Starting in April 2023, Japan will introduce a home energy-saving requirement to the popular Flat 35 home loan program. This measure will be introduced two years ahead of the already announced energy-saving standards that will be mandatory for all new... More

Japan’s Ministry of Land announced on May 7th that it will investigate possible illegal use of Flat 35 loans by some borrowers to finance investment properties. Flat 35 loans, which are backed by the government-affiliated Japan Housing Finance Agency (JHF),... More

In November, the “Flat 35” home mortgage rate fell for the first time in three months, as announced by the Japan Housing Financing Agency (JHFA). Flat 35 loans are among the most widely used home mortgage products in Japan. Flat 35... More

The official “Flat 35” home mortgage rate dove below the 1.00% level for the first time in July and has remained below the historic mark in August, as announced by the Japan Housing Financing Agency (JHFA). Flat 35 loans are... More

The official “Flat 35” home mortgage rate for June rose to 1.100%, the first time that the rate has risen in eight months, as announced by the Japan Housing Finance Agency (JHFA). Flat 35 loans are among the most widely... More

The “Flat 35” rate for home mortgage loans for May 2016, was just announced by the Japan Housing Finance Agency (JHFA), and it has again hit a historic low, dropping to 1.080% (down 0.110% compared to April), the fifth consecutive... More

The official “Flat 35” rate for home mortgage loans for April 2016, as just announced by the Japan Housing Finance Agency (JHFA), has hit another historic low, dropping to 1.190% (down 0.060% compared to March), the fourth consecutive month in... More

The Japan Housing Finance Agency (JHFA) has announced that the March 2016 rate for “Flat 35” home mortgage loans is 1.250%, the lowest level in history. Flat 35 loans are one of the most widely used home mortgage products in Japan,... More

The Japan Housing Finance Agency (JHFA) has announced the February 2016 rates for “Flat 35” and “Flat 50” home mortgage loans that financial institutions can charge for these popular securitized mortgage products. The February rate is the second consecutive month of decreases... More

The Japan Housing Finance Agency (JHFA) recently announced the official January 2016 rate for “Flat 35” and “Flat 50” home mortgage loans that financial institutions can charge for these types of loans, designed to make homeownership possible for many people... More

The Japan Housing Finance Agency (JHFA) recently announced the official August 2015 rate for “Flat 35” and “Flat 50” home mortgage loans that financial institutions can charge for these popular, securitized loan products. Flat 35 Flat 35 loans are fixed... More

The Japan Finance Housing Agency (JHFA) has announced the interest rate for Flat 35 home loans for May, with a lowest available rate of 1.480% per annum, the fourth consecutive month in which the Flat 35 rate has risen. In... More

Article updated: March 31, 2022 Foreign interest in Japanese residential real estate was strong throughout the pandemic even though people weren’t able to come to Japan to do property viewings. As the country has started to ease border restrictions, at... More

The pre-owned home market in Japan, including both apartments and single-family homes, has traditionally played second fiddle to the market for newly built condominiums and freestanding houses in that the majority of residential home sales in Japan still consists of... More

The Financial Services Agency (FSA) and the Japan Bankers Association plan to create special measures to reduce or exempt mortgage repayments from individuals and sole proprietors whose incomes have fallen sharply due to the effect of the novel coronavirus. The... More

TATERU, the construction and property management company listed on the first board of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is to be issued an order to cease operations by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, in connection with TATERU’s falsifying... More

By Jeff Wynkoop Mortgage rates in Japan are historically low, and a majority of borrowers don’t think interest rates are going to go up any time soon. In its April 2019 meeting, the Bank of Japan was clear in announcing... More

Real Estate Japan recently conducted an e-mail interview with Shinichi Kawamura on whether now is a good time to consider selling a residential or investment property in Japan. Mr. Kawamura is CEO of LINC Inc., a real estate consulting company... More

By Jeff Wynkoop Buying a vacant house in Japan and fixing it up is the dream of many city dwellers. With the price for a new condo at all-time highs in most Tokyo neighborhoods, many people are considering purchasing a... More