Sales in Park Court Chiyoda Fujimi The Tower start today

Mitsui Fudosan Residential begin sales of apartments in Park Court Chiyoda Fujimi The Tower today. The 40-storey building will be completed by the end of March, 2014, and apartments will be ready to move into by the following July.Read more


Able to offer improved rental apartment service for foreign students

Japanese rental agency, Able, have introduced a new service for foreign students that will assist them in finding an apartment to move into as soon as they arrive in the country.

Up until now, foreign students have had to stay in temporary accommodation, such as student dormitories, until they receive their alien registration card. It was only when they had received the card that they could rent an apartment privately. This resulted in the student waiting several weeks before moving into more permanent accommodation.Read more


47-yr old ryokan converted to sharehouse in Tokyo

Real estate company R Bank have converted an old Japanese inn (ryokan) into a character-filled female-only sharehouse in Tokyo's Katsushika ward. Called 'Tokyo Kita Wave', the property was renovated from a 47 year old post-war inn, and is their 30th sharehouse.Read more


Changes underway that will no longer require 100% of condo owners to agree on demolition

The Ministry of Justice announced plans on November 5 that would affect the the number of condo owners that need to agree before a building can be demolished, or its land sold.

Currently, if a condominium is severely damaged in a disaster and needs to be demolished, 100% of apartment owners must agree to the plan. If one person was against demolition, they could not proceed. However, for restoration or emergency repair work, the ratio of agreement required is 3:4, and for tearing down and rebuilding, the ratio is 4:5.Read more


Former residence of Mitsubishi zaibatsu leader donated to Chiba

The former residence of Mitsubishi's third leader, Hisaya Iwasaki, in Tomisato City, Chiba, has been donated by Mitsubishi Jisho to the city. The city has plans to turn the villa and its surrounding land into a public park.Read more


Malaysian developer to build resort in Okinawa

Kin Town in Okinawa announced on October 18 that they have signed a contract to lease beachfront land to Malaysian property developer Dijiaya Land Development.Read more


Tokyo apartment contract ratio drops below 70%

According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, the number of new apartments released for sale in September in greater Tokyo (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba) dropped 9.3% from last year to 3,366 units.

The contract ratio for the month was 69.3%. This was the first time in 13 months where the ratio fell below 70%. A ratio below 70% is considered to be a sign of a slump in demand.Read more