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International Property
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Japan’s property market booms with US$22.8 billion investment surge

Tokyo reigns as Asia’s top metro area, with US$13.2 billion in property deals in the first half of 2025, according to MSCI

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Office and residential buildings are pictured from an observation deck at the Shinjuku business district in Tokyo on February 10, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE
Cheryl Arcibal

Japan’s renewed economic vigour is spurring more investment in its property market, especially the multifamily segment, but the environment presents challenges for investors, according to Hong Kong-based Avatar Capital Partners.

The world’s fifth-largest economy was attracting more property investment from both domestic and foreign capital, which required the asset-management firm to be savvy in its investment choices to secure assets, said Angel Li, a founding partner.

Avatar said in July that it had completed fundraising of 15.2 billion yen (US$103 million) for its inaugural real estate fund, ACP Real Estate Fund I, and formed a strategic partnership with US-based real estate investment manager Townsend Group and its client.

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The fund acquired five multifamily assets with 700 units in the residential segment in Central Tokyo and was looking to add more, Li said.

“There is still a lot of housing demand in Central Tokyo,” she said. “It’s quite resilient, as the occupancy rate for the multifamily segment is 96 per cent.”

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The assets typically comprised one-bedroom units with an area between 25 square metres (269 sq ft) and 40 square metres, Li said. The average asking rent was 150,000 yen a month.

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