AIAIG Overseas Property Investment Weekly Report | Week 1, 2026: Policy and...
Statistical period: December 29, 2025 – January 4, 2026. This article focuses on policy and regulatory signals released during the 'year-end window' in Southeast Asia (Singapore/Malaysia/Thailand/Vietnam), Japan, and Dubai: transparency in foreign property purchases, adjustments to transaction taxes and stamp duties, housing supply and security pace, upgrades in mortgage and mortgage registration efficiency, and highlights the most noteworthy institutional changes of the week.
I. Weekly Overview: Policy Keywords for the New Year Week – "Rule Implementation, Tone Setting, Efficiency Upgrade"
Week 1 of 2026 falls within the cross-year window (12/29–01/04). Such periods are often not concentrated release times for "major stimuli," but rather:
• Incorporate announced policies into execution processes (or clarify execution guidelines)
• Announce annual/quarterly data guidelines to provide the market with a "new year anchor"
• Turn financial and registration services into "usable products" to enhance transaction efficiency
AIAIG View: The cross-year week is more suitable for focusing on changes in the "institutional foundation"—these changes will not immediately drive up prices, but will alter the friction costs, compliance requirements, and market transparency for foreign investment in real estate over the coming year.
II. Japan: The Core Signal for Foreign Investment in Real Estate Remains "Must Be Traceable"
Japan continued its policy focus from mid-December during the New Year's week: by improving declaration and registration information, it upgraded foreign real estate acquisition from a 'discussion topic' to a 'quantifiable governance target'.
This week, the key points for investors to grasp are not 'whether purchases will be banned,' but two clearer paths:
- Expansion of foreign real estate purchase declaration scope: from the previous emphasis on 'investment purpose declarations,' it now covers residential purchases, allowing the government to more comprehensively understand foreign participation (reports mention the target points to an implementation timeline for the next year).
- Improvement of property acquisition information: a system direction requiring new owners to disclose nationality or nationality-related information, strengthening the data foundation.
AIAIG perspective: This means Japan is more likely to adopt a 'data-first, then differentiation' governance approach in the future: first, clearly mapping the profile of foreign real estate purchases, then discussing whether to tighten scrutiny or adjust tax burdens for certain areas or transaction types. For Chinese buyers, the importance of preparing compliant materials and the explainability of funding sources has increased.
