Rapidly rising condo prices causing rental renaissance in Japan

An interesting shift is underway in the rental market as investors and developers see the potential in roomier apartments. This has been spurred on by the rising price of condominiums. Would-be home buyers priced out of the market are renting instead, leading to a new influx of tenants.Read more


Demolition starts on 56-yr old building in Akasaka

Demolition of the 56-year old Sankaido Building near the US Embassy will start this month. The building is making way for a new redevelopment project by Norin Suisan Shoreikai and construction giant Kajima Corporation.Read more


Osaka office building sells at 3.5% cap rate

A 13-story office building in Osaka has been acquired by a J-REIT for 17.215 billion Yen (approx. US$121 million). Japan Real Estate Investment Corporation purchased Forecast Sakaisuji Hommachi on August 1 with delivery to take place by the end of the month. The seller was not named.Read more


Star Asia to acquire 11 assets for 49.1 billion Yen

Star Asia Investment Corporation is acquiring seven hotels and four apartment buildings across Japan for 49.1 billion Yen (approx. US$343 million). The appraised cap rate is 4.8%.Read more


MUJI to sell Ikebukuro head office

On July 26, the operator of home goods retailer MUJI announced the planned sale of its head office building in Ikebukuro. The company, Ryohin Keikaku, did not comment on the scale of the profit from the sale.Read more


Larger apartments seeing greater rent increases than smaller studios

Changes in rental prices in greater Tokyo are not uniform, with larger apartments now outperforming smaller, single-occupant housing. This is happening for a few reasons.Read more


Semiconductor manufacturer expanding land acquisitions in Kumamoto

Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM), a subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), is acquiring more land adjoining its semiconductor factory currently under construction in Kumamoto, according to TBS News.Read more