

What to do next

1. Find your parcel number from a previous deed, tax notice, or by visiting the Legal Affairs Bureau’s public map terminal.
2. Request both the land register transcript and the cadastral map extract from the bureau that holds jurisdiction over the parcel.
3. Compare the registered area on the transcript with the mapped area on the extract. If they disagree, note the discrepancy.
4. If the cadastral map shows dashed boundaries, an old survey date, or no map exists, contact a Land and Building Surveyor for a boundary survey before proceeding with any transaction, subdivision, or construction.
5. If the land register shows an outdated owner, an uncancelled mortgage, or no registration at all, consult a Judicial Scrivener to correct the register before the survey work begins. A survey filed against an incorrect register creates further complications.