Kobe forcibly demolishes condemned building
The Kobe City Government began the forced demolition of a dilapidated and abandoned building in Futatabisujicho, Chuo-ku in May. This is the second time since 2010 that the city has carried out a forced demolition.
The 2-storey wood-framed building was built sometime in the 1950s ~ 1960s. The exterior walls were cracked and the building was beginning to collapse. Nearby residents were concerned that it could collapse and damage neighbouring homes and petitioned the city in 2010 to take action.
The city tried to contact the owners - one of whom had already died - but the surviving owner ignored all of the city’s correspondence and requests. The city eventually decided to carry out the demolition without the owner’s permission due to the hazard posed by the building. The surviving owner will be billed for 50% of the 1.4 million Yen in demolition costs.
According to recent estimates, there are over 90 buildings in Kobe City that are deemed hazardous.
The Building Standards Act has provisions which allow the forced demolition of privately-owned homes and buildings if they are deemed to pose a danger to the community and the owners ignore requests to take action.
Source: The Sankei Shimbun, May 21, 2014.
Vacancy rates by apartment building in Tokyo – June
The following is a list of apartment buildings in Tokyo and their estimated vacancy rates in June:
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In 2013, a woman in her 70s from Aichi Prefecture paid the men 16 million Yen (157,000 USD) in cash for a little over 500 sqm of forestry after they told her that she could profit from a rise in land value as there were plans to redevelop the land into an airfield to aid in the reconstruction of the disaster-hit areas. There were no airfield plans and the actual value of the land sold was closer to 16,000 Yen (157 USD).Read more
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Since November 2013, large-scale buildings, such as hotels and hospitals, built to the old earthquake-resistant building codes (called ‘kyu-taishin’) are obligated to carry out building inspections to determine their level of earthquake-resistance.
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Owners and operators of hot-spring resorts and inns are worried that these requirements could spell the end for their businesses. Towns in these onsen areas that rely on the tourist trade are also worried that this could have a direct impact on their local economy.Read more