As China, Hong Kong property markets stabilise, is it time for investors to quit Japan?



As Japan enters a new era with the likely election of Sanae Takaichi as the first female prime minister of Asia’s second-largest economy, is it time for property investors to end their enduring love affair with Japanese real estate?

The 64-year-old Takaichi emerged last week as the leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, paving the way for her to seek the premiership, although uncertainties remain following the collapse of a coalition with the party’s allies.

Under an anticipated dovish Takaichi administration, Japan was likely to delay the normalisation of its monetary policy, which presented both opportunities and challenges to investors, said Ada Choi, head of research for Asia-Pacific at property consultancy CBRE.

Japan’s interest rates are among the lowest of all developed markets, with the Bank of Japan pausing tightening and keeping its benchmark short-term rate of 0.5 per cent in place at its most recent meeting last month.

Meanwhile, the property markets of Hong Kong and mainland China, given their prolonged downturns, provided investors with a chance to acquire assets at attractive prices, Choi added.

“Japan has been overweight for a lot of investors in the past few years, so it is time to think about diversification,” Choi said. “Investors with a higher risk appetite should think about countercyclical investment in China and Hong Kong. These are the markets that have seen significant correction in pricing, and there is a potential for recovery and rebalancing of the market.”

  • Related Posts

    Regal’s US$194 million hotel sale highlights investor push into Hong Kong student housing

    Regal Hotels International Holdings and its units have sold the 494-room Regal Kowloon Hotel for about HK$1.52 billion (US$194 million) to the real estate investment arm of Centaline Group, which…

    Continue reading
    Forging Legacies: HK4FAMILIES | South China Morning Post

    [The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Three years of intensive research and dialogue within Hong Kong’s wealth ecosystem have culminated in the official launch…

    Continue reading

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *