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Non resident able to connect utilities? 2017/5/15 06:35
My wife and I intend on purchasing a property in Japan, she is a citizen with a bank account (we reside in Australia - she is not registered as a current resident of Japan even though she is Japanese). Our research indicates there is no limitation on non-residents purchasing property in Japan, we are confident in our understanding of the requirements in purchasing the property, however still a little unclear on what is required to connect utilities.
The TEPCO website says payment for electricity can be set up as direct debit, however what documentation and residency status may be required for the initial setup isn't clear.
Can utilities be set up by a non-resident, or would she need to register residency at her home gov't office when we are in Japan in order to qualify to have utilities connected?
Also when we are not in Japan, we would like to leave power, gas and internet connected for other visitors to use, the minimum service charge for electricity on the tepco website is stated as 374 yen per month, is this correct or is the minimum charge for having electricity connected (where no electricity may be used in a month) likely to be more than this?
Appreciate any insight other forum users can provide, assume connection of gas and internet has similar requirements to electricity?
Thanks!

by Janus77  

Re: Non resident able to connect utilities? 2017/5/15 19:21
Why not ask TEPCO? And when asking, you at least need to clarify where it is, and what ampere you're going to use. Also keep in mind that depending on the environment, you should set up an automatic air purifier to keep the place healthy during the days when there is nobody there.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: Non resident able to connect utilities? 2017/5/15 19:28
Non-residency should not be a problem. We bought a second place and spent a couple of years remodelling it while not a resident of that city/prefecture. I believe all we needed to supply was phone number for contacts, the address of the property and our then-current address, and the bank information. When you buy, your realtor should be able to confirm and maybe even take care of providing access, etc., if you are not here at the time. They may also be able to `manage` the property for you, for a fee of course, just as they do for rentals.
by Paul (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Non resident able to connect utilities? 2017/5/16 11:04
Thank you both for your response'
by Janus77 rate this post as useful

Re: Non resident able to connect utilities? 2017/5/16 15:08
your wife should search it or ask her parents . you dont need to worry about it .unless her parents dont reside in japan.

the agent you will buy house from. will will assist you in all those documention .
by chike20 rate this post as useful

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