Search - real_estate

 
 
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 18, 2020

Masayoshi Son's big real estate venture with Oyo runs into real problems in Japan

Last March, months before the meltdown at WeWork, Masayoshi Son worked through the prospects for another one of his favorite portfolio companies — a startup from India called Oyo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2022

Cheaper yen lures Hong Kong's rich to Japanese real estate

International property agents said sales have increased this year as the yen fell to multi-decade lows against the Hong Kong dollar.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 2, 2010

Real estate and railways

Got a minute for a coffee on the train platform? And can we interest you in a new place to live as well?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2019

Miyakoshi, the first Japanese firm into postwar China, hopes for a real estate-driven comeback

When it comes to China, Kunimasa Miyakoshi has at least two claims to fame.
BUSINESS
Sep 24, 2018

China's Guangdong province looks to end home pre-sale system to limit risks in real estate sector

China's Guangdong province is considering a proposal to scrap a housing pre-sale system that's become a major avenue for developers to finance projects.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2016

Bank of Japan buying spree inflates world's priciest real estate investment trusts

Japan's real estate investment trusts have soared in value to become the priciest in the world. More purchases by one of the biggest investors in the landlord business — the Bank of Japan — may help propel prices even higher.
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2008

With credit tight, real estate growth tails off

Japan's real estate market is becoming lackluster after the growth of the past few years due to the ripple effect of the credit squeeze triggered by the U.S. subprime mortgage loan crisis.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2022

Amazon builds property empire, quietly buying land across the U.S.

Amazon plans to use much of the real estate for a new generation of towering fulfillment centers that can store a wide variety of products close to customers in populous areas.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
May 10, 2021

Japan’s undeterred housing market is full of opportunity for foreign residents

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many foreign residents to think about what they want to do long-term in Japan. For some, buying property is the answer.
Official data indicates at least 17,000 South Korean residents have been hit by real estate fraud in recent years, and around 70% of victims are in their 20s and 30s.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 27, 2024

Debt, suicide, fraud: South Koreans hit by real estate scams

Authorities draw flak for not doing enough to help victims or punish fraudsters who capitalize on the country's unique jeonse system in which tenants pay huge deposits.
Japan Real Estate Investment is weighing a plan to raise tens of billions of yen in new capital to buy office buildings in high-rent districts.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2025

Mitsubishi Estate-backed REIT plans equity offering

The REIT's management company has started scouting out office properties in high-rent districts.
Orbis Investment Management bought shares of Mitsubishi Estate over the past months on the view that inflation will lift revenue as the domestic real estate sector remains attractive.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2025

Top Japan fund adds Mitsubishi Estate shares on cheap valuations

The return of inflation in Japan has lured overseas investors to the nation’s real estate market and property developer shares.
High-rise buildings in Tokyo. Through faking documents and passports a criminal group conspired to pose as the owner of a real-estate plot and buildings in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward in 2017, defrauding Sekisui House of ¥5.5 billion.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 28, 2024

Real-life ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ ordered to pay ¥1 billion in damages

The Tokyo District Court ruled that the defendants knew they were engaging in a fraudulent scheme in their dealings with Sekisui House.
Hong Kong's commercial real estate sector is going through one of its worst slumps in history.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 27, 2025

Hong Kong’s property distress is catching up with city’s banks

Banks with soured loans and mortgages have been reluctant to sell the underlying real estate assets at a loss — but that is changing.
Orix's real estate investment unit has increased the target size of one of its funds by 33%, reflecting a rebound in Japanese institutional investor demand for property market deals.
BUSINESS
Sep 12, 2025

Top Japan leaser Orix plans to boost property fund size by 33%

Investor demand in Japan for alternative assets including real estate has climbed in part due to their resilience against inflation.
The building at 245 Park Avenue, which housed the headquarters of Bear Stearns in the 1980s, in New York. Mori Trust bought a 49.9% stake in the building from SL Green Realty in June.
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2023

Japanese buyers snap up New York and London buildings in spree

Investors see attractive prices stemming from the real estate downturn, even as the yen’s weakness reduces purchasing power.
Having succeeded her father, Akira Mori, Miwako Date has been CEO of real estate development firm Mori Trust since 2016.
BUSINESS / WOMEN AT WORK
May 19, 2024

Leading a major property developer with an eye on art and culture

Third-generation CEO Miwako Date is making her mark with Mori Trust's regional luxury hotels.
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 17, 2025

Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo

Regardless of their motivations, foreign property buyers in Japan have come under the magnifying glass.
Blackstone is working on more acquisitions in Japan with several bids out and properties like hotels and data centers in the pipeline.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 14, 2023

Blackstone eyes more Japan property after selling $4.5 billion

Real estate investments in Japan have been rosy compared to other countries, where rising costs have squeezed finances and workers have shunned offices.
Workers walk past an underconstruction area with completed office towers in the background in Shenzhen's Qianhai new district on Aug. 25, 2023.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 1, 2024

China's strained economy casts shadow over 2024

Last year, the economy was roiled by a real estate crisis, falling consumer confidence, deflation and the disappearance of foreign investment.
The Government Pension Investment Fund is picking alternative asset funds in Japan on its own, in a shift from its previous practice of entrusting asset managers to choose on its behalf.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 17, 2025

GPIF bets on property and infrastructure in Japan, in alternative asset first

Pension funds around the world are seeking extra yields from alternative assets like private equity and real estate, but the yields reflect elevated risks in other areas.
Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Sep 29, 2025

Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?

Soaring property costs, foreign investment and scarce supply are reshaping who can afford to live in central Tokyo.
Several factors are pushing up Japan’s land prices: foreign tourism, a return of manufacturing to the country and the change in work practices after the COVID-19 pandemic.
EDITORIALS
Sep 22, 2023

Rising land prices are a cause for celebration and concern

The government said real estate prices across Japan rose 1% from the preceding year, the first such national increase in over three decades.
Tokyo Gas’ LNG terminal in Sodegaura, Chiba Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 20, 2024

Tokyo Gas shares jump most since 1987 after activist fund discloses major stake

Elliott Investment Management said it now owns more than 5% of Tokyo Gas and may make "important proposals” to the utility provider.
Japan has become one of the biggest markets for activist investors, with the government and institutions such as the Tokyo Stock Exchange pushing companies to pay more attention to stock prices and shareholder returns.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 24, 2025

Elliott said to have built up significant stake in Sumitomo Realty

The size of the stake in isn’t known but the activist investor has engaged with the Tokyo-based real estate developer on measures to improve shareholder value, sources say.
Apartments in the district of Miyazato in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, where many students live
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
May 12, 2025

Rents soar in northern Okinawa ahead of Junglia theme park opening

While large-scale hiring may help to revitalize the area, it is also creating a housing supply shortage, affecting students and others who are moving in.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 7, 2025

Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll

In their campaign promises, parties are offering different solutions to problems caused by the record number here to visit, work and invest in real estate.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.