The Japanese government has sued the owner of a derelict hotel in Aomori Prefecture to demolish the building and return the state-owned land. The Towada Kanko Hotel sits on the shores of Lake Towada. It was founded in 1950 before closing in 2012. The owner filed for bankruptcy in 2014.
Supply of brand-new apartments across greater Tokyo between January and May has fallen to the lowest levels seen following the crash of the bubble in 1992. Rather than release new apartments onto the market, developers are focusing their attention on reducing unsold inventory.
According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, a total of 2,206 brand-new apartments were released for sale across greater Tokyo in May, up 55.2% from the previous month but down 10.4% from last year. This is the fifth month in a row to see a year-on-year decline in supply. The average apartment size was 68.16 sqm (733 sq.ft).
According to REINS, a total of 2,749 second-hand apartments were reported to have sold across greater Tokyo in May 2019, down 20% from the previous month and down 1.3% from last year. The average sale price was 33,250,000 Yen, down 2.2% from the previous month but up 0.6% from last year. The average price per square meter was 518,000 Yen, down 2.8% from the previous month but up 1.4% from last year. The average age of an apartment sold was 21.63 years.
The office vacancy rate across Tokyo’s central five business districts dropped to 1.64% in May, down 1.04 points from last year and the lowest level seen since December 1990 when the rate was 0.39%.
As land values in Niseko skyrocket, investors have been shifting their attention to more affordable ski locations around Hokkaido. One of those destinations is Furano which is seeing an influx in foreign investment and foreign tourists. Located 110 kilometers north-east of Sapporo, or a 2-hour drive, the city is becoming increasingly known for its high-quality powder snow.
Construction giant Shimizu Corporation has acquired the historic home of Viscount Shibusawa Eiichi and will relocate it to an innovation center currently being developed on a manmade island in Tokyo Bay.
On May 28, the Japan Real Estate Institute (JREI) issued their latest medium-term forecast for the price of brand-new apartments in Tokyo’s 23 wards. As we saw last year, price predictions have again been revised upwards from earlier forecasts. In 2019, the average new apartment price is forecast to be 1,065,000 Yen/sqm, up 0.4% from 2018 and 7.7% than an earlier forecast.
Hirado City in Nagasaki Prefecture is looking for someone to open a small hotel within Hirado Castle’s turret. According to the Japan Castle Foundation, this would be the first accommodation to be created in a castle in Japan.
In 2018, foreign funds purchased 373 hectares of forestry across Japan. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), there were 30 acquisitions made across seven prefectures.
The following is a selection of apartments that were reported to have sold in central Tokyo during the month of May 2019:
