No one wants to live near the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant
The coastal city of Omaezaki in Shizuoka Prefecture suffered a big fall in land prices and is seeing vacancy rates soar as property transactions and prices plummet.
The tsunami in northern Japan and the Fukushima nuclear disaster have had a big effect on this coastal town which is also home to the controversial Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant. Vacancy rates are climbing and property transactions are down.Read more
Government suspends construction of lodging house
Prime Minister Noda has confirmed that the government has suspended the construction of a 10.5 billion Yen (136 million Yen) lodging house for government workers in Asaka City, Saitama Prefecture. The government will pay the contractors 4 billion Yen (52 million USD) as compensation for the halt in construction. Construction began on September 1st, 2011, and was scheduled to be complete by June, 2013. The work is expected to be suspended for the next 5 years before resuming in 2016.
The site was the location of the former US Military Asaka Base. The plans were to build a two 13-storey residential buildings with a total of 850 apartments. The construction company was Obayashi Corporation.Read more
Revival of Karuizawa property market following March 11
Although land prices have been falling year on year in the popular resort town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, property transactions have increased since the March 11 Tohoku disaster as the power conservation and fear of radiation led people to seek safer and cooler locations outside of Tokyo.Read more
Japanese hotels being sold off due to lack of tourists
The effects of the March 11 Tohoku disaster have had wide-reaching consequences with hotels as far away as Hokkaido being forced to close their doors and sell due to a faltering tourism industry.Read more
$5 million price reduction on penthouse in Akasaka
The asking price for the full-floor penthouse at the top of Foretseine Akasaka Hikawacho has been reduced from a staggering 1.205 billion Yen to a still staggering price of 820 million Yen (10.6 million USD). This is a discount of 385 million Yen (5 million USD), or just over 30%.Read more
Tsunami-damaged kominka to be moved to Shikoku
Many of Japan's cultural properties were also damaged or destroyed by the March 11 Tohoku Disaster, including a 300 year old farmhouse (kominka) in Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture.
The "Endo Residence" is over 500 meters from the coast, yet was picked up and moved about 20 meters by the March 11 tsunami. Despite the house being warped, the daikoku-bashira and thatched roof remain mostly intact in their original shape.Read more
Real estate companies seeking compensation from TEPCO
Approximately 2000 real estate agents from Ibaraki Prefecture are seeking compensation from Tepco for loss of revenue caused by the various news reports and rumors surrounding radiation levels from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in the neighboring prefecture.
On September 13th, the industry group submitted an official letter demanding restitution to Tepco's Ibaraki Office, in what is believed to be Tepco's first case where a real estate group has demanded compensation.Read more