Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward to Survey Vacant Apartments, Condos to Subsidize Renovation, Increase Reasonably Priced Rental Properties

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:42 JST, November 3, 2025

Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward government has decided to conduct a survey on apartment and condominium vacancies in the ward next fiscal year.

The ward plans to subsidize renovations for the properties so that they can be rented out at a reasonable price.

The measure is aimed at curbing the soaring prices of the properties in central Tokyo.

The ward has already started a preliminary survey on some of the properties and plans to allocate money for the full survey under the general account budget bill for next fiscal year.

There are thought to be several thousand vacancies in apartment buildings in the ward, according to sources close to ward officials. Starting next spring, one year will be used to identify all the vacancies and interview the owners to determine the status of each unit. The ward will then confirm whether the owners are willing to renovate the property and what the estimated cost would be.

Once the outcome of the survey has been finalized, the ward will discuss an appropriate amount for the subsidy with the aim of encouraging the owners to renovate their properties.

In July, amid the rising prices, the ward demanded that the Real Estate Companies Association of Japan, whose member companies include major real estate firms, put restrictions on speculative deals in the market for apartments and condominiums.

The goal of the survey is to increase the number of affordable rental properties in the ward so that the number of residents there will grow.