Staff writer
Richard Ellis K.K., a real estate consulting firm in Tokyo's Minato Ward, is hiring to boost its workforce from 30 to 50 employees this spring.
A recent rise in the number of foreign customers in Tokyo is a chief reason for the expansion, said Yasuo Kawakami, the firm's representative director. "Land prices in Japan have declined to a range where real estate developers can expect sufficient returns. It's a business opportunity for them and for us," he said.