Housing Starts, Japan
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan’s housing starts in July 2014 were 72,880 units, a 14.1 per cent drop from the same month in the previous year, and was below the result of the preceding year for the fifth consecutive month, said the Japan Lumber Journal Friday.
Japan Housing Starts
Seasonally- adjusted annual rate was no more than 839,000 units. Total floor area decreased to 6,231,000 square meters, down 18.2 per cent.
Japan housing starts of rental houses, which had been good until the previous month, decreased for the first time in 17 months with 28,623 units, down 7.7 per cent, said the Japan Lumber Journal. Those of owner-occupied houses and built-for-sale houses also decrease. Among them, the reduction rate in owner-occupied houses is as large as 25.3 per cent. Those of built-for- sale houses decreased for the sixth consecutive month with 20,042 units, down 7.7 per cent; in particular, those of condominiums dropped as sharply as 12.7 per cent. Those of single-family houses dropped, down 3.7 per cent, for the third straight month.
Starts of 2×4 houses also marked five consecutive month of decline with 8,908 units, down 10.4 per cent.