Maezawa here.
I’m not the tax office, so I can’t say whether ¥2.5 million would be flagged.
Apparently, if you save ¥10 million or more, the tax office may contact you to ask how you obtained it.
If it’s income, they may ask whether you paid income tax. If it was inherited, inheritance tax applies; if it was a gift, gift tax applies. In either case, you’ll need to pay the proper taxes. If it concerns past years, additional charges may also be added.
The issue isn’t that depositing money in a bank automatically triggers taxation. It’s that the tax office may check unusually large deposits.
That said, keeping cash at home carries the risk of theft, and you could lose everything in a fire or other disaster.
For someone who works and has an income, savings of around ¥2.5 million would generally be considered normal, so depositing it in a bank should be fine. But if you’re worried, it may be best to properly file and pay gift tax.
Gifts of up to ¥1.1 million per year are tax-free, and money used for living expenses or education is also tax-exempt.
Paying the proper taxes can help put your mind at ease.
