Development near Sengaku-ji Temple draws opposition

Sengakuji TokyoA proposal for an 8-storey apartment building next to the entrance to the historic Sengaku-ji Temple in Minato-ku has drawn criticism and opposition from residents due to the potential impact it will have on the landscape and character of the area.

The site in question is located next to the temple’s Chu-mon gate. A 3-storey house is being demolished to make way for a 23m tall 8-storey apartment building which will contain mostly studio apartments. The land had been purchased by a Minato-ku based developer and construction is scheduled to start in mid-September.

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Severe shortage in Tokyo apartment supply not necessarily due to high demand

Rising construction costs and project delays are causing the supply of new apartments in the greater Tokyo area to plummet. In 2013, the total number of brand new apartments to hit the market dropped 23.8% from the previous year to 56,478 apartments.

From August 1, MUFJ, SMBC and Mizuho Bank lowered the prime rate on their 10-year fixed rate home loans to a record low 1.3%. While long-term interest rates are showing signs of falling, the recent rise in the consumption tax rate has led a drop in housing starts as well as a drop in sales of new apartments. Banks are now competing to attract borrowers.

While new apartment sales have slowed, they still remain at healthy levels. The contract rate on new apartments in June was 76.6%. Although this was a decline of 5 points from June 2013 and 2.3 points lower than the previous month, it is still above the level of 70% which is considered the threshold for healthy sales.

What is worrying, however, is the drop in supply. According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, 3,503 brand new apartments were offered for sale in the greater Tokyo area in June 2014, down 28.3% from June 2013 and down 18.5% from the previous month. This level is very close to the last low of 3,441 apartments offered for sale in June 2011 (a few months after the 2011 Tohoku disaster). Read more


Toranomon 2 Chome Redevelopment Project

Toranomon 2 Chome Project 1On July 15, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government approved the re-development plans for the Toranomon Hospital and National Printing Bureau site in Minato-ku.

The 145.6 billion Yen project will include a 19-storey hospital building and a 179m tall, 36-storey commercial building. The hospital building will be rebuilt from 2015 ~ 2018, with the office tower to be built between 2019 ~ 2022. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2024.

There are a number of major redevelopment projects in the Toranomon area, including the recently completed Toranomon Hills, the future redevelopment of Hotel Okura, the redevelopment of the Toranomon Pastoral Building (Toranomon 4 Chome Project) and the Akasaka 1 Chome Redevelopment.Read more


Rising construction costs causing suburban projects to be cancelled

Branz Hiroo
Branz Hiroo was cancelled earlier this year.
  • Apartment developments cancelled.
  • Station-front redevelopment projects on hold.
  • Slowdown in retail expansion.

Japan’s construction industry is facing an impending crisis as the construction boom brought about by the 2020 Summer Olympics and Tohoku reconstruction is causing construction costs to rise dramatically.

The rising costs and severe labour shortage is having a direct impact on apartment development in the greater Tokyo area.

In April, the Odakyu Electric Railway Company announced that they were cancelling their plans to develop a high-end residential neighbourhood on the site of the former Mukogaoka Amusement Park in Tama-ku, Kawasaki due to rising construction costs which no longer make the project profitable.

Other apartment developers are also taking a restrained approach. Some that have already acquired development sites are either holding off on construction, leaving the sites empty, or are changing their plans.Read more


Park Mansion Mita Tsunamachi to go on sale this month

Park Mansion Mita Tsunamachi The Forest Modelroom

Mitsui's latest development - Park Mansion Mita Tsunamachi The Forest - goes on sale at the end of this month. Although prices have yet to be officially announced, this could be the most expensive condominium to go on sale in Tokyo this year. The model room was opened to the public over the weekend, but we had a sneak peak last week.

The 11-storey building is currently under construction on a large 6,100 sqm site directly south of the Australian Embassy. It is directly across the street from the gardens of the historic members-only Tsunamachi Mitsui Club as well as Mitsui's very first Park Mansion building - Mita Tsunamachi Park Mansion (1971).

About the model room

The 167 sqm (1,797 sqft) 1-Bedroom room is filled with optional extras and non-standard finishes. The original plan for this apartment is two bedrooms, one bathroom and a study. In addition this apartment, along with two others, also have private 'atelier' rooms on the 10th floor. The atelier that comes with this particular apartment is 35 sqm and has a mini kitchen, toilet, shower room and a 21 sqm roof terrace. Perfect for a home office, man cave or guest room.Read more


New apartment prices in Tokyo down 5.1% from last year

According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, 4,300 new apartments were released for sale across greater Tokyo in May, up 73.9% from the previous month but down 13.4% from May 2013. This is the fourth month in a row to see a year-on-year drop in the supply of new apartments.

3,392 apartments were sold over the month, making the contract rate 78.9%. This is 4.2 points higher than the previous month and 0.8 points higher than last year. According to REINS, 2,638 secondhand apartments were sold in May.

The average new apartment price was 51,560,000 Yen, up 6.4% from the previous month and up 5.6% from last year. The average price per square meter was 722,000 Yen, up 2.7% from the previous month and up 4.2% from last year.Read more


High-rise apartment supply to improve

According to the Real Estate Economic Institute’s report on the high-rise apartment* market, there 252 residential high-rise development projects currently in the pipeline across Japan. Of those, 173 buildings containing 70,235 apartments (75% of the total) are planned for the greater Tokyo area, and 47 buildings with 15,689 apartments are planned for the Kinki region. Read more