Copyright kyodonews
TOKYO - Nearly 70 percent of executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's local chapters in Japan's 47 prefectures support stricter regulations on land purchases by foreign individuals or companies, a Kyodo News poll showed Saturday, ahead of the Oct. 4 party leadership election. The survey, conducted on Monday when the campaign for the LDP race kicked off, showed 32 of the 47 believe regulations on land purchases by foreign nationals or entities "should be strengthened." Among the five candidates in the leadership contest, former internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi and former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi have both vowed to tighten rules on land acquisition by foreigners. Former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, meanwhile, has said a centralized system should be introduced to oversee such land purchases. The poll found six respondents chose Takaichi as the most desirable LDP president. Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi was backed by five, Kobayashi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi were supported by four each, Motegi had the backing of one, while 27 said they do not know yet or did not answer. Property purchases by foreign individuals and companies are a major issue during the campaign for the LDP leadership race to elect a successor to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who announced his resignation earlier in the month. The average price of a new condominium in central Tokyo in the first six months of 2025 rose to a record high. Some analysts say the acquisition of properties by foreigners for investment purposes has helped drive up their prices in Japan. The government late last year showed results of its first survey on property purchases by foreign individuals or entities around critical security facilities and border islands in Japan. Among other issues that should be discussed in the lead up to the election, 16 respondents said the rising cost of living should be a priority. The survey showed 20 respondents believe there is no problem in appointing LDP lawmakers who were involved in a political fund scandal to Cabinet or key party posts. The ruling coalition of the LDP and its junior partner, the Komeito party, lost its majority in both chambers of the parliament in two national elections within a year partly due to the scandal. In the leadership election, each of the LDP's 295 Diet members will cast a vote, and another 295 votes will be determined based on ballots of rank-and-file members. If no candidate obtains an outright majority in the first round on the election, a runoff between the top two contenders will be held the same day. The number of votes cast by lawmakers will remain the same, but grassroots votes will be reduced to one per each of the LDP's 47 prefectural chapters.
