Real Estate Law
Expiration of “Productive Green Areas” in 2022: Impact on Commercial Land Prices
By Jeff Wynkoop Have you ever come across a rice paddy wedged in between office buildings in a Japanese city? Most likely you were looking at a “Productive Green Area.” There are over 63,000 of these parcels of land scattered... More
Living in Japan
How affordable was it to buy a home in Japan by Prefecture in 2016?
Home affordability decreased for the average income earner in Japan last year. This is according to a data recently released by Tokyo Kantei, which shows that the nationwide income multiple (compared to the average price of a home) increased in 2016,... More
Market Trends
Highlights of the 2017 Rosenka Roadside Land Value Survey of Japan
By Jeff Wynkoop The National Tax Agency recently published its 2017 Roadside Land Values (路線価 or rosenka), and the key takeaway is that the national average price for land went up for the second straight year. Last year’s 0.2% growth... More
Market Trends
Condo Prices in Greater Tokyo Approach 1990s Bubble Levels
The average sales price for a condominium released for sale in the greater Tokyo area in the first half of 2017 increased to ¥58.84 million (525,800 USD), up 3.5% year-on-year, and approaching levels last seen at the peak of the... More
Prices for Condos in Japan Hit 11-year High Driven by Foreign Buyers
By Jeff Wynkoop Prices for investment condos continue to rise unabated. According to a leading real estate online site, the average per room price for condos in Japan was 15.5 million JPY in the April-June period, an increase of 3.8%... More
Market Trends
Land Prices Up in 80% of Sites in Major Japanese Cities: MLIT LOOK Report
Land prices rose in about 80% of locations surveyed by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in its latest LOOK Report, which surveys land price trends for intensively used commercial and residential land in major cities throughout... More
Airbnb in Japan
Japan Legalizes Airbnb Rentals: Diet Passes Law
On June 9th, the Japanese Diet formally approved the new law authorizing the leasing out of private residences for short-term accommodations, also known as Airbnb-style rentals or minpaku rentals. Under the new law, homeowners wishing to lease out a room... More