These can’t all be real businesses… 
Of course, the Japanese are still widely held to be racist. Maybe some Indians have done well for themselves, but there are no shortage of YouTube videos discussing how racist the Japanese are…
My view is that Japan needs to rearm up the ying yang and attract the right type of foreigner/immigrant to deal with depopulation, not necessarily English teachers or Rappongi gangsters. The gov is doing it right.
Pretty big ifs, especially reducing economic dependence on China
After decades of association with the country’s past militarism, Japan’s defense industry is experiencing a renaissance. If the country can overcome its lack of capacity, poor cybersecurity, and economic dependence on China, it could redefine its own security and reshape the global market for arms.
GTFO foreign aliens, not welcome in Japan
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/05/21/japan/society/stricter-business-manager-visa/
I gave up my business manager visa because even under the old rules Japan isn’t a good place to run a business. Taiwan is much better.I do all my business in Japan thru distributors now and it works well.
Things aren’t quite that dire for someone like me though if I’d waited until I was forced to shut down to leave. I could have just left the country on my expiring business manager visa and come back the next day on a 90 day visa exempt tourist entry. I’ve spent up to 180 days in a calendar year in Japan as a visa exempt tourist and that’s plenty of time for me to manage a house and large property I own there.
At what point do you think they will ban tourists from owning property?
Guy
I don’t see that happening because there are so many abandoned properties in Japan. Having foreigners buying these properties and keeping them up and spending (limited) time there is a tremendous benefit to Japan and far better than the alternative.
Where I live in Hokkaido you can buy a decent house in town for $50,000 USD or less because there’s no local demand for them.
Everytime I go back to Japan I see more farmhouses going dark and falling into disrepair, more businesses closing, and more houses in the nearby village going vacant. The locals are clearly happy to have me and my family spending time and money there helping reverse the trend.
Link?
And how much work/money needs to go into it before it’s habitable?
My Facebook feed is full of em. Throughout Japan, 33000 to 60000 will get you a lot in semi urban areas, even waterfront. But in Japan, there is a culture to rebuild so it won’t gain in profit and repairs, asbestos, etc can be expensive.
Right. If repairs give you Theseus’ ship—
Meanwhile hostess clubs are experiencing unprecedented volume and new male host clubs are opening more than ever.
I recommend against buying an akiya because, for one thing, you’ll probably never be able to resell it and in Japan you can’t just abandon a property. You’re responsible for paying property taxes, maintenance and upkeep as long as you’re the owner. You can leave the country to avoid these legal responsibilities but they keep piling up with interest and penalties so don’t plan on coming back.
Another reason is the residential districts of Japanese cities, towns and villages tend to be drab and soulless because Japanese peoply typically don’t like to live in a house someone else has lived in so they build houses to be disposable, which means cheap.
I spend a lot of time in Japanese towns in the countryside and they’re typically sad places because they’re dying and amenities are getting scarcer. You couldn’t pay me to live in one of them.
The only property I recommend buying in Japan is either upscale apartments near entertainment districts of major cities or property zoned wilderness. Property zoned wilderness generally means it’s heavily forested with rivers and streams and lots of natural beauty. Even better is to buy forest property near a national park or major ski resort because tourism makes the area desirable so there’s a resale market for property there you don’t find in small towns. Foreigners can easily buy property zoned wilderness.
It’s very difficult for a non-resident foreigner to buy property zoned agricultural in Japan though so buying a farmhouse is rarely an option. You typically wouldn’t want to anyway because when the surrounding farmers are fertilizing their fields the odor is quite unpleasant for days.
What are the taxes like? I heard pricey.
I love farming and jungle smells…
I don’t mind the smell of manure on the fields either but we’re in the distinct minority on that one.
Property taxes are actually remarkable low - at least where I’m at. For seven acres and a custom built 2,000 sq ft house I pay the equivalent of $500 US a year.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/05/27/japan/society/social-norms-low-birth-rate/
Seems like Japanese guys prefer cats to women, very weird
ChatGPT advice leads to arrest, resignation of Giants’ Abe https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16592922
japan aint safe no more…
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ppp 4 lyf!!!