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Understanding Fixed Interest Rate Home Loans in Japan

By Jeff Wynkoop People wishing to borrow money for a home loan in Japan have many different issues to consider. One of the most important is how long they want the interest on their loan to be fixed, and how... More

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Effects of 2017 Tax Policy Changes on Japanese Housing

By: Jeff Wynkoop The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, the current majority party in the Japanese Diet, recently completed its 2017 Guidelines for Amending the Tax System (平成29年度税制改正大綱). Below is a short description of several of the key effects the... More

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How Much Does it Cost to Build a House in Japan?

By Jeff Wynkoop If you want to build a house in Japan you will be faced with a lot of decisions. For most people, the most time-consuming issue is finding and acquiring the rights to a suitable parcel of land in the... More

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Foreign Visitors to Japan Exceed 20 Million For First Time Ever

By Jeff Wynkoop The Japan Tourism Agency announced yesterday that as of October 30th, 2016, for the first time ever in a calendar year the number of foreign visitors to Japan exceeded the 20,000,000 mark. The increase in Japan tourism... More

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New Rules Coming for AirBnB in Japan

By Jeff Wynkoop The Japanese government recently indicated an important change is coming to the legal framework for Airbnb-style rentals or “Minpaku” (民泊). Speaking on September 9th at the Advisory Committee Meeting on National Strategic Zones (kokkasenryaku tokubetsukuiki jimonkaigi), Prime... More

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How Negative Rates Are Affecting Home Mortgage Loans in Japan

By Jeff Wynkoop It has been a little over six months since the Bank of Japan introduced its negative interest rate policy, and the effects of this policy change are still working their way through the economy. One of the... More

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Govt to Lower Restrictions on AirBnB-Style Rentals in Japan

By Jeff Wynkoop In recognition of the growing influx of foreign tourists coming to Japan, the government has decided to do more to promote tourists using AirBnB-style short-term rentals in regular residences located in designated national strategic districts (国家戦略特区). Beginning... More

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Govt to Launch First National Database of Japanese Real Estate

By Jeff Wynkoop The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (the “MLIT”) recently announced it is planning to create a searchable database of vacant houses and lots of land that will cover all of Japan. The goal is to... More

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Govt to Submit Law Allowing AirBnB-Style Rentals Nationwide

By Jeff Wynkoop The government has prepared a draft of a new law covering AirBnB-style (in Japanese, “Minpaku”) rentals to be submitted to the Diet in 2017. The purpose of the law is to legalize and facilitate the letting out... More

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Tokyo Considering Major Changes to How Property Taxes Assessed

By Jeff Wynkoop The Tokyo municipal government has recently decided to enter into discussions with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to consider changing how the fixed asset tax (kouteishisanzei) is calculated and assessed for buildings. The goal is... More

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Real Estate Transactions Down for First Time in 4 Years

By Jeff Wynkoop The Japanese real estate market has been slowing over the last 12 months. For the first time in the last four years, the total volume of transactions in real estate shrunk year-on-year during the period from April... More

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New Real Estate Financing in Japan Exceeds Bubble Levels

By: Jeff Wynkoop New bank financing for Japanese real estate has finally exceeded the bubble years, according to a report released recently by the Bank of Japan. In 2015 new bank financing for real estate was up year-on-year 6.1%, totaling... More

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Japan Releases Details of New Law on AirBnB-Style Rentals

By Jeff Wynkoop The Japanese government has finally released details of the new Minpaku (民泊) Law it plans to submit to the regular session of the Diet sometime in 2017. The main purpose of the law is to provide a legal... More

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Guide to Japanese Real Estate Taxes

By: Jeff Wynkoop The following is an explanation of the taxes a purchaser must pay when acquiring real estate in Japan. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of this information, but please consult with a... More

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The Importance of Property Managers in Real Estate Investments

By Jeff Wynkoop If you are considering investing in real estate, one of the most essential partners in your team will be your property manager. A property manager is a third-party service provider who is in the business of taking... More

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Government Plans to Turn Japan’s Abandoned Houses Into Quasi-Public Housing

By Jeff Wynkoop The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has announced that it plans to introduce measures to convert the growing glut of vacant and abandoned houses in Japan into quasi-public housing(準公営住宅). 8.2 Million Vacant Houses According... More

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Key Issues Facing the Japanese Housing Market

By Jeff Wynkoop One of the most striking differences in the housing market in Japan when compared to the US or UK markets is the importance of new home sales. Typically transactions in existing homes outnumber sales of new homes... More

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National Framework For Airbnb-Style Rentals Coming to Japan

By Jeff Wynkoop As we recently reported, the Osaka Metropolitan Government and Ota Ward in Tokyo just approved new ordinances to regulate the letting of rooms in private houses. Please see Osaka Enacts Ordinance to Open Up Airbnb-Style Rentals for that post.... More

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Osaka Enacts Ordinance To Open Up Airbnb-Style Rentals

By Jeff Wynkoop On October 27th Osaka became the first Japanese metropolis to approve a new Private Accommodations Ordinance (民泊条例) to regulate the letting of rooms in private houses. Ota Ward in Tokyo followed suit on December 7th. It is... More

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Yokosuka City First to Tear Down a Vacant House Under New Law

By Jeff Wynkoop On October 26, 2015, Yokosuka became the first city to tear down a property under the new law called “The Law for Special Measures to Promote Dealing with Vacant Houses, etc.” (空家等対策の推進に関する特別措置法) brought into force earlier this... More