Japan Government Strengthens Foreign Buyer Regulation, Multiple New Measures to Be Implemented

On November 4, 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae presided over the "Ministerial Conference on Foreign National Policy" and proposed multiple regulatory measures targeting foreign property purchases.

Purchasing forest land requires submitting a "Forest Acquisition Declaration" and mandatory filling of nationality and passport numbers to prevent foreign capital from using water source forest land for private or military purposes.

All real estate transfer transactions must fill out the "Transfer Registration Application," adding a "Nationality/Residence" column, and overseas residents not legally residing in Japan need to additionally submit "Foreign Asset Certificates".

Launch a "National Apartment Building Foreign Ownership Rate Census," focusing on Tokyo's 23 wards, Osaka, Okinawa, Hokkaido and other regions. If a building's foreign ownership ratio exceeds 30%, it will be listed as a "Focus Object".

Incorporate coastal areas, upstream water sources, high-speed rail lines, etc. into "Focus Areas". In these areas, foreign nationals purchasing land must report to the Cabinet Office for prior review, with a maximum review period of 90 days, during which construction cannot begin.

For cases where foreign nationals purchase strategically important land, the government supports recovering land ownership through crowdfunding and other methods to maintain national security.

These measures aim to strengthen regulation of foreign property purchases and ensure national security and rational land use.

Data source: backchina.com