May and first-quarter releases postponed
Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced on August 27 that the Real Estate Price Index scheduled for release on August 31, covering May 2026 and the first quarter, would be postponed. The ministry said a problem had occurred in the calculation program and additional time was needed to identify the cause and verify the results. Releases for January through April 2026 and the fourth quarter of 2025 have also been delayed.
A key official index based on roughly 300,000 annual transactions
The Real Estate Price Index is one of Japan's core official property-market indicators. It is constructed from roughly 300,000 property transactions a year and tracks residential and commercial real estate at national, regional and metropolitan levels. The current delay makes it harder to use the index alone to follow the most recent 2026 market movement.
Users need to combine multiple datasets
While the official index is delayed, market participants can consult housing starts, REINS transaction statistics, the government's Real Estate Information Library and private asking-price and rent data. These sources measure different things, however, so asking prices should not be treated as if they were completed transaction prices. Overseas investors in particular should combine macro indicators with recent comparable transactions for the actual property they are considering.