I’ve been living in Japan for nearly 20 years and have been buying and developing property for about half that time. Houses, land, commercial spaces. Urban, suburban, rural. I’ve dealt with the usual issues you expect as a foreign buyer and seller, but nothing prepared me for what happened this week in a small rural town.
I found a plot I liked, agreed on the price, and we were literally at the final stage before contract signing. Suddenly the local municipality stepped in and told my agent that I would need to attend a community meeting. Not to discuss zoning. Not to explain the type of building I want to put up. But to explain myself. Who I am. Why I’m buying the land. And essentially to justify my presence.
This already sounded strange, so I asked directly whether this meeting was required because I’m a foreigner. My agent hesitated and then admitted yes, that is the reason.
I’ve only lawyered up once before over discrimination, see my Reddit post about apartment refusal because of my foreign name. My legal pressure worked and I secured the unit for one of my staff. But this situation felt different. This wasn’t a landlord. This was a municipality.
Now here it comes: My agent and the municipality provided me with a list of “points” they recommended I should address during the meeting. The list literally included lines such as “I am not from China, Korea, Pakistan, or Turkey” and “I am not planning to engage in shady business or disturb the local community.” There were other points too, all in the same tone. The way the agent spoke about other racial groups and the open discrimination made me feel very uneasy. It was surreal.
I asked what happens if I refuse to attend due to moral concerns. He told me the purchase cannot legally proceed without this meeting and the majority approval of the committee and residents.
I have never encountered anything like this anywhere in Japan, especially not in the context of an official and legal land transaction. Part of me wants to call it out for what it clearly is. Another part of me doesn’t want to end up in a legal fight, with a municipality, not a private landlord – especially in this "new climate" we're in.
Japan’s political climate has shifted and it is happening fast. The political conservative right is louder, stronger, and more visible than even a few years ago. Things that used to stay unspoken, tucked away in people’s heads, are now being said out loud and sometimes even formalized into processes like this. I am not against stricter rules and enforcement.
But it is clearly a dangerous slippery slope. Because where do you draw the line. Prepare for it. The different Japan. Its coming.
by Sensitive-Concert591