According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 10th, the Legislative Council, a legal advisory body, is expected to complete a draft system for implementing digital wills soon.
In Japan, wills are recognized as handwritten certificates written on paper by those who leave wills, notarial certificates summarized verbally by notaries, and secret certificates kept by notarial offices.
In order to prevent forgery and alteration of contents, digital wills require recording oral statements in the presence of two or more witnesses, excluding relatives.
In addition, it is expected that the system will include submitting data to public institutions and storing them after identity verification.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun said, “The current civil law sets handwritten documents and seals as requirements for wills,” and predicted that the introduction of digital wills could reduce the risk of loss and make it easier to store them. He then explained that a growing number of services related to “extension,” an activity that leaves messages about memories and families before dying in Japan, will be able to manage digital wills along with these data.
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
