Osaka City looks to end ‘special minpaku’ licensing applications in 2026
Osaka City is home to the most relaxed minpaku (short-term letting) rules in Japan, but with growing complaints, now appears to be making moves to stop accepting new applications from mid-2026. The city has almost 6,700 registered Special Zone Minpaku accommodations as of July 2025, a 22% increase from the end of 2024.Read more
Japan's land prices see highest rate of growth since 1991
Standard Land Prices were announced on September 16, and the nationwide average increased for the 4th year in a row with 1.5% growth in 2025. Residential land values increased by 1.0% and commercial land by 2.8%, both recording the highest rate of growth since 1991.Read more
Hokkaido village plans land purchase to block megasolar project near protected wetlands
A village near Kushiro, Hokkaido, is acquiring a 7.5 hectare land parcel adjoining the Kushiro Shitsugen National Park in an effort to block a proposed megasolar project that could damage the ecosystem of the protected wetlands. The wetlands are home to more than 600 species of plants and the rare red-crowned crane. Over the past decade, a number of solar farms have been built around the wetlands, drawing concern and criticism over their potential environmental impact.Read more
Modernist mountaintop hotel in Tateyama to close doors in 2026
Hotel Tateyama, a modernist hotel sitting atop the snowy Tateyama mountain in Toyama Prefecture, will be closing its doors on August 31, 2026, ending 54 years of operations.Read more
US university to lease Tokyo property from co-living operator
Seibu Real Estate and housing and co-living operator Goodroom have converted a former company dormitory opposite the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa into a hybrid student accommodation building for a California-based university.Read more
Lotte plans to 10x hotel operations in Japan
Lotte Holdings plans to expand its operations in Japan to 20 hotels and 4,500 rooms under management by 2034, leveraging its decades of experience as South Korea’s largest hotel chain to strengthen hiring and brand development. In February, the company established a Japanese subsidiary, Lotte Hotels Japan, through a joint investment with Seoul-based Hotel Lotte.Read more
JR to develop rental office building in Kyushu semiconductor hotspot
Kyushu Railway Company, aka JR Kyushu, is developing a 7-story rental office building near the JR Higo-Ozu Station in Ozu Town, Kumamoto. The building will be an 8-minute drive from the TSMC semiconductor plants and a 2-minute walk from the station. This is JR’s first office project outside of a terminal station city.Read more