A two-storey house for $22,680: Why these S’poreans bought homes in Japan
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(Clockwise from top left) Joe Ong’s two-storey house in Iwamizawa; Nora Ang’s duplex serviced apartment in Tomamu; the view from a two-bedroom unit in Wakayama priced at 450,000 yen; and the bedroom of an apartment in the Dotonbori district in Osaka priced at around 61 million yen.
PHOTOS: JOE ONG, NORA ANG, FMI JAPAN, AKIYA JOURNEY
- Singaporeans can buy property in Japan with the same rights as locals, without foreign-buyer surcharges.
- One Singaporean bought a four-bedroom house in Iwamizawa for 2.8 million yen as a holiday home.
- Others have avoided akiya and preferred more certainty, easier upkeep and peace of mind.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Buying a house in Japan for about the price of a car in Singapore may sound too good to be true, especially for those accustomed to property prices here.
But Singaporeans enjoy the same legal ownership rights as Japanese citizens and can purchase property without paying a foreign-buyer surcharge or foreigner-specific property tax.