I am beginning to sense some tension in the relationship between my wife and her sister.
Both sisters are now in their mid-fifties. My wife and I live on the Left Coast and visit Japan about once a year. The sister lives with her husband in Setagaya ku in the family house that was handed down from the deceased father.
The father died in 2000. The house and land were in names of the two sisters. Upon the father's death the estate was divided equally with my wife getting more cash and the sister getting the house (but not the land, it stayed in both names) and some other assets.
I have tried to stay out of the sister-sister dealings but now I am being asked for my opinion.
I am wondering if any FG's have had occasion to lease land before? My wife now says that big sis has had 13 years of living on that land without paying rent to my wife and she is wondering if she should start negotiating over the land. My wife is thinking, "gosh, I should have my sister pay me for the 13 years of use of that land."
My one suggestion 13 years ago when dad died was to sell the place and split everything. That would've been a clean and easy split. However there was all the sentimental attachment to the property so that was not done.
Now my wife does not feel comfortable staying at big sis' place as she feels she is imposing and it makes visiting Japan more expensive as we've lost our formerly taken-for-granted lodging.
Anyway, before we have World War III I am trying to get as much information as I can. We don't know the precise value of the land. We think it between 40,000,000 and 60,000,000 yens and getting big sis to fork over half of that may not be feasible.
We could propose to build a duplex on the property with half for us and half for the sister. Our son lives in Tokyo and could be the full-time resident of our half and we could stay with him on our visits.
Or we could force sis to join us and sell it and cash out. (easiest and cleanest solution) But it ain't that easy. I wish it was.
Any constructive thoughts on our situation?