National Jun 25, 2019
The survey highlighted the pressure to improve conditions for foreign residents, which has increased due to the launch of a new visa system amid chronic labor shortages.
Business / Corporate Jun 24, 2019
House-flipper takes advantage of Japan's 8 million-plus empty homes
by Keiko Ujikane and Shingo Kawamoto
More than 8 million homes lie abandoned across Japan, a symptom of the declining population and people's migration to major cities. For one company, this isn't just an ominous demographic signal, it is also a business opportunity. Katitas Co. is a house-flipper, deploying a business model ...
Business Jun 6, 2019
Airbnb Inc. says it's back in business in Japan, a year after stricter short-term lodging regulations forced it to freeze a major portion of its listings in the country. There are 50,000 listings available in the country, with another 23,000 rooms in hotels and traditional ...
Business / Corporate May 30, 2019
Defects at Leopalace21 properties were caused by hasty expansion and closed culture, report says
The pace of business expansion and a closed corporate culture at Leopalace21 Corp. resulted in defects in the apartment buildings constructed by the company, a third-party investigative panel has said in its final report. In the report, the panel said that Leopalace21 "was quick to ...
Business May 10, 2019
Foreigners stage 'positive invasion' of Sicily in €1 home sale
Bargain hunters from Argentina to China swooped on a €1 auction and snapped up 16 abandoned Sicilian homes in a foreign buying frenzy that was heralded on Thursday as a positive invasion of a dying hilltop town. Selling homes for token sums has become a ...
Business / Corporate May 9, 2019
Toyota and Panasonic to merge housing units and team up on 'smart town' business
The move by the leading carmaker and electronics manufacturer comes amid shrinking demand in the domestic housing market due to Japan’s declining population.
Editorials May 4, 2019
The government is doing a poor job of fixing the ever-worsening problem of unused houses.
National Apr 26, 2019
Number of abandoned homes in Japan edges up to record high of nearly 8.5 million
Empty homes now account for 13.6 percent of Japan’s housing stock, with the bulk of them concentrated in Yamanashi and Wakayama prefectures, government data show.
Business Mar 29, 2019
Housing starts in February rose 4.2 percent from a year ago to 71,966 units, up for a third straight month, the land ministry said Friday. The increase was led by growth in construction starts for owner-occupied housing and condominiums. Starts for owner-occupied housing, such as custom-built ...
Asia Pacific / Social Issues Feb 17, 2019
Some rural Hong Kong men with special land rights call for end to colonial system
Sitting in the spacious courtyard of an 18th-century ancestral hall belonging to his clan, William Liu defiantly rejects a lucrative birthright that his special status as one of Hong Kong's male indigenous villagers affords him. Liu hails from the rural northern part of Hong Kong ...
How-tos Feb 13, 2019
Starting fresh in Tokyo is easier than you think
by Rebecca Saunders
I know what you're thinking: Moving to Tokyo is going to be a whole world of stress. That's what I thought at least. There was the language barrier, the fact that I had no idea where in the city I wanted to live and ...
Editorials Feb 13, 2019
Both the company and the authorities need to determine why such a large-scale faulty construction was allowed to happen and take steps to ensure such problems aren't repeated in the future.