Honda announces partial sale of Aoyama HQ
Honda Motor is transferring partial ownership of its Honda Aoyama Building to Mitsui Fudosan Residential, according to a press release issued by the developer on August 29.
The 17-story building sits on a prominent corner above Aoyama Itchome Station and alongside Aoyama Street. It is currently slated for redevelopment with demolition to start shortly, with the new project to be completed by 2030.Read more
Data center opens in abandoned school building
A Tokyo-based cloud service provider has opened a GPU data center inside a former elementary school building in Saga, Kyushu. This is the first school building to data center conversion in Japan. With approximately 450 schools closing across Japan each year, there is a pressing need to find innovative uses for them.Read more
Group seeks temporary court injunction to stop demolition of brutalist gymnasium
On August 26, a group aiming to restore and revitalize the Kenzo Tange-designed Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium in Takamatsu City announced plans to file a provisional injunction with the court seeking a temporary halt to the prefecture’s demolition plans. Constructed in 1964, the boat-shaped brutalist concrete structure is one of Tange’s iconic designs.Read more
Niseko land fraud claim puts town’s water supply at risk
The town of Niseko has found itself in a court battle after a former landowner claimed that a large parcel of land had been sold fraudulently and is now seeking its return. The disputed land covers 16 hectares of forest at the base of Mount Yotei and includes a water source that supplies 80% of the town’s residents. Niseko fears that if the protected land is returned it could then be resold and developed.Read more
Next-gen logistics hub planned for former US Naval facility
Mitsubishi Estate, Tokyu Land, and CRE are jointly developing a 700,000 square meter next-generation logistics facility on a former U.S. Naval facility in Yokohama. The multi-tenant property will be designed to accommodate self-driving trucks.Read more
Apartment rents reach record high in Tokyo, decline elsewhere
The average asking rent of an apartment in Tokyo’s 23 wards reached a record high of 4,851 Yen per square meter in July. This is the sixth consecutive month to set a new price record. Rents were up 1.0% from the previous month and 12.2% from last year. Meanwhile, Yokohama, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, and Kobe city all saw a drop in year-on-year rents. Read more
Co-living property in Osaka 80% pre-leased before opening
Global Agents, the operator of ‘social apartments’ or co-living housing, opened its first property in Osaka City on August 9 in collaboration with the West Japan Railway Company and West Japan Food Service Net Company. The building was 80% leased up prior to opening.Read more