How the coronavirus is affecting different sectors of Japan's real estate market
The coronavirus pandemic is affecting the various sectors of Japan’s real estate market in different ways. Some segments are booming while others are seeing the worst conditions in recent history.
Apartment transactions and sale prices recover in June
Buying activity in the greater Tokyo area is starting to resume, with monthly transactions starting to recover from levels seen during the shut down in April and May. In June, a total of 3,107 second-hand apartments were reported to have sold across greater Tokyo, up 83.6% from May. This number is still 11% below the transactions seen in June 2019, but an improvement from the 52.6% year-on-year drop seen in April and the 38.5% drop seen in May.
Tokyo Apartment Sales in June 2020
The following is a selection of apartments that were reported to have sold in central Tokyo during the month of June 2020:
Quick real estate news summary for the week
High-rise residents feeling the stress of the pandemic, central Tokyo apartment prices rise against the odds, while housing starts drop. Below is a quick weekly summary of some of the recent goings-on in the Japanese real estate market.
Rosenka land values increase nationwide for 5th year in a row
On July 1, the National Tax Agency announced the rosenka land values for 2020. Land values nationwide saw a 1.6% year-on-year increase, an improvement from the 1.3% increase seen in 2019 and the fifth year in a row to see growth.
Tax Agency considering special measures if land prices drop significantly
The National Tax Agency (NTA) is, according to the Nikkei Shimbun newspaper, working on a plan that could see rosenka land values re-adjusted in the event of a severe drop in market prices.
First LOOK at land prices since pandemic
On June 19, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) published their latest quarterly LOOK Report and land prices in Japan’s major cities. With a survey point of April 1, this is the first look at land prices since COVID. Overall, 73% of the surveyed locations nationwide saw an increase in land prices, down from a 97% share in the previous quarter.