Japan’s new housing starts in April-September in 2013 increased 12.7% from a year earlier to 499,032, the Land Ministry announced on October 31st. ahead of consumption tax increase in April 2014, demand surge in owned and rented houses pushed up the total number. The number is the largest for a half period of the year next to the first half of 2008, right before the Lehman Shock and the increasing rate reaches the second highest level from one in the first half of 1996, a year before the tax increase.

The number of ground breaking of owned houses rose 13.5% to 182,940, rented houses up 13.4% to 177,412, build-for-sale apartments up 12.9% to 67,631, and built-for-sale detached houses up 11.1% to 67,775.

By region, the number of new condominium starts increased 2.1% in the Tokyo region to 36,408, 31.9% up in the Nagoya region to 4042 and 9.3% up in the Osaka region to 13,614. (2013/11/1)