Japan's land prices fell the least since the global financial crisis in the year to July 1, while commercial land in the three biggest cities rose in value for the first time in the same period, the latest signs that deflation is easing its stubborn grip on the country.
Land prices nationwide fell 1.9 percent, narrowing from the previous year's 2.7 percent decline and the smallest drop since 2008, a government survey showed on Thursday.This brings Japan closer to ending 22 years of falling land prices - a legacy of the country's massive 1980s asset bubble.
The gradual narrowing of land-price declines is good news for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose top priority is ending Japan's long battle with deflation and spurring sustained growth with an expansionary policy mix of monetary, fiscal and structural reform measures.
The latest land ministry data already show how uneven the real-estate improvement has been, with rises limited to the best properties in the choicest areas.
Commercial land prices in the greater Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya areas ticked up 0.6 percent, and residential land in Nagoya - home of Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) - rose 0.7 percent, the first such increases since prices tumbled in the wake of Lehman Brothers' collapse.
Overall land prices in cities surrounding the three largest cities also edged up by 0.1 percent.
The gradual narrowing of land-price declines is good news for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose top priority is ending Japan's long battle with deflation and spurring sustained growth with an expansionary policy mix of monetary, fiscal and structural reform measures.
The latest land ministry data already show how uneven the real-estate improvement has been, with rises limited to the best properties in the choicest areas.
Commercial land prices in the greater Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya areas ticked up 0.6 percent, and residential land in Nagoya - home of Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) - rose 0.7 percent, the first such increases since prices tumbled in the wake of Lehman Brothers' collapse.
Overall land prices in cities surrounding the three largest cities also edged up by 0.1 percent.
