Tax & Systems
Tokyo Condos Average $800K. I Didn't Know About Japan's Variable Rate "5-Year Rule" Until My Payments Went Up
How Japan's variable-rate mortgage rules work, and what I learned after my rate doubled without warning
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Tax & Systems
Articles about tax & systems
Tax & Systems
I Ran the Numbers on Japan's New 'Singles Tax.' Even as a Parent, I Can't Celebrate
Japan started collecting a new childcare support levy from every worker's paycheck in April 2026. I broke down the costs and benefits for my own household — the math surprised me.
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Tax & Systems
I Ran the Numbers on My iDeCo Exit Tax — Turns Out I Can Just Take It All at 60
¥10M retirement + ¥10M iDeCo. I simulated lump sum vs pension payout and the answer surprised me.
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Tax & Systems
I Contributed to Japan's 401(k) for 7 Years Without Once Thinking About How to Cash Out
I started iDeCo in 2019 and never thought about the exit. Then Japan changed the rules in 2026, and I realized how naive I'd been.
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Tax & Systems
I Filed Japan's 2026 Tax Return and Found 5 Changes Nobody Warned Me About
Japan's basic deduction jumped ¥100K to ¥580,000, saving ~¥30,000/year. But the real surprise was a furusato nozei trap that almost voided my One-Stop claims. Here's what changed and what I actually did.
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Tax & Systems
Kodomo NISA 2027: I Almost Ignored It — Then Ran the Numbers on My Daughter's ¥300K
Japan's new Children's NISA lets kids invest tax-free up to ¥600K/year. I dismissed it at first, but ¥300K of otoshidama + compound interest math changed my mind. Here's the full breakdown.
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Tax & Systems
Tax Season Is Here. As an Index Investor With $130K in Unrealized Gains, I Had Almost Nothing to Do
8 years of index investing, $130K in unrealized gains, zero investment tax work. Here's exactly how e-Tax works and why I still file every year.
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