800,000 sqm of land with unknown owners in Okinawa
The effects of the battle of Okinawa in 1945 still remain today with countless tracts of land left vacant as ownership records were lost during air raids. Just over 805,000 sqm (199 acres) of land is missing records of ownership as houses were burned down along with the land registers and title documents.
In Teruya, Itoman City, in the southern end of Okinawa, sugarcane farming and residential houses are gradually increasing. However, a small 74 sqm block of land remains vacant as no one knows who the rightful owner is.Read more
Recent survey on foreign ownership of forestry in Japan
A survey by the Yomiuri Shimbun has found that foreigners hold as much as 1103 hectares (11.03 million sqm) of forestry in Japan. This number, however, is thought to represent just the tip of the iceberg as there are many cases of foreigners buying land and registering it in the name of a Japanese citizen or local company.
The survey was conducted between the end of March and the middle of April. The local governments across Japan's 47 administrative regions were asked to provide information on the number of transactions, purchase price and total area. Under the National Land Utilization Law, any transactions of land over 1 hectare must be reported to the local government. The aim of this survey was to find out all other non-reported transactions.Read more
Chiba's own "Beverly Hills"
One Hundred Hills is an American-style gated residential estate developed by Tokyu Land in Midori-ku, Chiba City. Sales began at the peak of Japan's economic bubble in 1989, but the developer is still selling vacant lots in the subdivision.Read more
Kansai's most expensive neighborhood is not where you think
The most expensive neighborhoods in the Kansai area are typically considered to be Ashiya and Kurakuen, both in Hyogo Prefecture.
However, according to the kouji-chika land assessment values, the most expensive residential land in Kansai is in the Shinpoincho area in Osaka's Tennoji-ku.
Shinpoincho has been in the number one spot for the past eleven years, yet remains relatively unknown as it does not have the same name recognition as the Ashiya, Tezukayama or Nara's Gakuenmae neighborhoods.Read more
Korea Town leads to rise in land values
The South Korean pop culture boom in Shinjuku's "Korea Town" has led to a large increase in surrounding land values.
According to the 2012 Koji-Chika assessed land values, the Shinokubo area in Shinjuku which has a large South Korean population has seen land values increase by 1.7% over the past year. While the nationwide residential land values have fallen by 2.3% and 3.1% in business districts, Korea Town has managed to escape from the declining land values.Read more
West Japan also worried about foreign capital buying up forestry
In February, two men wearing sweaters visited the Uda Forestry Cooperation Uda City, Nara Prefecture. The men said they were managers of an Osaka-based business and spoke with the Co-op chairman for about 30 minutes. The chairman did not take long to determine that they were only after land with a water source and told them in no uncertain terms that he had no sellers for them. The two men promptly left.
Uda City has 18,330 hectares of forest. It is the source of the drainage system for Osaka's Yodogawa River and the majority of the forest has restrictions over timber felling. The chairman said that although there are members of the co-op who want to let go of their land, he worries that troubles may arise if forestry falls into the hands of foreign capital.Read more