It says 法的措置 and 訴訟準備. Will my wages be seized right away?

A letter from a private company or law office has no power to seize anything by itself. Seizure requires a court procedure and a final judgment or order. A genuine debt left ignored can eventually reach that stage, but "pay today or we seize your assets" is classic scam pressure language.

I don't recognise this debt at all. Can I just ignore it?

If the sender does not exist or is not on the Ministry of Justice's list, ignoring it without contacting them is the standard response. But do not make that judgement alone, take the letter to a 消費生活センター. The one thing you must never ignore is a document delivered by 特別送達 from a court, even if it makes no sense to you.

This debt is over ten years old. Isn't it time-barred?

The 消滅時効 (statute of limitations) may well have run, but it does not apply automatically: someone must formally invoke it (時効援用) in the correct way. Worse, paying even a token amount or agreeing to instalments on the phone can reset the clock entirely. This is legal work, talk to a lawyer or a certified 司法書士 before paying anything.

The amount is small. Should I just pay to make it go away?

If the claim is fictitious, one payment puts you on a list of people who respond, and further demands follow under new pretexts. If it is real, paying before checking limitation periods or possible overpaid interest can weaken your position. Verify the sender and get a free consultation first, whatever the amount.

Finance

Debt Collection Letter from a 債権回収会社 or Law Office in Japan

A letter covered in phrases like 債権回収 (debt collection), 法的措置 (legal action), 最終通告 (final notice) and 訴訟準備 (preparing for litigation) is one of two very different things. It may be a genuine claim from a 債権回収会社 ("servicer", a debt collection company licensed by the Minister of Justice) or from a law office acting for a creditor. Or it may be a 架空請求 (fictitious billing scam) from a company that does not exist. The aggressive wording tells you nothing either way; scammers copy it precisely because it works. A genuine servicer letter normally shows a Ministry of Justice licence number (許可第○○号), the company's registered address and main phone number, and, crucially, the 原債権者 (the original creditor: the credit card issuer, consumer finance company, mobile carrier, landlord and so on), plus a contract number and roughly when the arrears began. If you recognise that original creditor's name, the debt may genuinely have been sold to or assigned for collection by the company writing to you. Even so, do not phone the number printed on the letter. If the sender is genuine, they will speak to you just as readily on a number you looked up yourself. If it is a scam, calling marks you as someone who reacts. And note this: real court documents (支払督促 payment demand orders, 訴状 complaints) are delivered in Japan by 特別送達, special registered delivery handed to you by a postal worker. They are never dropped loose in your mailbox and never arrive by SMS, email or LINE.

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Watch for scams

A licensed 債権回収会社 is a real company holding a Ministry of Justice licence; its letters carry that licence number and name the original creditor, and payment goes to a bank account in the company's own name or via an enclosed payment slip. Any demand for a personal-name bank account, convenience-store electronic money or gift cards, cryptocurrency, or cash sent by post is a scam outright. No genuine collector ever asks for your My Number, cash card, PIN or bankbook. Watch for official-sounding but non-existent bodies such as 「法務省管轄支局」 or 「民事訴訟管理センター」 sent by SMS or postcard, and remember that courts in Japan never notify you of a case by SMS, email or LINE. Verify only through channels you find yourself: the Ministry of Justice servicer list, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations lawyer search, or the Consumer Hotline 188.

Who receives it

People with an old unpaid credit card balance, consumer loan, mobile phone bill, rent arrears or student loan may hear from a 債権回収会社 years later, once the debt has been assigned to it. Guarantors (連帯保証人) and former company owners with unpaid business debts also receive these. If you genuinely recognise nothing, it is most likely mass-mailed fictitious billing, though occasionally it is a same-name mix-up or a family member who used your name.

What to do

1Do not throw the envelope away: photograph or note the sender's name, address, phone number, licence number, the 原債権者 (original creditor), contract number, amount claimed and payment due date.
2Instead of calling the number on the letter, look the company up yourself on the Ministry of Justice's published list of licensed 債権回収会社, or check a lawyer through the Japan Federation of Bar Associations' member search.
3If you do not recognise the debt, or many years have passed since your last payment, pay nothing at all, not even a small amount, and do not say "I'll pay" on the phone, because that can restart the limitation clock.
4Take the letter to the Consumer Hotline on 188 (no area code) or your local 消費生活センター, and ask them to refer you to Houterasu (法テラス, 0570-078374) or a bar association consultation if needed.
5If the debt is genuine and you intend to settle, pay only into a bank account in the company's own name or with the enclosed payment slip, and keep a written record of any instalment arrangement.

About the deadline

A demand letter almost always prints a payment due date (支払期限) beside the amount or in a box at the foot of the page. That date is set unilaterally by the creditor: missing it does not mean your salary or property is seized the next day, because seizure requires a court process. The dates that genuinely bind you appear on court paperwork delivered by 特別送達. A 支払督促, for example, comes with an instruction sheet stating that an objection (異議申立て) must be filed within two weeks of service, miss it and the case proceeds on the other side's terms. If something bearing a court's name arrives by special delivery, find the printed deadline and get professional help immediately.

Common misunderstandings

It says 法的措置 and 訴訟準備. Will my wages be seized right away?: A letter from a private company or law office has no power to seize anything by itself. Seizure requires a court procedure and a final judgment or order. A genuine debt left ignored can eventually reach that stage, but "pay today or we seize your assets" is classic scam pressure language.
I don't recognise this debt at all. Can I just ignore it?: If the sender does not exist or is not on the Ministry of Justice's list, ignoring it without contacting them is the standard response. But do not make that judgement alone, take the letter to a 消費生活センター. The one thing you must never ignore is a document delivered by 特別送達 from a court, even if it makes no sense to you.
This debt is over ten years old. Isn't it time-barred?: The 消滅時効 (statute of limitations) may well have run, but it does not apply automatically: someone must formally invoke it (時効援用) in the correct way. Worse, paying even a token amount or agreeing to instalments on the phone can reset the clock entirely. This is legal work, talk to a lawyer or a certified 司法書士 before paying anything.
The amount is small. Should I just pay to make it go away?: If the claim is fictitious, one payment puts you on a list of people who respond, and further demands follow under new pretexts. If it is real, paying before checking limitation periods or possible overpaid interest can weaken your position. Verify the sender and get a free consultation first, whatever the amount.

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