SoftBank Corp. and its subsidiary IDC Frontier Inc., both headquartered in Tokyo, announced on November 7th their master plan to develop a data center (DC) hub with a power capacity of over 300 megawatt on a 70-hectare site in Tomakomai City. It will be the largest domestic facility complex of its kind. Construction of an initial 50-megawatt data center planned to open in FY 2026 will commence in FY 2024. The project cost for the first building alone exceeds 65 billion yen, of which a maximum of 30 billion yen is expected to come from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s development subsidy program.

Real estate investment firm Wealth Management, Inc. (1-12-32 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kazutoshi Senno) is planning to build a hotel with a total floor area of 15,369 m2 in the Kabayama area of Kutchan Town. The company will select a building contractor and plans to initiate construction in April 2024.

In Kitanomine, Furano, a ski resort that has been gaining popularity as a “second Niseko,” construction of hotels and condominiums has stalled against the backdrop of soaring material costs. For example, after initiating preliminary work on a resort hotel last year, Tokyo-based Route Inn Japan has been unable to continue with the main construction, leading to repeated schedule revisions. Groups like Sapporo-headquartered Zekkei Fenix, which planned to start building their third condominium this spring, have postponed construction due to the unpredictability of construction costs caused by material price surges. Nonetheless, speculative interest in Kitanomine real estate among foreign investors remains high, fueled in part by the weaker yen.

List Development (4-47 Onoe-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama), a company handling the planning and development of condominiums, plans to develop villa lots for sale in the Soga area of Niseko. The development area involves 15 lots on a total area of 2.4 ha. Actual land development is expected to begin in the spring of 2024.

DoubleDragon Corporation, a Philippine real estate developer, will soon begin construction on HOTEL101 NISEKO, a condominium hotel. This is the first overseas expansion of this hotel brand. The company aims to promote its relatively affordable prices, with Niseko serving as its foothold for global expansion.