February 2022 Japan Housing and Non-residential Construction Starts

Shawn Lawlor

By: Shawn Lawlor

Managing Director, Canada Wood Japan/COFI Japan

February 2022 Japan Housing Starts

February total housing starts increased 6.3% to 64,614 units. While owner occupied housing fell 5.6%, rental housing gained 4.6%. The mansion condominium market jumped 23.3%. Wooden housing remained flat at the 35,000 level. Post and beam starts gained an incremental 1.2% to 28,502 units. Wooden prefab starts were flat at 711 units and total prefab housing rose 1.8% to 8,376 units. Platform frame starts fell 5.8% to 6,194 units. Results of 2×4 starts by housing type were as follows: single family custom homes fell 10% to 2,108 units, rental housing retreated 6.8% to 3,164 units and built for sale spec housing increased 5.3% to 877 units.

February 2022 Non-Residential Construction

Non-residential starts posted small gains with non-wood up 22 units to 3,290 and wooden construction up 3 to 1,156 units. Total non-residential floor area grew 18.8% to 3,146,639m2. However, wooden non-residential floor area declined 8% to 204,496m2. The elderly care, medical and social welfare facilities, mixed residential and commercial and business services categories led wood consumption.