Changing a Japan Will?

I made a Will last year with a Japanese law firm. I forget the name/type of will in Japanese, but it was 'the most secure/air-tight' (and the most expensive at 150,000 yen!).

I need to make a few small changes to the will, but I've been told (acquaintance) that I would need to make an entirely new will. Surely that can't be right, can it?

Back home, I'd just visit the lawyer, make the changes, pay the (small) fee and that's it.

So, can anyone clarify this? An entirely new (and costly) will, or just the changes?

If you made the most "air tight" one, that is good for preventing any alteration... which may well mean that you need to make a completely new one.

I believe that the only one you can just make changes on your own is the self-written one, which can be altered by others as well if someone wants to fidget with it :(

There are two types (I believe) that involve the notary office or a notary, and for one of them (the contents is kept completely confidential) even you yourself cannot obtain and open, which means you cannot change it yourself.

decide for your self if those 'small changes' are worth the cost...


how old are you? should you be dishing out so much cash for a new will every year. what if something else comes up and you need to make a nother change? maybe you are rich then, if you wanted the 'air tight' one. Are you married to japanese and didnt want someone tampering with it?

So for now, you should just make hand written changes and maybe noterize that. And as more changes come along, add more.. until you are like 60 and make another air tight one..

or maybe you can just make air tight ones every 5 years until you are 60 or 70.