Political power spot in Chiyoda to be rebuilt

Hirakawacho Sabo Kaikan Building 1

The building that once housed the head office of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is going to be demolished and rebuilt starting next year. In recent years the 58-year old building has become increasingly worn out.  The decision to rebuild was made after an inspection in 2014 found that the structure did not meet current earthquake-resistant standards.

A new building design will be selected in September and demolition will begin from April 2016. The new building is expected to be 7-storeys and should be completed sometime in 2018.Read more


Minato-ku relaxes floor area ratios to encourage apartment redevelopment

From June 1, 2015, the Minato City Government in Tokyo introduced allowances to building volume ratios to encourage the re-development of old, non-earthquake resistant apartment buildings.

Apartment buildings that meet certain requirements and receive government approval may be re-built to a larger size than would normally be allowed on that block of land. An allowance of up to 200% may be given if conditions are met. This may bring the maximum possible building volume ratio (yosekiritsu) up to 1,000%, depending on zoning.Read more


Otemachi 2 Chome Project expected to sell for 200 billion Yen

Otemachi 2 Chome Development 1

The Japanese government is redeveloping a state-owned site in the Otemachi district near Tokyo Station.

The Urban Renaissance Agency, a semipublic housing company, will build a two office towers which will then be sold to a real estate company or fund once it has been filled with tenants. The sale price is expected to be over 200 billion Yen (1.62 billion USD), which, if achieved, would make it the highest price ever seen for government property.

To date, the most expensive recorded sale of state-owned land was for the former Japan Defense Agency land in Roppongi (now Tokyo Midtown). The land sold to a consortium of real estate developers in 2000 for 180 billion Yen.Read more


Historic hotel in Takarazuka to be demolished

Takarazuka Hotel 1

Hankyu Hanshin Holdings plan to demolish the historic Takarazuka Hotel in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, and will build a new hotel in a separate location nearby.

The 5-storey hotel opened in 1926. It was developed by Ichizo Kobayashi, the founder of Hankyu Railway, the Takarazuka Revue and Toho, and local industrialist Kaemon Hiratsuka. Hankyu acquired the hotel a few years after it opened.Read more


Mori to build Japan’s tallest residential tower in Toranomon

Atagoyama District Redevelopment I Distict 3

Mori Building have released details for a 56-storey residential tower on the southern side of Toranomon Hills. The Atagoyama District Redevelopmeent (I District) will be 220 meters tall, just 35 meters shorter than the mixed-use Toranomon Hills complex. When complete, it could become the tallest fully-residential building in Japan, exceeding The Kitahama in Osaka and The Parkhouse Nishishinjuku Tower by 11 meters. It may also become the second tallest building in Tokyo that includes a residential component (second only to Toranomon Hills).Read more


Toranomon fast becoming a hotspot of development

The 2020 Summer Olympics and 2027 opening of the new maglev line have helped to spur along some major construction projects in Tokyo, in particular the Toranomon area.

Since the opening of Toranomon Hills in 2014, the Toranomon area is quickly emerging as Tokyo’s newest hub for international business. It is not just an office area, as nearby hotels, hospitals, and serviced apartments are also in the process of being built. There are also plans for a new station along the Hibiya Line that will connect with Toranomon Hills.

Mori Building is the major player in this district, and plans to invest over a trillion Yen in projects in the Toranomon and Roppongi area over the next 10 years.Read more


Details of Akasaka’s 44-storey condominium announced

Details on Park Court Akasaka Hinokicho The Tower (previously the Akasaka 9 Chome Tower Project) have just been released. The 170m tall, 44-storey condominium, which was designed by Nikken and famed architect Kengo Kuma, is currently under construction on the northern side of Tokyo Midtown.

The high-rise will contain 322 apartments, of which just 163 (50%) will be available for sale. The remainder will go to landholders and participants of the development. The two and three-bedroom apartments will range in size from 57.61 ~ 203.96 sqm (620 ~ 2,195 sq ft). Layouts are cleverly designed and do not contain any windowless bedrooms that you may find in cheaper developments. The largest apartment, a 203 sqm penthouse, includes two full bathrooms, while the rest of the apartments have 1 bathroom.

Sales will begin in September October November 2015 . Prices have yet to be announced, but with apartments in other recent high-rises in Akasaka selling for around 2,000,000 Yen/sqm, it is likely that we will see comparative pricing in this new project. There have been rumours that apartments could be priced as high as 3,000,000 Yen/sqm.Read more