Japan to Force Foreign Firms to Reveal Owners in Land Grab Crackdown

Japan will soon require foreign companies to disclose who owns them when buying sensitive land. This new rule targets forest areas and properties near military bases and remote islands. The government announced the change on Tuesday. It will start in April 2026. The decision follows a recent government study. It found that foreign buyers purchased 3,498 properties near key security sites in the last fiscal year. Nearly half of those buyers were from China. Currently, corporations can buy such land without revealing their ultimate owners. The new rules will demand disclosure of the nationalities of company leaders. The goal is to prevent hidden purchases that could threaten national security. Japan's government says it is closing a legal loophole. It wants greater transparency over who controls land near its most sensitive locations.