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This is a weekly news summary taken from Real Estate Japan’s Twitter feed.  If you’d like to see these articles as they go online throughout the week, follow us on Twitter at “Real Estate Nihon”.

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Earthquake building testing in Japan (via The BBC)

One of Japan’s richest men, the billionaire property developer Akira Mori, has called for a halt to the building of skyscrapers.  Since the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March, sales of high-rise apartments in Japan have plummeted. Some renters have even moved to lower apartments.  Click here to continue reading.

Philippines Sees $1 Billion In Japanese Investments (via NASDAQ)

The Philippines is expecting to secure at least $1 billion in fresh Japanese investment during President Benigno Aquino’s upcoming trip to Japan.  Click here to continue reading.

Four Seasons plans to open third property in Japan (via 4Hoteliers)

Toronto-based hotel management firm, Four Seasons Hotels, has announced plans to expand its current portfolio of 85 hotels worldwide by opening a new property in Okinawa, Japan, in as early as 2014.  Click here to continue reading.

Japanese return cash recovered after tsunami (via The Los Angeles Times)

The unmarked envelope floated into the living room of the home in northeastern Japan , riding the wave of tsunami floodwaters. Inside, the astounded resident found $40,000 in yen notes.  Click here to continue reading.

Are We Japan Yet? No! But Closer! (via The Wall Street Journal)

Yields on U.S. Treasurys have taken a fresh turn to stunningly low levels after Fed’s latest attempt to help the economy. At last glance the yield on the 10-year T-note is down to 1.77%.   Click here to continue reading.

KKR, CVC, Carlyle see rising Asia deals next 6-9 months (via Reuters)

Global buyout firms in Asia-Pacific see growing investment opportunities in the region in the next six to nine months as companies seek alternative sources of financing because of turmoil in global markets and tighter credit.  Click here to continue reading.

Annual government survey illustrates disastrous events’ impact on real estate values nationwide (via The Daily Yomiuri)

The nation’s benchmark land prices for the 12 months to July 1, released Tuesday by the land ministry, highlight the marked impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the ensuing nuclear crisis on land prices.  Click here to continue reading.

Nomura Real Estate Office Fund Downgraded To ‘A-/A-2′ (via Reuters)

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services today said that it has lowered to ‘A-’ from ‘A’ its long-term corporate credit rating, and to ‘A-2′ from ‘A-1′ its short-term corporate credit rating, on Nomura Real Estate Office Fund Inc. (NOF).  Click here to continue reading.

Trump to Expand Brand in China After Projects in Manila, Seoul, Japan (via Bloomberg Businessweek)

Donald J. Trump, the U.S. billionaire real-estate developer, is planning to put his name on projects in China and Japan as he expands his brand in Asia after developments for South Korea, the Philippines and India.  Click here to continue reading.

Japan 2011 Land Prices -3.4% Y/Y, 20th Straight Yearly Drop (via Market News International)

The average national price of land for all purposes measured on July 1 fell 3.4%, posting the 20th straight annual drop following -3.7% last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said on Tuesday.  Click here to continue reading.

Bank of Japan Bought 24 Billion Yen of ETFs, J-REITs (via Bloomberg)

The Bank of Japan purchased 22.3 billion yen ($291 million) in exchange-traded funds and 1.7 billion yen in Japanese real-estate investment trusts yesterday, according to a statement on the central bank’s website.  Click here to continue reading.

Land Prices Falling Faster In Eastern Japan (via The Nikkei)

The March 11 disaster put a damper on land prices, especially in the eastern part of the country, according to 2011 data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.  Click here to continue reading.

Asia Offers The Best Real Estate Investing (via Ebeling Heffernan)

Heffernan Capital Management remain bullish on Real Estate in Asia despite the global slowdown. “property in the main business centers of Asia offer great long term value now” said Shayne Heffernan.  Click here to continue reading.

Prologis Leases in Japan (via Zack’s)

Prologis Leases in Japan-Prologis recently signed two lease contracts for a total space of 410,200 square feet in Prologis Park Kawajima, located near Tokyo.  Click here to continue reading.

Photo credit: Andrew Bossi via Wikimedia Commons

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