My wife (Japanese) and I (American) are considering buying a home soon as we just welcomed a new child to the family. However, I stand to inherit several million dollars worth of overseas property in the future when my parents eventually pass so we plan to leave Japan within the next 10 years in order to avoid inheritance tax.
As I understand it, one of the requirements to avoiding inheritance tax is to cut all ties with Japan before moving out of the country and staying out for at least over a year.
However, we're trying to figure out if it's possible to keep the house as we'd like to return to it one day. One of our ideas was to buy the property under my wife's name only, live in it for several years, and then rent it out while we're out of Japan so that there's proof that we're no longer living in it (ie not our jusho). Then one day, long after the inheritance thing is settled, we move back. Would such a thing be possible? Or is selling the property the only way to lose residency?
by finalxcution