Land Held by Presumed Foreign Owners Accounts for 0.12-0.46% of All Registered Parcels, Government's First Nationwide Survey Finds
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The Japanese government published the results of its first nationwide survey of land and building ownership by foreign nationals and foreign corporations on September 15, 2026. According to the Sankei Shimbun, an analysis of registration records found that land held by owners presumed to be foreign nationals or foreign corporations, based on names and similar indicators, totaled between 271,000 and 1,069,000 parcels — 0.12% to 0.46% of all registered land nationwide. For buildings, the figure was 183,000 to 566,000 structures, or 0.35% to 1.07% of the total.
All of the figures are estimates derived from names and similar indicators rather than tallies based on verified nationality, which accounts for the wide ranges. The survey was compiled by the Cabinet Secretariat from the findings of relevant ministries as part of the review of policy toward foreign nationals pursued by the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. NHK, meanwhile, reported building ownership by overseas residents including Japanese nationals at roughly 0.2% of the total, so the definitions used differ between reports.
Separately, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism also published for the first time a tally of notifications of large-scale land acquisitions by foreign nationals and foreign corporations, recording 68 notifications to local governments across 21 prefectures between July and December 2025.
Current status: Deliberations at the Cabinet Secretariat's study panel on rules for land acquisition by foreign nationals, and the outlook for any concrete regulation, are not yet settled as of this writing. This article will be updated as further details emerge.
On real estate more broadly, declaring nationality has been mandatory for property ownership registration since October 5, 2026. Related coverage
Editorial Perspective
Responses at the municipal level play a role in bridging the gap between national policy design and residents' lived experience. Whether a move like this spreads to other municipalities will be worth watching going forward. In particular, whether information-sharing between municipalities facing similar challenges leads to wider adoption of successful approaches may shape how effective this policy area becomes overall.