When a person dies in Japan, their bank accounts are frozen in order to prevent greedy heirs from clearing them out before the inheritance is finalised. Safe and smart…but very inconvenient when there are legitimate expenses to pay.
For Japanese people, the decedent’s account can be unfrozen when paperwork like the koseki is presented. However, if you are foreign you will not have that paperwork. It is significantly more of a PITA to gather documents that substitute for the koseki. Even when you have your Ending Note filled in and your heirs know where to find everything, there’s still the issue of official translations.
However, if you have a will, some of the “frozen account drama” melts away for your heirs.
My administrative scrivener, Ayumi Mitake, wrote an informative article with all the details about this topic. https://mitake-gyosei.com/what-happens-to-japanese-bank-accounts/ And it’s bilingual so your Japanese family members will also get the message clearly
Be prepared for what’s coming. A will benefit the people you love.
You’ve got this.