日本人弁護士（日本・香港・NY州）による国際相続・海外企業法務

To Index   To Previous Column   To Next Column

Question:

The Decedent has passed away, leaving his estates in Japan. After researching family relations, we were able to identify all of the heirs. However, we cannot contact one of the identified heirs for over 20 years and do not know where he has gone.
In this case, how should we proceed with the inheritance proceedings in Japan?

Answer: Declarations of Disappearance

In the case of inheritance without a will, all heirs must conclude “Estate Division Agreement (isan-bunkatsu-kyougisyo)” (遺産分割協議書) as stated in Column (1) in order to proceed with the inheritance procedures in Japan.
If one of the heirs has been missing for many years and cannot be contacted, it is necessary to file a petition for a “declaration of disappearance (Shissou-Senkoku)” (失踪宣告) at a Japanese family court.

According to the court’s website:

The family court may, upon petition, declare a person as “Missing” if his or her life or death has been unknown for seven years (ordinary disappearance), or if the person has been in danger of death due to war, ship sinking, earthquake, etc., and his or her life or death has been unknown for one year after the danger has passed (disappearance due to danger). A declaration of disappearance is a system to give effect to the legal presumption of death to a person whose life or death is unknown.

For example,

if a person went missing in an earthquake, the family court can, upon petition by any interested person, issue a declaration of disappearance if the person has not been heard from for one year and his/her life or death is unknown to his relatives. (Ordinary disappearance)

In other cases, even if a person has gone missing without any serious accident or disaster, the family court can issue a declaration of disappearance if the person has not been contacted for more than seven years and his/her life or death is unknown. (Disappearance due to danger)

In the present case,

if the person has not been contacted for 20 years or more, a petition for declaration of disappearance can be submitted. A petition for declaration of disappearance must be filed with the Japanese family court based on records and evidence from the last time contact was made, as well as testimony from family, relatives and others who know the subject person and the circumstances at that time.

Even if the missing person (heir) is a foreigner (Non-Japanese national), there is a possibility that a declaration of disappearance can be issued by a Japanese family court in exceptional cases if the missing person is related to the inheritance in Japan.

Administrator of the estate of an absentee (Fuzaisha-Zaisan-Kanri-Nin) 不在者財産管理人

If the heir is missing but should not be declared missing because he/she is presumed dead, an application for the appointment of an “administrator of the estate of an absentee”(Fuzaisha-Zaisan-Kanri-Nin) 不在者財産管理人 may be submitted.
I will explain more about absentee administrators in another column.

If you wish to file a petition for a declaration of disappearance under the circumstances of the person in question, it would be difficult to file the petition to the court by yourself, so it is advisable to ask a Japanese lawyer or other specialist.

• Supreme Court of Japan
• https://www.courts.go.jp/saiban/syurui/syurui_kazi/kazi_06_06/index.html　(Accessed 2023-5-30)
• https://www.courts.go.jp/saiban/syurui/syurui_kazi/kazi_06_05/index.html

To Index  To Previous Column  To Next Column

コラム⑦　相続人の一人が行方不明の場合（失踪宣告）について

Q：日本に遺産を残して被相続人が亡くなってしまいました。家族関係を調べたところ、相続人全員を特定できたのですが、相続人の内の一人とは、20年以上も連絡が取れず、どこに行ったか分かりません。このような場合、どうやって相続手続を進めたらいいでしょうか？

Ａ：遺言が無い場合の相続では、コラム①で述べた通り相続人全員で遺産分割協議書を締結しないと、日本の財産の相続手続きが進められません。相続人のうち一人が長年行方不明で連絡が取れない場合、日本の家庭裁判所で「失踪宣告」の申立てをする必要があります。

裁判所のHPによると、

「その生死が7年間明らかでないとき（普通失踪），又は戦争，船舶の沈没，震災などの死亡の原因となる危難に遭遇しその危難が去った後その生死が1年間明らかでないとき（危難失踪）は，家庭裁判所は，申立てにより，失踪宣告をすることができます。
　失踪宣告とは，生死不明の者に対して，法律上死亡したものとみなす効果を生じさせる制度です。」

とされています。

たとえば地震などである人が行方不明となったのであれば、その後1年間連絡が取れず生死が不明であれば、家庭裁判所が失踪宣告を出せます。

それ以外、特に大きな事故や災害が無く行方不明となった場合でも、7年以上連絡が取れず生死が不明であれば、家庭裁判所が失踪宣告を出せます。

20年以上連絡が取れないならば、失踪宣告の申立てをすることができます。最後に連絡が取れた時の記録や証拠、その当時の事情を知っている親族などの証言を元にして、失踪宣告の申立てを日本の家庭裁判所に起こす必要があります。

たとえ行方不明者（相続人）が外国人であっても、日本の相続財産と関係が有る場合には、例外的に日本の裁判所で失踪宣告を出せる可能性があります。

なお、行方不明だが死亡とみなしてしまう失踪宣告をすべきでない場合、『不在者財産管理人』の選任を申し立てることもあります。不在者財産管理人については、また別のコラムで説明します。 質問者の事情で失踪宣告を申し立てる場合、自分で裁判所に申し立てるのは難しいので、日本の弁護士などの専門家に依頼するとよいでしょう。

一覧へ　　前の記事へ　　次の記事へ