Miscellaneous

“Japan’s Hotel Industry: A Magnet for Global Investments”

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Record Foreign Investments

Boost Japan’s Hotel Sector

 

Foreign investors are increasingly acquiring Japanese hotels

 

due to the nation’s recovering tourism industry, weak currency,

 

and low interest rates. In the past 12 months, overseas buyers accounted

 

for 47% of the ¥494.3 billion ($3.7 billion) invested in hotel deals,

 

the highest proportion since 2014. Factors such as low rates, the weak yen,

 

and market stability have made Japanese real estate attractive

 

to global investors amid economic uncertainty.

 

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What is the point system for highly skilled personnel? (Japan’s green card)

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What is the point system for highly skilled personnel?

 

Are you looking to work and live in Japan as a highly skilled professional?

 

If so, the Highly Skilled Foreign Professionals system may be just what you need.

As a real estate agent targeting foreign nationals, it’s important to provide information

about this program to your clients.

 

This system was introduced in 2012 to provide preferential treatment for highly skilled professionals from overseas,

with the aim of promoting economic growth.

 

To qualify for the program, candidates must accumulate a certain number of points based on the criteria

such as academic achievements, work experience, and salary level.

There are three categories of eligible activities: advanced academic research,

advanced specialized/technical work, and advanced business/management work.

If a candidate accumulates at least 70 points, they can enjoy preferential immigration control

and residency management treatment.

This includes perks such as multiple residence activities, a five-year period of stay,

and priority processing for immigration and residence procedures.

Spouses, parents, and domestic servants may also be allowed to accompany the highly skilled professional under certain conditions.

Furthermore, after three years of being a Highly Skilled Professional No. 1,

individuals may become eligible for Highly Skilled Professional No. 2 status, which grants an indefinite period of stay and additional benefits.

As a foreign real estate agent, it’s important to communicate the benefits of this system to your clients.

This program offers a great opportunity for highly skilled professionals to work and live in Japan,

and you may be interested in finding a suitable property to live in during your stay.

 

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YouTube Channel launched !: ‘Japan Real Estate Investment for Foreign Investors’

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Dear readers,

We have recently launched our own YouTube Channel.

It is called ‘Japan Real Estate Investment for Foreign Investors’

The channel will post various useful information and property information for foreign people.

We hope you enjoy our videos.

If you have a question or topics you want us to pick,  please let us know.

YouTube link ↓ 

Japan Real Estate Investment for Foreign Investors

 

Toshihiko Yamamoto
Real estate investing consultant and author.
Founder of Yamamoto Property Advisory in Tokyo.
International property Investment consultant and licensed
real estate broker (Japan).
He serves the foreign companies and individuals to buy and sell
the real estates in Japan as well as own homes.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from
Osaka Prefecture University in Japan
and an MBA from Bond University in Australia

Toshihiko’s book, “The Savvy Foreign Investor’s Guide to Japanese Properties: How to Expertly Buy, Manage and Sell Real Estate in Japan”is now out on Amazon, iBooks (iTunes, Apple) and Google Play.
About the book 
Amazon.com Link

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financing your real estate investment in Japan: Suruga bank scandal. Is it facing the risk of contraction ?

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Pressure mounts to enact inquiry by FSA on other banks ?

Recently the Financial Services Agency (FSA) ordered Suruga Bank to stop extending fresh loans for real estate investment for six months, over its improper practices related to such financing.
In recent years, the FSA has strengthened its oversight of surveillance over building financing for rental houses that have spread as tax saving measures for inheritance tax. There are an increasing number of examples of building properties in areas with low rental demand and inability to obtain enough rent income assumed by increasing vacancy.
There are cases in which loans can not be repaid and leading to the foreclosures.Those who are affluent with the upscale property have been targeted by the developers of new apartment buildings and the real estate companies.
Since around 2010, these developers and real estate companies have focused not only on loans involved in landowner’s tax saving measures but also on loans to individuals who do not own the land with limited self-funding. Then shared house scandal involving Suruga bank and Smart days (operator of shared house) exposed to the light in early 2018.Read more

The best buy places to own a new condo unit in Japan

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（Kashiwa station, Chiba)

Do you want to know the best buy places to own a condo unit in Japan ?

Toyokeizai, one of the renowned business magazines in Japan
recently featured the unique real estate (condo unit for home) information in Japan.

The magazine picked up some best buy railways stations in greater Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya to own for your home.

The ranking is based on unique method of PER (Price Earning Ratio).
This particular PER is used to calculate the length (years) to pay back the property price
(new 3 bed room unit with 70 m2) if you rent out.

For example, Read more

How do you eat ramen ? -Japanese multicultural management –

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I am a licensed property broker but occasionally offered the work for the trainer who teaches the multicultural management in large Japanese corporations.
I do enjoy working as a trainer because interaction with students (workers at large corporations) is always inspiring.
Today I am going to depart from the real estate and write a light note about one of my favorite TV shows in Japan and try to give you kind of funny way of multicultural management tactics in Japan.
First of all, I don’t usually watch TV.
Why ?
1. Don’t have time to watch.
2. don’t want to spend my precious time on silly programs.
3. Generally speaking, quality of TV programs in Japan has been deteriorating significantly over years and there is not many program worth watching. (Maybe I am just getting old ?)
And yet, I do like one documentary show called ‘Youは何しに日本へ？’　(Why did you come to Japan ?) broadcasted by TV Tokyo every Monday from 6:55 pm.
(Please check your local station which is affiliated with TV Tokyo if you live
outside Tokyo)
In this show, TV Tokyo crews interview foreigners at the airport where most visitors first arrive in Japan, with no appointments. Not just at the airport, sometimes at sea ports or events, everywhere crews go there are on-the-spot interviews with no appointments (so they say anyway)
And they often find a treasure trove of funny and interesting foreigners.
It is a new type of TV document variety show with many unexpected things.
They asked tourists for the interview on the spot. It could be half-staged but looks pretty real.
Dozens of foreign tourists are interviewed and eventually a couple of persons or group are picked up
for detailed interview.
Selected tourists for in depth interviews are usually Otaku (geeks) type of people and not usual tourists.
They come to Japan for variety and yet very intriguing reasons such as eating okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza), seeing host family in Japan, learning ‘No’ play (traditional masked dance-drama)
4-day training camp of “Kenbu Tenshin-Ryu” (traditional martial arts), kimono gigs, Japanese swords fan etc etc. One episode is about a woman from America and she’s a big fan “Sailormoon” and has come to Japan to become a voice actress.Read more

Cost to hold your property : Understanding the tax angles when you buy the property in Japan Part-2

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Previously I discussed the transaction taxes you have to pay at time of the acquisition of the property.
When you are holding the property (both land and building) in Japan, you need to pay two annual taxes whether you are making money out of the investment or not regardless of the purpose of the ownership.
One is fixed asset tax and second is city planning tax.
Land and houses and buildings on which the city planning tax is levied are the same as the objects of taxation for the fixed assets tax.
When the deal went through. the new owner’s first annual property-tax bill came to standard rate 1.7% of its assessed value.
Unlike London or New York, in Japan the same tax rate is applied to price band.

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