Tax Agency considering special measures if land prices drop significantly
The National Tax Agency (NTA) is, according to the Nikkei Shimbun newspaper, working on a plan that could see rosenka land values re-adjusted in the event of a severe drop in market prices.
Sales in luxury Kamakura condo to start in August
Sales in a high-end condominium in the heart of historic Kamakura City are scheduled to start in late August. The Parkhouse Kamakura is a 5-story luxury condo currently under construction alongside Wakamiya-Oji Avenue which leads up to the Hachimangu Shrine. It is the first condo to have been built within a 5-minute walk of Kamakura Station in the past ten years. This is also the first condominium developed by Mitsubishi to feature their full, underfloor central-air system.
Quick real estate news summary for the week
Hotels re-open to domestic tourists, a change to condo laws, and a long wait in store for buyers of apartments in the Athlete’s Village. Below is a quick weekly summary of some of the recent goings-on in the Japanese real estate market.
Palace-inspired sauce factory opens in Imabari
Nihon Shokken Holdings, the largest sauce manufacturer and distributor in Japan, opened a palatial factory in Ehime Prefecture last month.
First LOOK at land prices since pandemic
On June 19, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) published their latest quarterly LOOK Report and land prices in Japan’s major cities. With a survey point of April 1, this is the first look at land prices since COVID. Overall, 73% of the surveyed locations nationwide saw an increase in land prices, down from a 97% share in the previous quarter.
New apartment sales drop 82.2% in May
The number of new apartments released for sale across greater Tokyo in May dropped 82.2% from last year to just 393 units. This is the lowest volume since the Real Estate Economic Institute began reporting data in 1973. Showrooms remained closed for most of the month due to the nationwide state of emergency. The contract ratio was 72.3%, up 12.3 points from last year but down 6.6 points from April.
Forestry sales to foreigners drop 50% in 2019
Foreign funds have purchased a total of 163 hectares of forestry across Japan in 2019, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. This is less than half of the 373 hectares that were acquired by foreign interests in 2018. There were a total of 31 transactions.