Japan investment property returns increase by as much as 2% over past 3 years

Data released by Japanese real estate company, First Logic, has shown the average return from an investment building in Japan has increased by as much as 2% over the past 3 years.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Pro-baseballer sued for not paying sales brokerage

A pro-baseball player from the Hanshin Tigers was recently involved in a court dispute over refusal to pay brokerage fees for an apartment he purchased with his wife in Kobe City.

On January 21, 2011, the Kobe District Court ordered Takashi Toritani and his wife to pay 1,000,000 JPY (12,000 USD) to the Kobe real estate agent who brokered the transaction in September, 2009.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Mitsui Real Estate ties up with Beijing Homelink

Mitsui Real Estate Sales announced a new venture with Beijing Homelink Real Estate Service Brokerage, the biggest property agency in Beijing, to offer brokerage services for wealthy Chinese looking to purchase apartments in Japan.

Mitsui is also considering starting a specialized property consulting service in Beijing in 2011.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Central Tokyo prices up 1.9% in 2010

On January 13th, 2011, Mitsui Fudosan announced the 2010 residential price movements. Prices in Tokyo rose 1.0% in 2010, compared with a 4.5% decline in 2009 after the Lehman Shock. This is the first increase since 2007. An improvement in economic conditions as well as the expansion in mortgage tax reductions were cited as reasons for the increase. For Tokyo's 23 Wards, the price increase was 1.9%. In Yokohama and Kawasaki, the prices increased by 0.4%.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Minato-ku apartment prices increased 61% over past decade

An apartment consulting company, Total Brain, has analyzed condominium apartment prices in Tokyo's central 6 wards (Minato, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Chiyoda, Chuo and Bunkyo ku) from the year 2000 to 2010.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Akasaka Prince Hotel Redevelopment Plans Announced

Akasaka Prince Hotel

Due to aging, increasing maintenance and competition from  foreign-owned hotels, the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka will close in March, 2011 and will be demolished. Of the three buildings on the site, the oldest building dating from 1930 will be kept.

The current 139m 40-storey hotel was designed by Kenzo Tange and opened in 1983. It was hugely popular during the bubble, but lack of adequate maintenance and the introduction of foreign hotels to the market in the last decade has greatly reduced its appeal.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Tokyo Tatemono ties up with HSBC Premier

Tokyo Tatemono will be working together with HSBC to market new and second-hand apartments to wealthy foreigners primarily in Japan.

They will introduce the Brillia Series of apartments, as well as second-hand and investment properties to the Premier clients (those with savings and assets of over 10,000,000 JPY held with HSBC).Read more

by Zoe Ward