In Japan anyway, unless the deceased left a will, the assets are split between spouse, children, then other living relatives (in that order)[0]. If the estate

In Japan anyway, unless the deceased left a will, the assets are split between spouse, children, then other living relatives (in that order)[0]. If the estate is valuable (ie. a large land plot in Tokyo bought before the boom years), the heirs often can't afford to pay the hefty inheritance tax and thus the property is sold and then subdivided. [0]: http://www.retirejapan.info/blog/japanese-inheritance-taxes http://www.retirejapan.info/blog/japanese-inheritance-taxes