Tokyo Real Estate News & Information
Tokyo's Property Market & Useful Tips for Property Owners
Stay informed on Tokyo land prices, redevelopment projects, taxes on Japanese real estate, real estate terms, and more. We provide useful news and information especially for foreigners (non-residents) interested in buying, selling, and owning properties in Tokyo.
Land Use Zones under the City Planning Law in Japan
Land Use Zones (用途地域) are areas that are regulated under the City Planning Law (都市計画法) and designates the possible usage of land and properties in that area. This system is to realize an effective placement of buildings in accord with each area environment, avoiding mixed and disorderly land usage…
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Floor-Area Ratio (FAR) and Building Coverage Ratio (BCR) in Japan
Land Use Zones restricts the use of buildings in each categorized zone; it also controls volume and height of buildings by Floor-Area Ratio (FAR) and Building Coverage Ratio (BCR) in each zone.What size and height of the building you can build depends on FAR and BCR of the land property and this al…
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Ordinary Lease Contract vs. Fixed-term Lease Contract
When renting out a real estate property to a lessee or renting from a lessor, you have the choice using either an “Ordinary Lease Contract” or a “Fixed-term Lease Contract” when making a contract. The “Act on Land and Building Leases” provides guidelines for midterm cancellations and contract renew…
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Lease Guarantor Companies in Japan
In many lease agreements, it is necessary to come up with a joint guarantor or a guarantor company at the time of conclusion of these agreements. A joint guarantor or a guarantor company has the obligation to pay on behalf of the lessee in the unlikely event that the lessee is unable to pay the ren…
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The Services Provided by Judicial Scriveners in Japan
A judicial scrivener is a legal professional who assists clients with real estate registration procedures, and provides other various services for representing clients during real estate transactions. Keeping a close contact with our everyday life, a judicial scrivener’s role is to protect the prop…
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Foreigner’s Inheritance Measures - 5 Advantages to making a will in Japan
These days, more and more foreigners are becoming owners of real estate property in Japan. If they have Japanese spouses, their spouses may have explained to them how the inheritance system in Japan works. However, as most foreign owners bought their real estate properties in Japan not to use as th…
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Webinar Announcement: Investing in Japanese Residential Property
On May 28 (Saturday), 2022 at 11:00 AM, Masanobu Kajikawa of PLAZA HOMES, Ltd. will give a talk on "Investing in Japanese Residential Property: Is it right for you?" at an online seminar hosted by Real Estate Japan. Content of the Lecture PLAZA HOMES ・Real estate investment in Tokyo (residential…
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Withholding Tax for the leasing of real estate owned by Non-residents
When a foreign investor or a real estate owner who does not live in Japan due to overseas assignment rents out real estate in Japan and a lessee is a corporation, the lessee shall pay 20.42% of the rent to the tax office as withholding tax, and the lessor will receive the remaining amount after wit…
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Property Taxes in Japan - Explaining Fixed Asset Tax and City Planning Tax for Non-Japanese
When you own real estate in Japan, a Fixed Asset Tax and City Planning Tax are imposed yearly. These taxes are due regardless if the owner is an individual or a corporation. A notification of the tax due is sent to the owner of the property as of the 1st of January every year. We would like to expl…
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Official Land Prices of Japan in 2022 – Tokyo’s prices see increase for the first time in 2 years both in Commercial Areas and Residential Areas
On March 22, 2022, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism announced the official land prices as of January 1, 2022. The data for 2022 shows a 0.6% increase nationwide in the fluctuation of the average prices for all types of land zoning, which is an increase for the first time…
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