Japan May Soon Record Nationalities of Real Estate Owners, as Pressure Mounts on Condo Prices

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:29 JST, November 21, 2025

The government is considering requiring that real estate registries include owners’ nationalities. Currently, registries list owners’ names and addresses but not their nationalities.

This is expected to help people understand real estate purchases by foreigners so that it can shape an appropriate market environment, as condominium prices continue to rise.

Since spring, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry has been surveying property acquisitions by foreigners based on registration data and will release the results soon.

The survey has identified property owners with overseas addresses in the registries, but it was still difficult to accurately track acquisitions by foreigners residing in Japan. The government is planning to amend the law to mandate that owners’ nationalities be included in the registries.

The surge in condo prices, particularly in urban areas, is said to have been partly driven by foreigners purchasing the units, resulting in a tighter supply.

According to sources, the survey has found that foreigners with addresses outside Japan accounted for 3% of new condos purchase in Tokyo from January to June. Also, 8.5% of new condos were resold within a year of purchase, regardless of whether the buyer’s address was in Japan or abroad.

The government will continue to carry out such surveys and is expected to budget for this in its comprehensive economic measures. The Real Estate Companies Association of Japan, a group of major real estate firms, is developing guidelines to prevent the speculative resale of condos, such as by prohibiting resale before handover.