Housing construction starts still at a much lower level than last year

Article by Martina Nöstler (translated by Eva Guzely) | 05.05.2026 - 09:26

In March, Japan recorded an all-time low in housing construction starts. Compared to the same month of 2025, the figures dropped sharply. First-quarter housing construction starts, too, are well below the level recorded in the same period last year.

Statistics of Japan reports 63,495 housing construction starts in March, i.e. a 29% decrease compared to March 2025. It has to be said, though, that March 2025 was one of the strongest months, at nearly 90,000 housing construction starts. March 2026 fell short of the ten-year average of 74,420 by around 10,000 starts.

In the first quarter, construction started on 177,023 housing units. Compared to the same period last year (Q1 2025: 206,501), this corresponds to a decrease of 14%.