Japan Housing Starts
Housing starts are the number of new dwelling units on which construction has begun, based on the Statistics on Building Construction Starts. This page shows the year-over-year change in the number of units for total housing and for owner-occupied, rental and built-for-sale housing (condominiums and detached houses built for sale). The rates are calculated on this site from the published numbers of units.
📖 How to read this indicator
Housing starts reflect household demand for housing as well as mortgage rates and construction costs. Built-for-sale housing, which includes condominiums, can swing sharply from month to month when large projects begin. Changes in building regulations can also cause temporary jumps or drops, such as the rush to start construction before the rules changed in April 2025.
Data table
| Month | Total | Owner-occupied | Rental | Built for sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 5.3% | -0.1% | 4.7% | 7.1% |
| Jul 2026 | 8.5% | 1.0% | 9.6% | 14.7% |
| Jun 2026 | 18.2% | 14.2% | 24.6% | 14.2% |
| May 2026 | 36.6% | 33.8% | 38.5% | 38.7% |
| Apr 2026 | 13.0% | 21.0% | 19.3% | 3.2% |
| Mar 2026 | -30.1% | -28.5% | -36.5% | -21.7% |
| Feb 2026 | -5.1% | -5.3% | -3.4% | -8.3% |
| Jan 2026 | -0.2% | 7.5% | -1.6% | -5.3% |
| Dec 2025 | -2.0% | -3.3% | -3.5% | 1.4% |
| Nov 2025 | -7.2% | -7.7% | -3.8% | -10.8% |
| Oct 2025 | 3.1% | -7.5% | 3.5% | 14.5% |
| Sep 2025 | -8.3% | -6.9% | -9.5% | -8.5% |
| Aug 2025 | -9.8% | -11.4% | -8.0% | -7.5% |
| Jul 2025 | -8.9% | -9.8% | -13.3% | -1.0% |
| Jun 2025 | -16.0% | -16.9% | -14.5% | -18.0% |
| May 2025 | -32.8% | -29.9% | -28.2% | -43.8% |
| Apr 2025 | -26.4% | -24.2% | -27.3% | -30.0% |
| Mar 2025 | 39.0% | 36.5% | 50.3% | 23.6% |
| Feb 2025 | 1.4% | -2.0% | 2.2% | 5.0% |
| Jan 2025 | -4.6% | -6.3% | -2.3% | -6.5% |
| Dec 2024 | -3.9% | 3.0% | 0.7% | -16.0% |
| Nov 2024 | -1.7% | 9.6% | -4.7% | -6.3% |
| Oct 2024 | -3.7% | 8.9% | -8.4% | -9.6% |
| Sep 2024 | -0.9% | 0.2% | 3.1% | -6.6% |
| Aug 2024 | -3.5% | -5.7% | 1.5% | -11.1% |
| Jul 2024 | -1.7% | -6.4% | 2.1% | -3.5% |
| Jun 2024 | -5.0% | -5.4% | -2.5% | -8.3% |
| May 2024 | -6.0% | -7.6% | -7.3% | -1.1% |
| Apr 2024 | 13.0% | -4.4% | 20.4% | 15.4% |
| Mar 2024 | -12.0% | -4.4% | -12.3% | -17.0% |
| Feb 2024 | -7.5% | -9.2% | 0.8% | -17.7% |
| Jan 2024 | -8.1% | -12.0% | 2.3% | -17.2% |
| Dec 2023 | -4.4% | -13.5% | -4.5% | 4.7% |
| Nov 2023 | -7.2% | -15.5% | -4.6% | -4.3% |
| Oct 2023 | -7.7% | -17.6% | -3.9% | -1.4% |
| Sep 2023 | -7.2% | -14.4% | -3.0% | -6.2% |
| Aug 2023 | -8.6% | -5.1% | -4.7% | -14.6% |
| Jul 2023 | -6.3% | -7.7% | 2.3% | -16.2% |
| Jun 2023 | -3.2% | -10.7% | 1.7% | -2.5% |
| May 2023 | 4.7% | -11.7% | 13.9% | 8.2% |
| Apr 2023 | -12.0% | -12.1% | -2.7% | -23.3% |
| Mar 2023 | -3.9% | -12.9% | -0.4% | -0.3% |
| Feb 2023 | -1.7% | -6.5% | 2.3% | -2.0% |
| Jan 2023 | 5.5% | -6.7% | 2.5% | 23.7% |
| Dec 2022 | -1.0% | -11.8% | 7.2% | 0.7% |
| Nov 2022 | -0.6% | -15.3% | 12.5% | 0.2% |
| Oct 2022 | -1.8% | -17.9% | 7.0% | 4.0% |
| Sep 2022 | 1.6% | -13.1% | 7.9% | 11.8% |
| Aug 2022 | 4.3% | -13.4% | 8.5% | 17.5% |
| Jul 2022 | -5.6% | -15.9% | 0.8% | -2.0% |