Large-scale repairs may become a growing problem for new and old apartments
As many as 14 million people live in 6 million apartments across Japan. In Tokyo's central 3 wards, over 50% of the residents live in apartments. Of those 6 million apartments nationwide, 1 million are in buildings over 30 years old. In 10 years from now, a third of all apartments will be over 30 years old.
The main issue facing ageing buildings is maintenance and large-scale repairs. Read more
60-storey apartment building for Nishi-Shinjuku
A new high-rise apartment building is planned for Nishi Shinjuku. At 60-storeys, it will be the tallest apartment building in Japan (based on the number of floors). Construction work is set to begin in January 2014, with completion scheduled for 2017.
The Nishi Shinjuku 5 Chome Centre North District redevelopment site was originally a densely crowded neighbourhood of wooden houses. The area posed a fire and safety hazard and many of the older homes were not earthquake resistant. Of the 92 low-rise buildings to be demolished, 83 (92%) were not fireproof.
Local residents, wanting to redevelop their neighbourhood, banded together in 1997 to form a redevelopment association to hasten the development of the area.Read more
Kyoto to ease building restrictions for narrow blocks
To encourage the redevelopment of ageing buildings located on land with narrow street frontages, Kyoto City will be easing building restrictions.
Many of Kyoto's small lane ways are crowded with wooden buildings that pose a fire hazard. The measures will target approximately 700 buildings built before 1950 in Kamigyo, Nakagyo, Shimogyo and Higashiyama-ku.Read more
New apartment prices in Sendai up 15%
Apartment prices in Sendai continue to grow with the average price of new apartments in the first half of 2013 increasing by 15% to 461,515 Yen/sqm.
The average apartment price in greater Sendai was 34,650,000 Yen (355,000 USD), up 10.1% from the first half of 2012.Read more