A foreign-capital property buying spree that has extended to areas in and around facilities of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the American armed forces could pose a threat to Japan's security.
In the town of Kutchan, southwestern Hokkaido, it has been confirmed that foreign investors have purchased three tracts of land totaling 109 hectares within 3 km of a Ground Self-Defense Force camp. One of the tracts also turned out to be the first forest area known to have been purchased with foreign capital. The purchase price was five times the prevailing market value.
Concerned with that land purchase, the Hokkaido prefectural government sent questionnaires to registered owners of forest areas near SDF and police facilities, but 54 of the questionnaires were returned, marked "addressee unknown." These owners own 579 hectares of land.