400 yr old house in Osaka to be demolished
The owner of the Watanabe Residence in Osaka's Yodogawa-ku has had the historical listing cancelled as he plans to demolish the home and sell the land in order to pay a high inheritance tax bill.
The current owner inherited the house two years ago and has not been able to pay the inheritance taxes on the property. An application was made to Osaka's Board of Education to remove the listing, so that the property could be razed and sold. The Board of Education said they often receive applications to remove listings due to fire and other damage, but it is rare to receive a request due to difficulty paying taxes.Read more
Asahi Kasei to rebuild two condominiums in Shibuya
Asahi Kasei Fudousan Residence Corp will be rebuilding two small apartment buildings in Shibuya-ku.
The first is "Udagawacho Jutaku" (3-3 Udagawacho) which is located alongside "Shibuya Koen Dori Avenue and next to the Shibuya Tobu Hotel. The street includes stores such as Parco, Gap and Opening Ceremony. The current 7-storey building has just 16 apartments and was completed in 1961. Approval from all apartment owners was obtained in September 2010 and demolition began last month.Read more
Kepco demolishing old head office in Osaka
The Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) announced that they will be demolishing and rebuilding their former head office in Osaka from April 2012. Completion of the new building is scheduled for April, 2014.Read more
Shiba Park Hotel to demolish north building
Shiba Park Hotel will be demolishing the main north building. Demolition work is being carried out by Ando Corporation and is expected to be completed by the end of June 2012.
The north building is 8 stories and has a total floorspace of 2891 sqm. The hotel was opened in 1949 and has 391 rooms.
Source: The Kentsu Shimbun, February 20, 2012.
Bad news for Tokyo slumlords
As concerns grow over the number of aging vacant houses that pose a risk to the surrounding neighborhood, local wards and cities have begun to introduce regulations that will pressure owners into either repairing or demolishing their derelict properties.
-- Assistance of up to 1 million Yen --
Tokyo's Adachi-ku is densely crowded with wooden-frame houses and small workshops. Much of the area is considered to have a high fire hazard. Adachi-ku was the first ward in Tokyo to enact rules that obligate owners of dilapidated houses to either repair or demolish them. In the event of demolition, the ward will provide up to 1 million Yen (12,000 USD) in aid. Already, two buildings have been demolished under this new rule.Read more
Chateau Mita to be demolished
The Chateau Mita apartment building in Mita, Minato-ku, is going to be demolished in March. The reason for demolition and reconstruction is because the 48 year old building was deteriorating. Reconstruction negotiations with the residents began in 2004.
During the 1960s and 1970s, several "Chateau" apartments were built in Tokyo. They were all developed by Kurokawa Kensetsu. Read more
An update on building damage from the Tohoku earthquake
Just after the March 11 Tohoku earthquake it was announced that zero buildings had collapsed, which everyone naturally assumed was a testament to the strict building codes in Japan.
However, it has now been acknowledged that 100 apartment buildings in Sendai city have been completely destroyed.