New apartment supply in greater Tokyo down 14% in October

The total number of new apartments released for sale in greater Tokyo (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama) in October fell 14.4% from the year before to 2,887 units. This is the second month of decline after September's fall of 9.3%.

The most notable decline was in Tokyo's 23 wards, which saw a drop of 25.7%. According to local real estate agents, concerns over future economic conditions have possibly led to a drop in the number of high-priced apartments released for sale.Read more

by Zoe Ward

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

by Zoe Ward

Average apartment prices in Tokyo down 13.5% in August

According to research by AtHome, the average realized sale price of a secondhand apartment in greater Tokyo was 19,750,000 Yen in August, down 6.4% from the year before and 5.9% from last month. This is the first time in 2 years and 8 months that the price has fallen below the 20 million Yen mark.

The drop was particularly noticeable in Tokyo's 23 wards where sale prices fell 13.5% from one year prior, and 12.1% from the previous month. The average price per square meter in Tokyo's 23 wards fell 8% from last year to 446,100 Yen/smq, while in Chiba, it dropped 21.1% to 195,400 Yen/sqm. The average age of an apartment sold in greater Tokyo was 23.5 years.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Nationwide land price declines shrink in 2012

On September 20, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) announced the results of the nationwide survey of land prices (chika-chosa). The average residential land price fell 2.5% (compared with a 3.2% fall in 2011), and the average commercial land price fell 3.1% (compared with a 4.0% fall in 2011). The rate of decline was smaller than normal this year, indicating that the market is heading towards a recovery. However, this is the 21st year of continual decreases in residential land prices, and the 5th year of continual decreases in commercial land prices.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Tokyo Office Vacancy Rates for August

Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower

According to Miki Shoji, the commercial vacancy rates in Tokyo's central 5 wards (Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shinjuku and Shibuya) in August dropped 0.13 points from the previous month to 9.17%. The vacancy rate on brand new buildings dropped 3.48 points to 30.16%.

In Shinjuku-ku, the vacancy rate dropped 1.05 points to 10.85%, as large foreign financial corporations began to consolidate their various offices into one space. In Minato-ku, the rate increased by 0.48% to 10.10%. This was partly due to the completion of Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower. The 47 storey tower has a total floorspace of 43,423 tsubo (143,296 sqm).Read more

by Zoe Ward

Apartment rents reach 7 year low in Tokyo

The average apartment rent across Japan's major cities has fallen even further. In July, the average rent for a condominium in Tokyo's 23-ku fell below 3,000 Yen/sqm a month for the first time in over seven years. The rent in rental-only buildings has also fallen.

According to Tokyo Kantei, the average rent for a condominium apartment in July was 2,995 Yen/sqm a month, down 1.8% from July 2011.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Secondhand apartment prices continue to fall in July

According to Tokyo Kantei, the average secondhand apartment price (based on a 70sqm apartment) in greater Tokyo in July fell 0.7% from the previous month to 28,250,000 Yen.

With the exception of Saitama City which saw prices rise 0.5% from the previous month to 21,180,000 Yen, all other areas in greater Tokyo saw a further decline in prices, with the rate of decline worsening. In Chiba City, the average price fell 1.8% from the previous month to 17,170,000 Yen. This is 6.3% lower than July of 2011.Read more

by Zoe Ward