These homes are packed with charm, full of history and quickly disappearing. Over the last 30 years, Alex Kerr has given 574 presentations on the cultural importance of Japan’s minka (traditional village homes). For the first 573, his audiences were filled with nothing but local bureaucrats skeptical about lifting a finger to preserve these striking properties. “They all had to be convinced that minka are not worthless but wonderful,” Kerr told the audience at the Minka Summit, the site of the noted Japanologist’s 574th such presentation. “The people who are coming to this conference are really doing (things with) minka. You don’t need to be convinced that minka are wonderful.”

A new wave of big private equity players is moving in on Japan's property market, drawn by attractive yield spreads with Japan's low interest rates and by prospective deals with companies that hold under-utilized assets. "The Japanese market presents a huge opportunity," David Cheong, managing director at KKR, told Reuters. He noted wide scope to help corporations bolster their property-related operations and boost returns on property assets. "Investment demand is strong but the number of properties for sale is relatively limited..."

Japan is set to more than double the number of people it will allow into the country and may scrap the need for a negative Covid-19 test to enter, as the last rich economy with stringent entry requirements still in place looks to join the rest of the world in easing pandemic curbs.

A question that arises as often as the sun is… “Can I get a loan for real estate investment in Japan?” Many first-time hopeful investors become very frustrated due to the severe lack of financing options for foreigners without residency. For cash buyers wishing to invest in a low-stress, fully secured and reliable deal, there may yet be hope! We propose a solution to this dreaded obstacle for wishful lenders and seasoned cash buyers to make the best of it!

The end of pandemic restrictions on businesses in late March helped spur the economy. Consumer spending, which accounts for more than half of Japan’s economic output, led the growth, as did capital expenditure. The relaxing of Covid rules resulted in increased spending at restaurants and hotels, as well as on clothes, according to the Cabinet Office.

You want to profit from the weaker yen and invest in Japan, but don't know where to start? Before diving into the market here, you’ll need a general investment strategy, something that will help you decide on where, how, and what to invest in! For those that have never stepped foot into the country, it may seem like an extra challenge with finding the best locations and criteria. Let’s break it down to make better sense of it... Follow these rules!

The world’s third-largest economy ran a current account deficit of 132.4 billion yen ($980 million) in June, government data showed, reversing 872 billion yen from the same month a year earlier. The current account surplus has declined for four fiscal years in a row through March 2022. While yen weakness has inflated the cost of imports, its boost to the value of exports has not been as great as it once was due to an ongoing shift of exporters' production abroad.

So you’re ready to buy your first property in Japan? Or maybe you’ve already been down that rabbit hole and are wondering if you’ve done something wrong? One commonly overlooked concept in purchasing real estate around the world is due diligence. By definition, due diligence in terms of real estate is care taken by research and analysis of a property and its affiliations in preparation for a transaction. One of the quirks about the Japanese real estate market, however, is that the due diligence is only conducted once your offer is accepted.