Temple wins appeal over tax bill
A temple in Osaka has won an appeal trial over the taxation of land within the temple grounds, resulting in the cancellation of a 4.8 million Yen tax bill. Under the Religious Corporations Act, temple and shrine land is normally not taxed unless it is for commercial use.Read more
An update on the long-awaited ‘Roppongi Hills 2’ project
It’s been a while since we had an update on the ‘Roppongi Hills 2’ project in Tokyo. Luckily, some more concrete project details were made public for online viewing between June 24 and July 3. Read more
Tokyo Commodity Exchange to be demolished
Demolition of former Tokyo Commodity Exchange Building in Nihonbashi-Horidomecho starts this month. The building is just 24 years old.Read more
High-rise apartments may soon lose their inheritance tax appeal
Apartments, particularly those in high-rises, have been a very appealing means of reducing inheritance taxes due to the way real estate is valued for estate purposes. That may soon change with the National Tax Agency (NTA) firming up plans to value apartments closer to their market price.Read more
Chiba City wants more office buildings and is willing to pay for them
Chiba City has been suffering from a lack of quality office buildings in the city center, particularly in front of major stations, and is going to offer financial incentives of up to 2 billion Yen (approx. US$14.3 million) per project to encourage new construction or building extensions.Read more
Tokyo new apartment prices remain above 100 million Yen for 3rd month
For the third month in a row the average sale price of a brand-new apartment in Tokyo’s 23 wards has exceeded 100 million Yen. In May, the average price was 114,750,000 Yen (approx. US$808,000), up 47.9% from last year.Read more
Tokyo remains one of the cheapest international cities for luxury housing
Luxury housing in central Tokyo remains amongst the cheapest in the top global cities. A luxury condominium in Tokyo’s high-end Motoazabu neighborhood is about 59% cheaper than its Hong Kong equivalent and 45% cheaper than one in London, according to the Japan Real Estate Institute.Read more