Rent increases and lease renewal in Japan: your rights as a tenant

A rent increase in Japan needs your agreement or a court ruling. If you refuse, you can keep paying your current rent and stay, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (as of October 2026). Most leases run 2 years, and a regular lease renews automatically unless the landlord has a justified reason. A renewal fee (更新料) is allowed only if your contract states it clearly. This guide covers renewal and increases only. For finding and signing a first lease, see the renting guide.

Can my landlord raise my rent in Japan?

Not by themselves. Tokyo’s housing office says an increase is not allowed without the agreement of both landlord and tenant. Under the Act on Land and Building Leases (借地借家法), Article 32, either side may ask to change the rent going forward when it has become inappropriate for one of three reasons:

• taxes or other costs on the land or building went up or down,
• land or building prices or economic conditions changed, or
• the rent is out of line with nearby similar buildings.

If the landlord needs a higher rent and you don’t agree, the landlord has to go to court. A clause promising no increase for a set period overrides the right to ask.

There is no fixed cap. A newsletter from Setagaya Ward’s consumer center, written by a member of the local realtor association, says an increase of around 5%, at most about 10%, is the usual range. It calls a 20% or larger jump aimed at pushing a tenant out likely unjustified. That is one author’s rule of thumb, not a legal limit.

What if I don’t agree to the increase?

You can say no. Toshima’s consumer center and Tokyo both say that if you keep paying the old rent, you can keep living there. The Act also says that while the dispute is open, you may pay the amount you consider reasonable. If a court later finds the increase justified, you owe the shortfall plus interest at 10% a year.

The steps the centers suggest:

If the landlord refuses to accept your old rent, Tokyo’s page says you can deposit it (供託) as proof you paid. Ask a consumer center or a specialist before you do this.

Do I have to move out if I refuse?

No, not for refusing alone. Fukuoka’s consumer center says not agreeing to an increase is not by itself a reason you must leave right away. Tokyo says a landlord cannot refuse to renew just because you won’t accept a higher rent.

A landlord can refuse to renew only with a justified reason (正当の事由) under Article 28. The law weighs both sides’ need for the home, the history of the lease, the building’s condition, and any payment offered to the tenant to leave. A landlord who ends the lease by giving notice must wait six months from the notice.

How does lease renewal work?

MLIT’s English Apartment Search Guidebook says the contract period is normally 2 years. For a regular rental agreement, the landlord cannot refuse renewal without due cause, so the contract is renewed automatically even if no one signs a new one.

The Act sets the timing. If neither side sends notice of non-renewal between one year and six months before the term ends, the lease renews on the same conditions. The new term is open-ended. If you keep living there after the term ends and the landlord doesn’t object promptly, the same happens.

Your contract may still ask you to sign a renewal document and pay a renewal fee. We could not confirm from official sources whether the fee is owed when a lease renews automatically without a new agreement. Ask a consumer center if your landlord demands it.

What is a renewal fee (更新料), and is it legal?

MLIT describes the renewal fee as money you pay the landlord when the agreement is renewed, set in a special term of the contract. It applies only if your contract has that special term, so check whether yours does and how much. MLIT tells you to ask before signing.

In a ruling on 15 July 2011, the Supreme Court held that a renewal fee clause is not void under the Consumer Contract Act if two conditions hold. We read this through a secondary explainer, not the judgment itself.

• The clause is clearly and specifically written in the contract and both sides clearly agreed.
• The amount is not too high given the rent and the renewal period.

The case involved a fee of about 2 months’ rent for each one-year renewal, and the court did not strike it down. We found no official nationwide figure for typical renewal fees.

What is a fixed-term lease (定期借家)?

A fixed-term lease ends at the end of its term and is not renewed. A new contract is possible only by agreement. The Act requires it to be in writing, and the landlord must give you a written explanation beforehand that there is no renewal.

MLIT tells you to check at signing which type you have. If you plan to stay beyond the term, a fixed-term lease gives you no right to renew.

What should foreign tenants do about notices in Japanese?

Renewal papers and increase letters are almost always in Japanese. The sources we read don’t say landlords must provide a translation, so ask the agent or landlord to explain in plain Japanese or English, and ask for the reason in writing.

• Bring the notice, your lease, your residence card (在留カード) and records of rent payments to any consultation.
• Don’t sign on the spot. Take the document home and have it translated.
• Help: your local consumer center via the 188 hotline. Tokyo also runs a Rent Increase Special Consultation Desk (03-5320-4958, weekdays 9:00 to 17:30) and a free lawyer or judicial scrivener consultation by booking (03-5320-5015). We did not confirm whether these offer English.
• In other languages: MLIT’s guidebook lists the Kanagawa Foreigner Living Support Center (English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese, 045-228-1752), local government consultation desks for foreigners, and the CLAIR multilingual living information page covering 14 languages.

When you plan to leave instead, MLIT says a tenant’s termination notice is given in writing, usually 1 to 2 months ahead, as the contract says.

More guides: renting an apartment as a foreigner, guarantor companies, foreigner-friendly real estate agents, renters fire insurance, emergency numbers in Japan.