Revision to Building Standards Act could see extra allowances for fireproof buildings
The government is in the process of making a potential revision to the Building Standards Act that could provide an extra 10% to the building footprint ratio in quasi-fire prevention districts. The goal of the revision is to encourage the reconstruction of older, non-fireproof buildings.
Under the proposed revision, if an older building in a quasi-fire prevention district is replaced with a fireproof or quasi-fireproof building, an extra 10% may be added to the footprint ratio (called the kenpeiritsu). This would mean that a building built on a 100 sqm block of land in a zone with a 60% footprint ratio could cover up to 70 sqm of the land instead of the original limit of 60 sqm. A ratio of up to 100% is already possible for fireproof buildings built in fire prevention districts in Commercial Zones.Read more
Artist’s atelier in Tokyo to be demolished
Update: The house was demolished in 2018 and replaced with a subdivision of 10 homes.
The residence and atelier of Iwami Furusawa (1912-2000), surrealist painter and Japan’s Dali, will be demolished. A farewell party was held in late March by local volunteers.
Furusawa made his residence in Tokyo’s Itabashi ward after WWII, building his private art studio from a salvaged barn from a nearby farm. At the time, the neighborhood was a mixture of small workshops and homes. Read more
New apartment starts in 2017 reach lowest level in 7 years
Apartment starts in the greater Tokyo area in 2017 reached the lowest level seen in seven years. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), apartment starts were 57,591 units, down 12% from 2016. The Ministry cites an early rush by developers to get large-scale projects off the ground in the lead up to the 2020 Olympics and difficulty in securing sites for residential developments as the two contributors to a recent slow down in residential construction.Read more
City to purchase Lafcadio Hearn’s residence for 175 million Yen
Matsue City in Shimane Prefecture plans to acquire the former residence of writer Lafcadio Hearn for 175 million Yen (approx. 1.6 million USD). The seller is a private individual. The traditional, single-storey Japanese residence has a total floor area of 244 sqm (2,645 sq.ft) and sits on a 1,030 sqm (11,083 sq.ft) block of land located directly across the street from Matsue Castle. Read more
Tokyo's Koto ward to restrict development of family-type apartments to limit population growth
While some regional districts in Japan are suffering from an ageing and shrinking population, urban centers are struggling with the growing pains from an increase in the number of younger residents. In an attempt to limit the number of children in the ward, Koto in Tokyo is introducing restrictions on the development of family-type apartments. A surge in the population of young families, due in part to a boom in the construction of high-rise apartment towers in the Tokyo bayside area, is putting a strain on the ward’s nurseries and elementary schools.Read more
Tokyo Apartment Sales in April 2018
The following is a selection of apartments that were reported to have sold in central Tokyo during the month of April 2018:Read more
Japan’s high-rise apartment market from 2018 to 2022 onwards
According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, there are currently 108,757 apartments in 294 high-rise buildings planned for completion across Japan from 2018 onwards. This is an increase of 9 buildings and 2,436 apartments from the previous survey point in March 2017.
73.8% of these apartments are centered in the greater Tokyo area, a 4.8 point decrease from 2017. Tokyo’s 23 wards accounted for a 51.1% share of the nationwide total, a 2.5 point decrease from last year. Chuo ward has the largest forecast supply with 12,514 apartments planned in the coming years, 22.5% of the total. This supply is limited to just 14 buildings, with an average of 894 apartments per building. Minato ward was in second place with 11,401 apartments planned in 33 buildings (an average of 345 apartments per building).Read more