Microsoft president Brad Smith has big plans for Japan (Image: Microsoft)
Japanese data centres lead today’s look at real estate news from around Asia Pacific, with Microsoft becoming the latest US hyperscaler to pledge a major expansion of its digital infrastructure in Japan. Also making the news, Korea’s Samsung SRA has selected a buyer for a $295 million Seoul office tower and a Japanese trust bank buys a half stake in a Mitsui data centre in Osaka.
Microsoft Partners with Softbank, Sakura Internet for $10B Japan Data Centre Plan
Microsoft said Friday it will invest $10 billion in Japan over the next four years to build artificial intelligence data centers and related infrastructure.
The US tech giant will collaborate with Japan’s SoftBank Group and Sakura Internet to expand domestic tech infrastructure, it said in a press release. Microsoft president Brad Smith said that the investment is a response to Japan’s growing need for cloud and AI services. Read more>>
Samsung SRA Selects Koramco as Preferred Bidder for $295M Gangnam 358 Office Tower
Samsung SRA Asset Management has selected Koramco Asset Trust as the preferred bidder for Gangnam 358 Tower at a reported price of around KRW 445 billion ($295 million), according to a local news report citing industry sources.
Around 10 firms participated in the earlier bidding process, including Igis Asset Management, Mastern Investment Management, and Koramco Asset Management. Completed in 1996, Gangnam 358 has a gross floor area of 32,658 square metres and is located directly in front of Gangnam Station. The deal is expected to close as early as June. Read more>>
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank Buys 51% Stake in Mitsui AM Osaka Data Centre
Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank announced late last month that it has teamed with other local investors to acquire a 51 percent stake in a hyperscale data centre in Osaka, through a core fund operated by Mitsui & Co Realty Management.
The acquisition aligns with CapitaLand Ascendas REIT’s agreement last month to invest $460 million in a Greater Osaka data centre alongside a fund managed by Mitsui & Co Realty Management. That data centre was described as having been completed in 2023 with an IT capacity of 40.5MW. Read more>>
New South Wales City Councils Push to Pause Data Centre Approvals
Councils have called on the NSW government to hit pause on approvals of new data centres until it sets rules guaranteeing that data centre power and water usage will not harm local communities or impede housing construction.
Councils, including Penrith in Sydney’s west and Ryde, which houses the Macquarie Park cluster of data centres, were among the most vocal opponents in a NSW parliamentary inquiry considering the impact of the data centre boom. Read more>>
Institutional Investment in India Real Estate Jumped 25% in Q1
Institutional investments in India’s real estate hit $1.6 billion in Q1 2026, led by domestic capital and office assets, while foreign inflows decline amid global uncertainty.
The real estate sector in India recorded institutional investments worth $1.6 billion in the January-March quarter of 2026, a 25 percent rise year-on-year, driven largely by a surge in domestic capital, according to a report released on Thursday. Read more>>
GLP Signs MOU with Huawei for China Digital Infrastructure
GLP announced on Monday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese technology company Huawei to jointly support development of digital infrastructure, alternative energy and logistics automation in mainland China.
The two companies pledge to work together to support the scaled deployment of AI computing across China, explore heavy-duty truck charging stations and battery energy storage systems within GLP logistics parks and work together on logistics automation and the integration of IoT and cloud solutions across GLP properties. Read more>>
Seoul Home Purchases by Non-Residents Fall to Lowest Level in 9 Years
The share of non-Seoul residents purchasing apartments in Seoul fell to its lowest level in approximately nine years, as the October 15 measures placed all of Seoul under a land transaction permit zone and tightened lending regulations.
According to apartment sales transaction data from the Korea Real Estate Board released on the 5th, out of a total of 20,810 apartment transactions in Seoul from November last year through February this year, 3,914 were made by buyers residing outside Seoul, accounting for 18.8 percent of the total. The figure represents a decline of 4.3 percentage points from the 23.1 percent recorded in the preceding four months and is the lowest share in roughly nine years. Read more>>
Returning Expats Drive Up Hong Kong Luxury Rents
Rents in Hong Kong’s luxury housing market are rising as supply tightens, with returning overseas professionals heating up the competition to secure prime homes.
The rebound is most evident in traditional upscale districts such as The Peak and Southside, where leasing activity has picked up sharply this year. Transactions reached 108 in the first quarter, with more than 40 percent involving monthly rents above HK$100,000 ($12,760), according to Midland Realty. Read more>>
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