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How to Find Under-Priced Japanese Assets
With Tokyo & Osaka approaching their pre-1990’s property bubble peak, and yields in other investment hot-spots such as Fukuoka, Kyoto and Nagoya also gaining in price and becoming more compressed, opportunity-seeking investors are on the lookout for smaller cities that may still provide higher, yet stable and reliable rental returns.
However, in a country as insular as Japan, where cities other than those already frequented by international visitors remain veiled in language and cultural isolation, the quest for attractive investment destinations can be difficult.
Some Residents to Return to Fukushima 11 Years after Evacuation
Evacuation orders will be lifted in June for the first time in the residential zone considered the most heavily contaminated from 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima Prefecture. Residents who fled from the Noyuki district of Katsurao village northwest of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant will be allowed to restart living there on June 12.
The decision followed a meeting between central government officials handling the nuclear accident and Katsurao officials on May 16.
Musk Foresees the End of Japan if Birthrate does not Increase
Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk has warned that Japan will perish if it does not reverse its declining birthrate, responding to a tweet of a Kyodo News article that said the country’s population saw its largest drop on record in 2021. “At the risk of stating the obvious, unless something changes to cause the birth rate to exceed the death rate, Japan will eventually cease to exist.
Weakening Yen Makes Tokyo Investments more Attractive
Hongkongers are returning to the Japanese property market after a two-year absence, taking advantage of a weakening yen, which is at a 20-year low against the US dollar. “Inquiries for Japanese homes from Hongkongers have surged by up to 40 per cent this month,” said Anvy Cheung, chief executive of Sakura Global, which specialises in Japanese property. “In the past two years, most of them just stayed on the sidelines, adopting a wait-and-see approach [due to the pandemic].”
Nursing Care Industry Finds Relief after Japan Eases Entry Ban for Foreign Skilled Workers
Foreign nationals with “specified skilled worker” visa status are once again entering Japan following the easing of border control measures in March related to the coronavirus. Foreign workers have sometimes waited years for permission to enter the country. Many have found employment at nursing homes, which have suffered labor shortages.
Japan Prioritizes Digital Transformation to Public Services
Japan’s efforts to drag its public services into the digital age are getting some financial heft behind them. The government’s Digital Agency, established last September, looks set to have ¥472 billion to spend in the upcoming fiscal year, starting in April. Its budget priorities are heavy on technological upgrades: Promoting My Number ID cards (¥102.7 billion), subsidizing new industrial infrastructure (¥2.2 billion) and accelerating research into next-generation semiconductors (¥14.8 billion) and post-5G telecom networks (¥10 billion).