In Japan, there is a superstition that it is good luck to see “Mount Fuji” in your first dream of the New Year. Every country has one or two strange legends that have taken root in people’s lives.
When trying to understand a foreign culture, I believe that an accurate attitude toward learning its history is helpful for mutual understanding. And I believe that laws also have a cultural background.
In Japan, inheritance tax is levied not on the estate of the deceased, but on the heirs who acquire the property. This approach is fundamentally different from the British and American approach to inheritance, which is based on common law.
In order to legally avoid inheritance tax in Japan, a foreigner living in Japan must have a thorough understanding of the Japanese inheritance tax system, which differs from that of his or her home country.
Although the concept of inheritance can be shared with many countries around the world, the approach to taxation differs according to the different legal origins and cultural backgrounds of these countries, making the resolution of inheritance tax issues that arise internationally very complex.
〔The photo shows Aircabin in Yokohama〕