City Planning Law

都市計画法, としけいかくほう

• English definition: This is the basic law that regulates zoning standards and sets forth a blueprint for the development of Urban Planning Areas (都市計画区域, としけいかくくいき)
• It’s important to have a general understanding of what the City Planning Law and Urban Planning Areas are, if you are thinking about buying a property and renovating it or buying a piece of land to build a new structure on it.
• This is because one of the things that the City Planning Law regulates is the use of land in areas that have been designated for urban development.
• Land in areas classified for urban development fall within one of twelve Use Zones.
  1. Exclusively low-rise residential I
  2. Exclusively low-rise residential II
  3. Mid- and High-rise residential I
  4. Mid- and High-rise residential II
  5. Quasi-residential
  6. Neighborhood commercial
  7. Commercial
  8. Quasi-industrial
  9. Industrial
  10. Exclusively industrial
• Each Use Zone establishes what kind of development is permitted, building size and density, and other restrictions, including building area, height, and setback. Each of these terms will be explained in detail in separate glossary entries.
• Districts: On top of Use Zones, the land may also lie within one or more Districts or a District Plan enacted by the municipality that allows local governments to strengthen or loosen regulation of how the land is used, building size and height, density, and other measures, such as fire prevention and green space.
• District-level regulations may take precedence over Use Zone restrictions.

• Yen mortgage loan calculator: Use this to calculate how much you can afford to buy and borrow

• MLIT’s 2018 Kijin Chika Standard Land Price: Summary and Analysis