List Development (Onoecho 4-chome 47, Naka- ku, Yokohama) has selected ITOGUMI CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD., to develop its villa area in the Hirafu district of Kutchan Town and construction will start in the near future. A total area of 6.5 ha will be developed. The project is aimed for completion by the end of this year.

It was learned on March 7 that Rakuten STAY (headquartered in Tokyo), which operates the Rakuten Group’s Rakuten STAY brand of lodging facilities, is planning to expand into Hokkaido. The company acquired approximately 6,000 m2 of land in the Kitanomine area of Furano City where ski resorts, hotels and pensions are concentrated. Luxury rental villas will be constructed there in the future. The presence of a major domestic player is expected to create new tourism and investment needs and revitalize Kitanomine, where large-scale development has been slow.

The project involves a total area of 99,506 m2, including 64-1 Mukogaoka, Rusutsu, which is close to the roadside rest area, Michi-no-Eki 230 Rusutsu and other facilities. There will be a total of 25 lots of approximately 2,000 – 6,500 m2 each.

Interviews with several sources revealed on November 13 that Rakuten Group, Inc. (headquarters: Tokyo) is planning to build a data center (DC) in the Ishikari Bay New Port area of Ishikari City. This data center will have an estimated power capacity of around 10–15 megawatts. By using renewable energy power produced in Hokkaido, it will be an eco-friendly facility used for their own business operations. Construction is apparently targeted to start in or after 2024.