Japan and Asia: The World’s Highest Inheritance Tax Rate and the Life Insurance Exemption
Japan’s 55% maximum inheritance tax rate is the highest in the developed world. The Japanese legislature built a specific life insurance exemption into the Inheritance Tax Act — ¥5 million per statutory heir — as a deliberate policy tool. For UHNWI clients with Japanese connections, life insurance is not peripheral to estate planning. It is central to it. GLOBAL ESTATE PLANNING SERIESOverview — The Global LandscapePart 2 — EU Civil Law: France, Germany, Spain and BelgiumPart 3 — The UAE and GCC: Succession Without Estate TaxPart 4 — Japan and Asia: The World’s Highest Inheritance Tax Rate (You are here)Part 5 — The United States: Estate Tax, the ILIT, and Where PPLI FitsPart 6 — South Africa: Estate Duty and