TOKYO (TR) — Following the sudden death of 54-year-old former top idol and actress Miho Nakayama in December 2024, her Paris-based only son has reportedly renounced his inheritance, potentially transferring her massive 2-billion-yen estate to her estranged mother, reports Nikkan Gendai (Apr. 7).
Nakayama’s assets — which include extensive real estate, copyrights, and royalties from her chart-topping idol-era hits — are estimated to be worth around 2 billion yen. With her son relinquishing his claim, legal rights are expected to shift to her mother as the next statutory heir under Japanese law.
“While there is no formal confirmation from the family court and much remains speculative, many industry insiders worry that Miho is watching from heaven with a heavy heart,” a veteran entertainment reporter who closely followed Nakayama tells Gendai.
“Double taxation”
A certain entertainment producer says the reason the son might renounce his inheritance is believed to be the extremely heavy burden of inheritance tax unique to Japan.
“We don’t know the contents of the inheritance or the actual procedures, but reports say that if the inheritance is 2 billion yen, a tax burden of up to 55 percent, or about 1.1 billion yen, will be imposed, and that it must be paid within 10 months from the day after the day the inheritance began,” the producer says. “Moreover, it is in principle to be paid in a lump sum in cash, and there are strict conditions for deferred payment or payment in kind, which is outrageous. Realistically, it’s almost impossible. Inheritance tax, which is levied on assets after death, even though income tax, resident tax and consumption tax have already been paid on the income during the deceased’s lifetime, has long been criticized as ‘double taxation.’ Shouldn’t the reality of Japan’s extremely heavy taxation, which is unparalleled in the world, be questioned?”
Tabloid target
The fraught relationship between Nakayama and her mother was a frequent tabloid target during the actress’s life. After her parents divorced when she was young, Nakayama and her younger sister, actress Shinobu, were sent to live with an aunt and uncle. However, after entering show business, Nakayama appeared to reconcile with her mother, forging what was publicly believed to be a strong bond.
Nakayama generously supported her mother financially, gifting her a three-story home in 1995 and naming her the representative of her personal management agency in 1998.
However, the relationship abruptly deteriorated in the early 2000s when Nakayama discovered that her company’s bank balance was severely depleted. Suspecting her mother of misappropriating hundreds of millions of yen, Nakayama stripped her of her financial duties and cut ties entirely.
The personal management agency was dissolved around 2012, its operations quietly absorbed by a new company headed by Shinobu. The bitter mother-daughter rift was reportedly never mended prior to Nakayama’s untimely death.
