May and first-quarter releases postponed
On August 27, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced that the property price index for May 2026 and the first quarter, originally scheduled for release on August 31, would be postponed. The ministry cited a problem in the calculation program and said additional time was required for calculation and verification. Releases covering January through April 2026 and the fourth quarter of 2025 have also been delayed for the same reason.
An important transaction-price data series
The property price index is based on roughly 300,000 real estate transaction records a year and tracks price movements nationally, regionally and by metropolitan area. Separate series cover residential and commercial property. The ministry also publishes transaction counts and areas based on ownership-transfer registration data. Because the price index uses actual transaction information rather than advertised asking prices, it is an important source for longer-term market analysis.
Check the observation period of every data source
When official releases are delayed, analysts need to be particularly careful about the date represented by each indicator. Today's asking prices, transaction data from several months earlier and a delayed government index may describe different phases of the market. Overseas investors should not assume that the most recently published statistic necessarily reflects current pricing. Until the index schedule normalizes, combining sales-volume data, private transaction or asking-price statistics and land-price surveys can provide a broader picture.