Who inherits without a will in Japan?

The spouse and the children inherit shares together

In Japan the spouse always inherits: half with the children, two thirds with the parents, and three quarters with the siblings.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

The default, not your case. This page describes what applies when there is no valid will. Succession law is reformed often, a will changes everything, and the rules for an estate with a foreign element are complex. This is general information, not legal advice.

A spouse and children survive

The spouse takes half and the children share the other half equally.

A spouse survives, but no children

With the parents (or higher ancestors) the spouse takes two thirds. With the siblings the spouse takes three quarters. With none of these, the spouse takes everything.

No spouse: who comes next

Children first; then the parents or higher ancestors; then the siblings (and their children). If none, the estate goes to the state.

A partner who is not married

An unmarried partner has no right to inherit without a will.

What a will cannot take away

The spouse, children and parents have a reserved portion ('iryubun'). Siblings do not.

If the person or the property is abroad

Japan applies the law of the person's nationality to the estate.

Understand the legal system first

Japan belongs to the Civil law family. Succession law grows out of the legal tradition, so it helps to know how the system works.

Read the Japan legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Who owns what in a marriage in Japan? →

Official sources

Japanese Law Translation: the Civil Code

TheLawToKnow Tools’s inheritance guide is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the official source or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.