Tsukiji Fish Market redevelopment proposal announced last week
The proposed redevelopment plan for the old Tsukiji Fish Market site in Tokyo was announced last week by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Mitsui Fudosan has been selected to lead a group of 11 project participants.Read more
Semiconductor boom pushes rents and land values up by 30% in one Hokkaido City
Semiconductor factories are driving several localized property booms in otherwise quiet parts of Japan. One of those is in Chitose City, located about a 45-minute drive from Sapporo, where construction of the Rapidus factory is now underway.Read more
Tokyo's median apartment price is almost 30% lower than its average
You might recall some recent headlines about surging property prices in Tokyo. And while that maybe true, the numbers reported by most of the research companies tend to be averages rather than median pricing. Some of those headlines are also referring solely to the cost of brand-new condos, not properties on the resale market. Again, another number that is not representative of the market as a whole.Read more
Shibuya office building sells for 25 billion Yen
JR East Building Co., the real estate division of East Japan Railway, acquired the Shibuya Prime Plaza office building in February. The sale price was not disclosed, but assumed by the Nikkei Real Estate Market Report to exceed 25 billion Yen (approx. US$165 million).Read more
Recent changes to property registration law and the impact on foreign buyers
Starting April 1, some major rule changes were made to the Real Property Registration Act that affect how foreign individuals and corporations register their details when acquiring real estate. One of those rule changes suggested that offshore owners would require a local contact to be recorded on the property title - but reading into the fine print provides a different, and less worrying procedure.Read more
Developer aims to fill gap in group-stay and long-term hotel market
Just 4% of the hotels in Japan’s major cities have rooms that can accommodate three or more guests. Meanwhile, approximately half of the foreign travelers visiting Japan are coming in groups of three or more. Only a small number of hotel developers have picked up on this mismatch.Read more
Modernist hall in Okayama to be demolished
The modernist Okayama Civic Hall in Okayama City closed its doors at the end of last month as the city prepares for its demolition due to concerns over earthquake resistance.Read more